The Movie....The Green Berets
 

Well, I'm sitting here watching the movie, The Green Berets on AMC, for the um-tenth time.

It's always good for a laugh.....not the movie itself guys, just some of the special effects. Like when Col. Kirby (The Duke) is bringing the Mike Force in and his Helo gets hit and goes down. Great Special Effects. :D Although I will say the the fire burn that the Crew Chief/Door Gunner does is really good.

Anyway...Knowing that he (The Duke) filmed the movie in and around Ft. Bragg, is the set for Camp A-107 still around there or was it taken down after filming?

Also another question I have is, at the begining of the film, when The Duke, aka Col. Kirby (That's such a COOL last name :D )brings the A-Team into VN and they're met at the "Da Nang" airfield, and Col. Morgan gets Col. Kirby over to his jeep. Col. Morgans driver is an E-2. Now knowing that when The Duke made this film, he wanted to use alot of AD SF. I always thought that you had to be at least an E-4 (promotable) even back then, to wear the Beret. Could it be, or is that just another "Hollywood" moment?

Well gotta go. The Duke and his Team are about to jump outta the Helo in broad daylight, behind enemy lines. You know the one....where he forgets to Hook up and is shuffeling to the door.....

Thin ice Mud Puppy, thin ice.

Didn't mean to offend. :D

If anyone knows, I knew/know it would be you.

I thought the base camp scenes were filmed at Benning.

Don't be talking smack about the Duke!!!

There was a Vietnamese village in the Gabriel demonstration area. I don't knoe if the Gabriel area even exists today.

I don't recall the driver but is it possible he was a Pfc E-3. Stripes were different then. In addition while I was in Germany we had a Pfc George Allen in the Company. He also had a CMB and had held every rank up to and including SFC. The Col once said that if he could keep George in the field he would be a sergeant major. Promotions weren't as restrictive and structured in the early sisties. In addition, I was a Pfc when I graduated in Training Group. We didn't get any promotions in Training Group higher than Pfc E-3. I think the medics may have received one stripe upon promotion. I didn't make SP4 until I had been in the 10th SFG for several months.

It was entirely possible and even probable that a Pfc would be the CO's driver. If he did well a stripe usually resulted.

Things were different. We had just returned from a Joint FCX with the British SAS. When we returned, LYT Faistenheimer was in our team room and congratulating me on a job well done. The team sergeant, MSG Valenzuela told the Col: "If you think he is that good, don't shake his hand, promote him." Within the week I was promoted to SSG.

Pfc Terry Dahling, USSF 1964.
 

Does this answer your question?

The base camp from the Green Berets" is/was at Ft. Benning. We assaulted the camp there back in 1980. It was in a regular maneuver area and was not preserved.

You can see the Airborne School Towers in several shots from the film.

There is no "Gabe Area" for demos any more. In fact, a lot of the MATA Mile over by Gruber Road has been encroached on as well. Smoke Bomb Hill is CA/PSYOP/Engineer Land now days. SWCS is the closest thing to SF in the area.

TR

I thought so. I also assaulted that hill, several times. I remember the Drill telling us about the Green Beret's being filmed there.

Re: The Movie....The Green Berets
 

They sent this movie to us while I was the commander at Ben Het before they sent it around to the other camps. I think the thing that got us all was the quote from one of the guys in the mortar pit that went something like, "They are in the wire fire charge four !". Always wondered just how far back that they pushed that wire when the SEABEES were called in to clear back the brush. Then again, maybe they just wanted to fire it straight up in the air as far as they could to give themselves time to pull back under the cover of their own mortars. Damn, just got to love hollywood:D

Jack Moroney

LOL - seems like I've heard of that technique somewhere.

Rocky Farr used to be found of saying "I jumped into John Wayne's A Camp on Benning in 1968."

Any guesses on the origin of John Waynes character?

Is this what you're talking about Sir? This is the 4.2 pit at Dak To.:D :D :D

Thanks Gents.....My Bad....It was Benning not Bragg that, the camp is at. I thought it might still be up.

QRQ 30....yes, "Renyolds", Col. Morgan's driver in the movie, does have a single stripe on. Didn't know that was a pfc back then. Thanks.

Re: Re: The Movie....The Green Berets
 

I was watching this last night when that line came up. He said charge 7 and I said WTF? I also wondered if they wanted to see how high they could get the round to go. I love the movies. :D

QRQ - That's not a mortar pit, that's a mortar condo!

LMAO!
 

I'm pretty sure one tried that technique here...ONCE!

The wife and I watched it last night also.

Charge 7?

Maybe he was ordering a retaliatory strike against Hanoi or something.

I was at Khe Sahn when the movie was distributed in RVN and didn't see it until much later. We had an outside "Drive-in Movie" set up for the Yards in Kontum. We used sheets for the screen and had to change them about once a week because of the bullet holes. The Yards loved to shoot up the bad guys in westerns. When I returned to FOB-2 I was told they had to change the sceen daily. The yards really got carried away helping the SF repel the hords in the wire.:munchin

BTW: "Combat" with Vic Morrow was the most popular TV series on AFVN-TV

Sir, that is easily oneof the three funniest stories I've ever heard about Vietnam. :D

LOL...Great story.

BTW....there was a "Kirby" character in to show COMBAT. Maybe that's where JW got his insperation for a Col. Kirby.:D

We did much the same thing for them at Mang Buk, but because we were isolated we had to make sure we had local security operations extra heavy and outside of mortar and rocket range on the evening we showed flicks. They loved Clint Eastwood movies and we had Eastwood groupies. They would show up the next day with those indigenous ponchos draped overthem like serapes (sp?). Like most we had cows brought in for slaughter and had a pretty sizeable herd. Got to the point where the Team Sergeant got a bunch of black stetsons sent in and the yards thought that was great. They all wanted to take turns working the herd and wearing the stetsons.

Jack Moroney:D

I'm so dense I googled "Special Forces +Kirby" as a Google reference...

I guess I am just too darn young to "get" old movie references?

:D

Ye Google be weak !!! First shot Green Beret+Kirby= http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063035/

The name of the movie=The Green Beret !!

Take care.
Martin

Looks like the question is answered in the link AM pointed out.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063035/trivia

The movie is based on the book.

"In the book, the "Green Berets" by Robin Moore, the main character is based on Major Larry Thorne (originally Lauri Törni, a Finnish soldier who moved to USA after WWII)."

Thorne was a legend.

TR

That he was. His remains were recovered not all that long ago if I remember correctly.

I knew i could trust you guys to remember the man, a true legend among men out here as well.

Remains recovered and buried at Arlington.

Yep, we remember him. The 10th Group Hq building is named Thorne Hall in his memory.

Yes, i read about that, good tribute to a fine soldier.

WHOA !!!!

I just read through the Cast and Crew, from the link that AM posted.....and Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris, Joe Lewis and Ed Parker worked on this film.

And don't forget about the annual Thorne Award.

I saw it playing on AMC too, but didn't want to start in the middle since I have not seen it before. Ordered it on Netflix, and plan to see it when it arrives.

You have got to be kidding!

LIB!

TR

Nah, I'm just much younger than you are.

GEEZER!

:lifter

LOL

RL

....And you call yourself a MODERATOR on an S.F. board. Jeezzzz:rolleyes:

Couldn't tell it from your picture.. :D

TR

The Green Berets is a fine, fine movie, one of the few I own.

Solid

LOL

Years in my firm are like dog years. Plenty of gray hair at 35. LOL

Here's a good hijack:

My older boy decided I should grow a mustache this trip. If anyone can photoshop something like what it really looks like, there will be a prize. LMAO

Is this a challenge? Do we use your picture off the firm's site?

You did it Jack, That's exactly how RL will look. Now the rest of you guys and gals, back to the movie!