NOT an accurate Marine grunt portrayal, movie or book

Rating: 2/10 (22 December 2005)

I was an active duty Marine for eight years, '67-'75, with a tour in Vietnam. I just retired as an Army Reservist, '92-'05, with tours in Bosnia and Iraq. I saw the movie and read the first pages of the book because I thought the movie may have taken liberties with the book...not so. Swofford's story is one of total self-centeredness, not self awareness. In the book's first seven pages he writes of how he stole MRE's and other Marine's gear to have party money, so he is a thief. In the movie the small sniper Marine unit is not only left totally unguided by any rules of engagement but without higher authority control. Even the platoon sergeant is absent for great parts of the action which is totally absurd. The worse part of the book was how Swofford and his buddies, when notified of their alert for Gulf War I, rented war movies, particularly Vietnam era movies, drank beer and watch/replayed the rape scenes. This man may write well but why read him? In the movie they didn't say anything about watching/replaying the rape scenes...they just hyped the war fever of warriors.