# Brainstorm some war movie ideas about underappreciated parts of the military! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 18, 2009, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brainstorm-some-war-movie-ideas-about-underappreciated-parts-of-the-military/489828 "2009-03-18T01:52:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brainstorm-some-war-movie-ideas-about-underappreciated-parts-of-the-military/489828/1 "2009-03-18T01:52:15Z")
So, I got bored, and figured that a movie about Air Force Para Rescue Jumpers (AKA The PJ’s) could be rather cool. Basically, they’re trained to jump out of airplanes behind enemy lines to rescue downed pilots and soldiers and help them get to safety. For a movie tie-in website, I’d suggest “[jollygreengiant.com](http://jollygreengiant.com)” except that it seems to already be in use (the PJ’s use green foot prints as one of their unofficial logos, in reference to the HH-3 Jolly Green Giant helicopters they used for Combat Search And Rescue during Vietnam) So Dopers, can you think of any groups in the military that could be the basis for awesome movies if anyone paid any attention to them in Hollywood? ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brainstorm-some-war-movie-ideas-about-underappreciated-parts-of-the-military/489828/2 "2009-03-18T02:06:52Z")
Quartermasters: The requisitioning. ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brainstorm-some-war-movie-ideas-about-underappreciated-parts-of-the-military/489828/3 "2009-03-18T02:13:39Z")
Movie title: Services Tagline: Because not everyone grows up to be fighter pilots 😃 ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brainstorm-some-war-movie-ideas-about-underappreciated-parts-of-the-military/489828/4 "2009-03-18T02:35:14Z")
“ **Latrine Entrenchers** : _Army Movements II_” ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brainstorm-some-war-movie-ideas-about-underappreciated-parts-of-the-military/489828/5 "2009-03-18T03:19:21Z")
Radar’s Children - the wild and woolly world of Army Clerks! ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brainstorm-some-war-movie-ideas-about-underappreciated-parts-of-the-military/489828/6 "2009-03-18T04:38:11Z")
The Air Corps used to be an underappreciated part of the Army - especially underappreciated _by_ the Army, who were very jealous of all the publicity the flyboys got. It’s not war, certainly, but it might be worth a movie to tell about the trouble they had in 1934, flying air mail after the government fired all the contractors. They had to learn about long-distance flying, night flying, and do it all without decent forecasts or maps. Quite a few got killed, too. ---
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brainstorm-some-war-movie-ideas-about-underappreciated-parts-of-the-military/489828/7 "2009-03-18T05:01:44Z")
> [@Raguleader](#): > > So, I got bored, and figured that a movie about Air Force Para Rescue Jumpers (AKA The PJ’s) could be rather cool. Basically, they’re trained to jump out of airplanes behind enemy lines to rescue downed pilots and soldiers and help them get to safety. For a movie tie-in website, I’d suggest “[jollygreengiant.com](http://jollygreengiant.com)” except that it seems to already be in use (the PJ’s use green foot prints as one of their unofficial logos, in reference to the HH-3 Jolly Green Giant helicopters they used for Combat Search And Rescue during Vietnam) > > So Dopers, can you think of any groups in the military that could be the basis for awesome movies if anyone paid any attention to them in Hollywood? It’d be interesting but I have to nitpick, as a former CSAR guy: we (the helo guys) had the greenfeet first. They have their Gaurdian Angel logos while us helo guys have the Jolly Green Giant. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brainstorm-some-war-movie-ideas-about-underappreciated-parts-of-the-military/489828/8 "2009-03-18T05:24:56Z")
The Coast Guard. I feel like those guys don’t get enough credit, dammit. \<— son of a Coastie ---
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brainstorm-some-war-movie-ideas-about-underappreciated-parts-of-the-military/489828/9 "2009-03-18T05:31:02Z")
Snipes: Because someone has to make the Navy move. ---
**Author:** ![Snnipe\_70E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5a626/32.png) [@Snnipe\_70E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snnipe_70E)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brainstorm-some-war-movie-ideas-about-underappreciated-parts-of-the-military/489828/10 "2009-03-18T05:34:54Z")
Members of the Merchant Marine. “How the Marines got there” could be a title. Or in the early part of WWII “who had a shorter life span tht an infitry 2nd Lt?” ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brainstorm-some-war-movie-ideas-about-underappreciated-parts-of-the-military/489828/11 "2009-03-18T06:43:32Z")
WACs ---
**Author:** ![MeDrewNotYou](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/838e76/32.png) [@MeDrewNotYou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeDrewNotYou)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brainstorm-some-war-movie-ideas-about-underappreciated-parts-of-the-military/489828/12 "2009-03-18T07:06:14Z")
I’ve always thought the guys manning the silos (Air Force?) were pretty interesting. It doesn’t lend itself to an action movie, but not all war movies need bullets whizzing around. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brainstorm-some-war-movie-ideas-about-underappreciated-parts-of-the-military/489828/13 "2009-03-18T07:39:34Z")
I remember reading some nice British A5-format comics about those miniature sub guys, where the front of the sub was basically a mine? Imagine riding on that. Also, the guys who cleared landing strips and the like on the island hopping in WWII. Sea-Bees, was it? ---
**Author:** ![MeDrewNotYou](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/838e76/32.png) [@MeDrewNotYou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeDrewNotYou)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 8:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brainstorm-some-war-movie-ideas-about-underappreciated-parts-of-the-military/489828/14 "2009-03-18T08:28:52Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > I remember reading some nice British A5-format comics about those miniature sub guys, where the front of the sub was basically a mine? Imagine riding on that. > > Also, the guys who cleared landing strips and the like on the island hopping in WWII. Sea-Bees, was it? I can’t remember the book (I think it was [Can Do!: The Story of the Seabees](http://www.amazon.com/Can-Do-Story-Seabees-Bluejacket/dp/1557503796) but I’m not 100% sure), but they’ve always impressed me. I admit interest in the background and logistics side of war, though, so YMMV. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![CWN](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bc79bd/32.png) [@CWN](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CWN)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brainstorm-some-war-movie-ideas-about-underappreciated-parts-of-the-military/489828/15 "2009-03-18T11:21:58Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Also, the guys who cleared landing strips and the like on the island hopping in WWII. Sea-Bees, was it? There was a decent movie made about them called “[The Fighting Seabees](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036824/)” ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brainstorm-some-war-movie-ideas-about-underappreciated-parts-of-the-military/489828/16 "2009-03-18T11:33:42Z")
> [@MeDrewNotYou](#): > > I’ve always thought the guys manning the silos (Air Force?) were pretty interesting. It doesn’t lend itself to an action movie, but not all war movies need bullets whizzing around. Well there was the opening scene in _Wargames._ The Air Force officers were played by unknowns Michael Madsen and John Spencer. “Turn your key, sir!” ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brainstorm-some-war-movie-ideas-about-underappreciated-parts-of-the-military/489828/17 "2009-03-18T14:23:33Z")
> [@Love\_Rhombus](#): > > The Coast Guard. I feel like those guys don’t get enough credit, dammit. > > \<— son of a Coastie [Here you go.](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0406816/) ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brainstorm-some-war-movie-ideas-about-underappreciated-parts-of-the-military/489828/18 "2009-03-18T17:39:41Z")
> [@MeDrewNotYou](#): > > I’ve always thought the guys manning the silos (Air Force?) were pretty interesting. It doesn’t lend itself to an action movie, but not all war movies need bullets whizzing around. [Twilight’s Last Gleaming](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076845/) ---
**Author:** ![awldune](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@awldune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/awldune)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brainstorm-some-war-movie-ideas-about-underappreciated-parts-of-the-military/489828/19 "2009-03-18T19:21:34Z")
Seems like there are very few movies about tank crews. I’m only aware of **The Beast** (1988), about the Soviet-Afghani war. ---
**Author:** ![Sean\_Factotum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/50afbb/32.png) [@Sean\_Factotum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sean_Factotum)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brainstorm-some-war-movie-ideas-about-underappreciated-parts-of-the-military/489828/20 "2009-03-18T19:30:09Z")
> [@HPL](#): > > Snipes: Because someone has to make the Navy move. No kidding. I am so damn tired of movies that switch scene locations from the flight deck to a ready room on a carrier and no where else. It’s gotten to the point where the general public thinks that an aircraft carrier _can’t_ get underway without some jag-off pilots to provide a focal point for the rest of the ship. Hell, we dumped the airwing and took an Army battalion to Haiti one time. Ship worked just fine without Maverick and his buddies onboard. Sean Factotum EMC(SW/AW) USN, Ret. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brainstorm-some-war-movie-ideas-about-underappreciated-parts-of-the-military/489828.md?page=2)