also of note this movie is based on a real court marshal but was tried at Gitmo and not at JAG HQ in the Navy Yard... its a great military courtroom drama ... u need to watch the whole movie...
in the letter Santiago was writing, he wasn't addressing an officer, do Dear Sir was appropriate, he was writing to a Special Agent of the Naval Investigative Service to give info on a fence line shooting in exchange for helping him get a transfer off the base...
I got an uncharacterized discharge, entry level separation, “failure to adapt”, RE4, due to not being able to get past extreme homesickness/depression/panic. I left from MCT at Camp Geiger (USMC), year 2000.
The military today is way different from even when I went in in 1984, they need to return to some of the old ways in order to harden and discipline new recruits.
Thank you for sharing your experience. I went to BootCamp in 1980 and this happened to me. I felt so humiliated that I didn't talk about it much. I admire your candid conversation about it.
To be clear: If he retires right now, he retired a captain. (even if they demote him later) ...and it would be REEEEAAAAAALLLY desperate to nitpick his military career, in order to help a conman get elected president.
I was lucky in boot camp in 1961. I was a squad leader at the time. I got strep throat during qualifying at the rifle range. It was winter and I had strep throat. I managed to shoot sharpshooter despite having strep throat. After qualifying our senior drill instructor ran us up and down the hill at camp Matthews in San Diego. The actual rifle range was in an area below what is now UCSD and the San Diego VA in Torrey pines in San Diego. Anyway the day we qualified the senior drill instructor ran us in formation up and down the hill. Having a high fever and having a bad headache and body aches and chills I fell out. I was carried to sick bay because I could not run any more.i stayed in sick bay for two days and I missed the hump back to MCRD. But while I was at sick bay my senior drill instructor came to visit with some candy. That blew my mind. He gave me the candy bars and talked to me like I was a member of his family and told me I’d rejoin the platoon when I recovered. I was super glad I was not dropped to another platoon. Staff Sgt Curry, wherever you are I’ll have a beer and give you a toast.
