# M\*A\*S\*H question **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 15, 2012, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/m-a-s-h-question/641100 "2012-11-15T16:35:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2012, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/m-a-s-h-question/641100/21 "2012-11-15T19:00:41Z")
That means he was born in 1889, plus or minus a year. If he joined the army at 15, that puts his enlistment year as 1904. Potter would have been 27 when we entered WW1. So that means he went to medical school at age 32 or better. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2012, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/m-a-s-h-question/641100/22 "2012-11-15T19:08:37Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > That means he was born in 1889, plus or minus a year. If he joined the army at 15, that puts his enlistment year as 1904. Potter would have been 27 when we entered WW1. So that means he went to medical school at age 32 or better. So he was already career Army by 1917, probably a noncom at the age of 27 and looking at retirement when the Korean War ended in 1953. That makes good sense. ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2012, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/m-a-s-h-question/641100/23 "2012-11-15T19:12:16Z")
And when Henry Morgan played General Bartford Hamliton Steele (3 E’s, not in a row), he said he was ‘62 years old and fit to play halfback’. ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2012, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/m-a-s-h-question/641100/24 "2012-11-15T19:20:16Z")
If you go [here](http://mash.wikia.com/wiki/M*A*S*H) and click on the character names, it will give some answers. For example, for Sherman Potter it says: "When Potter first takes command September 19, 1952 he claims to be 51 which would place his birthdate in 1900/or 1901. In the episode, “Pressure Points”, Potter gives his age as 62. With the episode set in 1952, he would have been born in 1890, and been fifteen years old in 1905; likewise in a two part episode when Major Burns is missing {Gone from the show} he claims to have smoked cigars for 47 years-since 1905/6 {age 15{?} In 7.2, he mentions having been in the army for thirty-five years; assuming the year is 1952, he would have joined in 1917, the year the United States entered the First World War. Assuming he did enlist at age fifteen, he was born in 1902. In another episode, he mentions joining the cavalry during the days of Theodore Roosevelt’s “Rough Riders”, which only existed during the Spanish-American War of 1898 which would have made him 69 in 1952 when the mandatory military retirement age for officers is 60{!) . In 5/4 whan Radar is “promoted” to 2nd Lt for among other things “bugling” Potter claims to have been in the army for 40 years-implies he enlisted he 1912-age age 15? In 11.7 Potter rants that someone over sixty shouldn’t go to Florida; both the previous and succeeding episodes reveal that the timeline is the June/July of 1953. " ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2012, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/m-a-s-h-question/641100/25 "2012-11-15T19:38:08Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > At least in the series, Hawkeye is a WWII veteran or is implied to be. Yes, I remember a scene where somebody was talking about how Hawkeye wasn’t taking “the war” seriously and he said “Which war? I’ve been in two of them.” > [@silenus](#): > > No he isn’t. He’s a Korean War draftee. Doesn’t mean he couldn’t have also been a WWII veteran. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2012, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/m-a-s-h-question/641100/26 "2012-11-15T19:57:52Z")
In the movie _M_A_S_H\*, Mulcahey tells Hot Lips that Hawkeye was indeed drafted. Continuity was never the TV series’ strong point. Hawkeye’s mother goes from being alive to being dead; Margaret’s father goes from being dead to being alive; and the names of Blake’s and Potter’s wives were different in different episodes. Burns went from being “a good surgeon” (Henry’s words) to being “pastry-chef” incompetent (the court martial episode). I’m sure there were other discrepancies as well, but I can’t remember them right off the top of my head. ---
**Author:** ![Laggard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de053/32.png) [@Laggard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laggard)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2012, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/m-a-s-h-question/641100/27 "2012-11-15T20:00:57Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Yes, I remember a scene where somebody was talking about how Hawkeye wasn’t taking “the war” seriously and he said "Which war? I’ve been in two of them."Doesn’t mean he couldn’t have also been a WWII veteran. I’ve seen every episode dozens of times and don’t recall any mention of Hawkeye being in WWII. It’s possible he was stateside during WWII though. Does the math work out? ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2012, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/m-a-s-h-question/641100/28 "2012-11-15T20:02:37Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > In the movie _M_A_S_H\*, Mulcahey tells Hot Lips that Hawkeye was indeed drafted. > > Continuity was never the TV series’ strong point. Hawkeye’s mother goes from being alive to being dead; Margaret’s father goes from being dead to being alive; and the names of Blake’s and Potter’s wives were different in different episodes. Burns went from being “a good surgeon” (Henry’s words) to being “pastry-chef” incompetent (the court martial episode). > > I’m sure there were other discrepancies as well, but I can’t remember them right off the top of my head. Hawkeye also went from having a sister to being an only child. Also, is the OP talking about the TV series or the movie (or the book)? I think some people are getting this confused. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2012, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/m-a-s-h-question/641100/29 "2012-11-15T20:09:12Z")
> [@Laggard](#): > > I’ve seen every episode dozens of times and don’t recall any mention of Hawkeye being in WWII. It’s possible he was stateside during WWII though. > > Does the math work out? It would make him around 40, which is kind of old for frat-boy pranks, especially if he’d seen action previously. I think the OP is referring to the TV series; certainly that’s the version most people are familiar with. I was just pointing out that continuity in the franchise was minimal, at best. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2012, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/m-a-s-h-question/641100/30 "2012-11-15T20:12:26Z")
The continuity in the series is virtually non-existent. The time-line jumps all over the place. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2012, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/m-a-s-h-question/641100/31 "2012-11-15T20:18:20Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > It would make him around 40, which is kind of old for frat-boy pranks, especially if he’d seen action previously. Also a bit old for a Captain, come to think about it. ---
**Author:** ![Laggard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de053/32.png) [@Laggard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laggard)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2012, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/m-a-s-h-question/641100/32 "2012-11-15T20:24:03Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > The continuity in the series is virtually non-existent. The time-line jumps all over the place. Especially for Potter. Not sure if you can take what anyone says at face value. The idea that Hawkeye was in WWII is laughable. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2012, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/m-a-s-h-question/641100/33 "2012-11-15T21:06:55Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > According to the books, Hawkeye is 31 in 1954 when he gets out of the Army. Trapper is a couple of years older, since he has already passed his thoracic boards. The book doesn’t match the TV series. In the early episode where Hawkeye is named chief surgeon, Blake explicity points out that Hawkeye was certified in both general and chest surgery. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2012, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/m-a-s-h-question/641100/34 "2012-11-15T21:32:26Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > “Which war? I’ve been in two of them.” That’s from the Mail Call episode and he’s giving Frank the business as usual. The line is not to be taken seriously. ---
**Author:** ![Laggard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de053/32.png) [@Laggard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laggard)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2012, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/m-a-s-h-question/641100/35 "2012-11-15T22:31:05Z")
> [@Lute Skywatcher](#): > > That’s from the Mail Call episode and he’s giving Frank the business as usual. The line is not to be taken seriously. Makes more sense. This makes me remember a scene in the final episode. They’re all sharing what they’re going to do when they get home. Lots of happy talk about continuing nursing or staying in the army. One nurse stands up, looking depressed and fed up with everything, says she was in the tail end of WWII and that she’s had it. Most honest moment of the whole episode. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2012, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/m-a-s-h-question/641100/36 "2012-11-16T01:17:24Z")
> [@StusBlues](#): > > In the episode ‘Pressure Points’, Potter tells Sydney Freedman that he is 63 years old and no longer confident in his ability as a surgeon. That certainly eliminates any chance of continuity, then. He could be any age. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2012, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/m-a-s-h-question/641100/37 "2012-11-16T02:17:00Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > It would make him around 40, which is kind of old for frat-boy pranks, especially if he’d seen action previously. I don’t see why. Only five years separated World War II and the Korean War. As for Hawkeye’s character, I think previous war experience makes his cynicism about war and the Army seem more plausible. He had already lost whatever illusions he had in World War II. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2012, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/m-a-s-h-question/641100/38 "2012-11-16T02:24:20Z")
Trivia note: Richard Hornberger, the guy that wrote the novel _M_A_S_H\* (under the pseudonym Richard Hooker) got royally screwed by Hollywood. He didn’t anticipate how much his book would be worth and sold the movie and TV rights for five hundred dollars. ---
**Author:** ![Reeses\_Monkey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reeses_monkey/32/2885_2.png) [@Reeses\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeses_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2012, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/m-a-s-h-question/641100/39 "2012-11-16T02:44:55Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > I think the OP is referring to the TV series; certainly that’s the version most people are familiar with. I was just pointing out that continuity in the franchise was minimal, at best. Yes, I should have specified that. Sorry. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2012, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/m-a-s-h-question/641100/40 "2012-11-16T03:12:45Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I don’t see why. Only five years separated World War II and the Korean War. > > As for Hawkeye’s character, I think previous war experience makes his cynicism about war and the Army seem more plausible. He had already lost whatever illusions he had in World War II. Depends on when he finished medical school and was certified. To have seen service in WWII, he would have had to be _at least_ in his early 30s in Korea. Hooker/Hornberger, who based Hawkeye Pierce on himself, was 21 in 1945 and 26 when the Korean War began. Interestingly, Hot Lips in the novel was herself around 40: > **[Richard Hooker (author)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Hooker_(author))** > > Hiester Richard Hornberger Jr. (February 1, 1924 – November 4, 1997) was an American writer and surgeon who wrote under the pseudonym Richard Hooker. Hornberger's best-known work is his novel MASH (1968), based on his experiences as a wartime United States Army surgeon during the Korean War and written in collaboration with W. C. Heinz. It was used as the basis for the award-winning, critically and commercially successful movie M\*A\*S\*H (1970) — and two years later, the acclaimed long running te... [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/m-a-s-h-question/641100.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/m-a-s-h-question/641100.md?page=3)