The Reality Behind “Platoon”

gregorymaness
Aug 11
2 min read

The iconic Vietnam War film, Platoon, was released in 1986 during my senior year of high school. While there had been other well-received films before Platoon that looked at the Vietnam War, this is arguably one of the most celebrated and honored of the Vietnam War films. It was nominated for a number of awards and won a number of those awards including the Academy Awards for Best Director and Best Picture.

The film was a crowning achievement for screenwriter and director, Oliver Stone, whose own experience as a soldier in Vietnam provided inspiration and material for the film. The authenticity was further ensured by the technical assistance provided by Vietnam War veteran, Captain Dale Dye, USMC, Retired, who also had a part in the film as Captain Harris, Company B’s commanding officer. Captain Dye also wrote the novelization of the film and I personally enjoyed reading it.

Below are links to three video clips from a documentary about the making of Platoon and a video about how Captain Dye contributed to the realism and the impact of the film. Hamburger Hill and Full Metal Jacket are a couple of other films to watch if you want to better understand the experience of our troops in the Vietnam War, but I would argue that you need to watch Platoon as an essential, not-to-be-missed film at the top of the assigned viewing list.

Platoon hit me in 1986 with the realization that young men my age and a little older than me were largely the ones responsible for fighting the war. While I wanted to serve in the military (and was ultimately denied the opportunity to do so for medical reasons), Platoon was a vivid reminder that military service, particularly during wartime, is inherently dangerous and that an enlistment could end with me in a body bag and my family receiving a folded American flag. That fact should be remembered by every leader that is considering sending young Americans off to war.