In the First movie, he comes to the wedding wearing what I presume is the Marine Corp Dress uniform. In the 2nd movie he explicilty says he joined the Marines and during the Senate Hearing says he fought for his country and earned the Navy Cross for his actions.
Does it ever say in the book anything about his experiences during WW2? I have a friend who thinks he read that micheal was a figher pilot but I don’t remember anything to that effect(but it’s been a few years).
What rank is Micheal according to the insignia on his dress uniform at the wedding? He says he enlisted at the end of Part 2, so I assume that means he’s not an officer(considering he also dropped out of college).
Actually I just reached over to the shelf next to me. Heh. There is mention of Michael’s war service in the introductory scene of his character at the wedding. Here’s what it says:
I don’t recall any other mention of his “disabling wound.” There’s no telling what it could have been. There also might be other mentions of his war service in the book, but I’m not recalling anything concrete right off hand. (Michael mentions having killed men before after the hospital fiasco, and there’s a mention of him dreaming of an all-American type of girl like Kay while he was away fighting.)
There’s a deleted scene if you haven’t seen it of Vito sneering at Michael’s “Christmas ribbons” (military decorations) and speaking of his disdain for Michael’s military service. It’s the scene where Vito and sons visit Genco on his deathbed that occurs the night of Connie’s wedding.
The above link shows Michael’s ribbons. The Navy Cross ribbon is not in the photo. That ribbon is navy blue background with a thin vertical white stripe in the middle.
