# Jarhead--book and movie (Open Spoilers)

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jarhead-book-and-movie-open-spoilers/327542>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [October 23, 2005, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jarhead-book-and-movie-open-spoilers/327542 "2005-10-23T17:24:46Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 4

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**Author:** ![Snickers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Snickers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snickers)\
**Post date:** [November 7, 2005, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jarhead-book-and-movie-open-spoilers/327542/61 "2005-11-07T15:02:15Z")

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> [@RikWriter](#):
>
> Doubtful. I was in the Army, and other than the fact that they are also the US military, I have no sentimental feelings about the Marines. The fact is, Swofford’s book is chock full of lies and laughable exaggerations. Period.

Respectfully, sir, it seems that you have a different take than others whose spouses and sons actually served in the Marines, and they’ve reported than while there are exaggerations, to be sure, Swofford’s book did capture the situation pretty accurately. Just sayin’, is all.

Haven’t read the book, but saw the movie this weekend. Liked it. But was there a discrepancy at the end? I forget character names, so you’ll have to bear with me:

Jamie Foxx says that they don’t do that in the Marines, and so SquishyFace will be drummed out on their return for defiling the corpse. Yet at Troy’s funeral, SquishyFace is there, wearing his Marine uniform. It’s obviously some time after they returned, because Fergus’s hair is so long. Was SquishyFace just reprimanded? Or did I misinterpret Foxx’s statement - did he mean that he would just be reprimanded and not drummed out?

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**Author:** ![Jayrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Jayrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jayrot)\
**Post date:** [November 14, 2005, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jarhead-book-and-movie-open-spoilers/327542/62 "2005-11-14T17:49:35Z")

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> [@Snickers](#):
>
> Respectfully, sir, it seems that you have a different take than others whose spouses and sons actually served in the Marines, and they’ve reported than while there are exaggerations, to be sure, Swofford’s book did capture the situation pretty accurately. Just sayin’, is all.
> 
> Haven’t read the book, but saw the movie this weekend. Liked it. But was there a discrepancy at the end? I forget character names, so you’ll have to bear with me:

ISTR that he said he’d be busted down to handing out toilet paper or something when they return, not that he’d be kicked out.

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**Author:** ![Catalyst](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e47774/32.png) [@Catalyst](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catalyst)\
**Post date:** [November 14, 2005, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jarhead-book-and-movie-open-spoilers/327542/63 "2005-11-14T19:31:49Z")

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> [@Jayrot](#):
>
> ISTR that he said he’d be busted down to handing out toilet paper or something when they return, not that he’d be kicked out.

Like **Snickers** , I recall the phrase “drummed out” being used.

[Here’s a review](http://www.slate.com/id/2129813/fr/rss/) by [captain Nathaniel Fick](http://www.nathanielfick.com/). I’ve not yet read his book, _One Bullet Away_, but I attended a lecture he gave for my school’s political science department and was impressed enough to trust his opinion about _Jarhead_.

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