# M\*A\*S\*H Question **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 12, 2018, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/m-a-s-h-question/817805 "2018-07-12T19:16:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2018, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/m-a-s-h-question/817805/41 "2018-07-13T15:49:03Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#): > > ISTR him saying “Harvard, '43.” Well, wiki gives that as his undergrad year, as Skywatcher noted. If it _was_ the year he completed med school, the timeline (as well as the age of the actor) fits a lot better but I don’t think it’s common, then or now, for people with postgrad degrees to cite the year of completion of those degrees the way they say “Class of XX”, which as I recall was the context of the conversation that revealed this info, i.e. Winchester was chatting with an officer who had gone to Yale and who said he was class of '48, or something. ---
**Author:** ![Textual\_Assault](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/34f0e0/32.png) [@Textual\_Assault](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Textual_Assault)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2018, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/m-a-s-h-question/817805/42 "2018-07-13T15:51:37Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#): > > BJ was a very recent draftees so didn’t have time to progress in rank; Hawyeke was probably a recent draftee when the war started and likely doesn’t want any promotions. No idea about Trapper. No. It is very clear that Hawkeye is a captain because of his constant antics and being placed on report and insubordination. He doesn’t have ANY ribbons or decorations on his Class A-s. His draft status has nothing to do with it, though it is clear that he and Hot Lips have been there the longest. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2018, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/m-a-s-h-question/817805/43 "2018-07-13T16:03:58Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > The series often made mistakes when they tried to link it to contemporary dates or events… Don’t ever, _ever_ expect good timeline continuity or an accurate connection to real-world events in a show that ran longer than the war it’s about. ---
**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:** [July 13, 2018, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/m-a-s-h-question/817805/44 "2018-07-13T16:09:32Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > Well, wiki gives that as his undergrad year, as Skywatcher noted. If it _was_ the year he completed med school, the timeline (as well as the age of the actor) fits a lot better but I don’t think it’s common, then or now, for people with postgrad degrees to cite the year of completion of those degrees the way they say “Class of XX”, which as I recall was the context of the conversation that revealed this info, i.e. Winchester was chatting with an officer who had gone to Yale and who said he was class of '48, or something. Not even [The Ultimate Guide Book](https://books.google.com/books?id=e6ezCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA136-IA40&lpg=PA136-IA40&dq=major+charles+winchester+%22harvard+medical+school%22&source=bl&ots=LwHh9Ug997&sig=TIrznlzP7EkevSnUpAAy4KdZkg0&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiQ8vPJuJzcAhWrq1kKHaVzCmwQ6AEIOjAC#v=onepage&q=major%20charles%20winchester%20%22harvard%20medical%20school%22&f=false) indicates when he graduated Med School, though he did witness an appendectomy performed without anesthesia in Mass General in '47. Whether he was a visiting student or on staff is left open. ---
**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:** [July 13, 2018, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/m-a-s-h-question/817805/45 "2018-07-13T16:16:23Z")
Crap. Just noticed that the preview is missing some of Charles’ pages and too late to edit. Maybe it’s mentioned in those pages. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2018, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/m-a-s-h-question/817805/46 "2018-07-13T16:23:27Z")
> [@cmkeller](#): > > Acsenray: > > As long as they’re women (Link code removed, as it was screwing up the coding in my post.) Your link’s broken - looks, on quoting, like you missed the closing quote in the code. [Let’s see if this fixes it…](https://www.mash4077tv.com/2013/08/episode-spotlight-your-retention-please/) (Yep, working, now.) (I actually went to find a link about that episode before quoting and seeing you already had one…and ended up getting the very same site. Heh.) I’ve always wondered if male nurses in the army did get short shrift like that. ---
**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:** [July 13, 2018, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/m-a-s-h-question/817805/47 "2018-07-13T16:34:44Z")
> [@Textual\_Assault](#): > > No. > > It is very clear that Hawkeye is a captain because of his constant antics and being placed on report and insubordination. He doesn’t have ANY ribbons or decorations on his Class A-s. His draft status has nothing to do with it, though it is clear that he and Hot Lips have been there the longest. I don’t think it’s “clear” Hawkeye had been there the longest. Rather, Trapper and Blake were the ones who “got their points” and were sent home (I assume Margaret chose to stay there.) Unless the Army’s way of handling insubordination was to say, “you’re too valuable to court-martial, so we’re going to keep you in the same place you’ve been making trouble for us.” ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2018, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/m-a-s-h-question/817805/48 "2018-07-13T17:54:49Z")
Was a MASH unit a little bit more lax about Army rules? In the show both Blake and Potter went to bat for Hawkeye, saying he’s too valuable a doctor. ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2018, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/m-a-s-h-question/817805/49 "2018-07-13T18:18:08Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > Was a MASH unit a little bit more lax about Army rules? In the show both Blake and Potter went to bat for Hawkeye, saying he’s too valuable a doctor. In one of the very early episodes General bald-guy from the movie showed up to court-martial them, and decided the same thing. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2018, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/m-a-s-h-question/817805/50 "2018-07-13T19:23:09Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > Hmm. The maximum draft age during Korea was 35. Winchester seemed at least that old, given med school and the time it took to get to his position. Being drafted in WW II and called up again seems just as likely. > > I never had the impression that Burns was regular Army, but Blake was in the novel, but definitely not on the TV show. **I don’t remember if how he made colonel was ever discussed.** It should be noted that Henry Blake was a [light colonel](https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/mash/images/1/1f/Lt-Col-Henry-Blake-MASH.jpg/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/220?cb=20120915042546), unlike [full-bird](http://images2.fanpop.com/image/photos/14000000/Colonel-Potter-m-a-s-h-14058763-320-240.jpg) Sherman Potter. ---
**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:** [July 13, 2018, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/m-a-s-h-question/817805/51 "2018-07-13T19:36:34Z")
Blake was a reservist who had been in the Army since WW2. His medals show a WW2 Victory bar (although that could be awarded if you were in the Army in 1948, I believe) and a Purple Heart. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2018, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/m-a-s-h-question/817805/52 "2018-07-13T19:43:52Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > Well, wiki gives that as his undergrad year, as Skywatcher noted. If it _was_ the year he completed med school, the timeline (as well as the age of the actor) fits a lot better but I don’t think it’s common, then or now, for people with postgrad degrees to cite the year of completion of those degrees the way they say “Class of XX”, which as I recall was the context of the conversation that revealed this info, i.e. Winchester was chatting with an officer who had gone to Yale and who said he was class of '48, or something. If he got his undergraduate degree in '43, then I’d be surprised he took 5 years to get his MD, unless he got drafted. But then he’d be in until 1946 for sure, and that is not a lot of time for med school. Yeah, not consistent. I’m going off to compare how long it takes the Enterprise to get from point A to point B at various warps, which depends solely on the needs of the plot for that episode. Makes about as much sense as this. ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2018, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/m-a-s-h-question/817805/53 "2018-07-13T20:47:28Z")
IIRC, there was an episode in which Frank said he’d volunteered. ---
**Author:** ![tim-n-va](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim-n-va/32/3001_2.png) [@tim-n-va](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim-n-va)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2018, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/m-a-s-h-question/817805/54 "2018-07-14T11:48:28Z")
The military rank rules are always subject to change but generally the doctors get entry rank based on civilian experience. In 1979, with 2 years of college I entered as an E-3 and was fully qualified for E-4 after one year. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2018, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/m-a-s-h-question/817805/55 "2018-07-14T12:32:45Z")
Henry Blake alludes to the officer training he received at least once, while BJ and Hawkeye do not - perhaps that’s an indication why Henry’s a colonel and BJ and Hawkeye are not. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2018, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/m-a-s-h-question/817805/56 "2018-07-23T15:29:05Z")
For those who just gotta have the T-shirt: [http://www.militaryissue.com/Mash-Chopper-T-Shirt/productinfo/700477/](http://www.militaryissue.com/Mash-Chopper-T-Shirt/productinfo/700477/) ---
**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2018, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/m-a-s-h-question/817805/57 "2018-07-24T00:23:32Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > For what it’s worth, actor David Odgen Stiers was just under 35 when he first appeared as Winchester. Both Stiers and Linville were younger than Alda by 6 years, but played presumedly older characters. Even weirder: Stiers and Burghoff (Radar) were only 6 months apart in age. Yet it was implied that Radar was just barely out of teenagehood. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2018, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/m-a-s-h-question/817805/58 "2018-07-24T13:27:29Z")
> [@AWB](#): > > Even weirder: Stiers and Burghoff (Radar) were only 6 months apart in age. Yet it was implied that Radar was just barely out of teenagehood. The weirdest was Jamie Farr, born in 1934 and 38 when the series started. Max. draft age at the time was 26, but could be extended if you got a college deferment which old Klinger clearly didn’t do. Why was he stuck in the Army for so long when he was trying to get out so badly? ---
**Author:** ![caligulathegod](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/caligulathegod/32/9685_2.png) [@caligulathegod](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/caligulathegod)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2018, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/m-a-s-h-question/817805/59 "2018-07-24T17:25:28Z")
Back then, actor ages did not reflect character ages as much. “Acting!” ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2018, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/m-a-s-h-question/817805/60 "2018-07-24T20:45:09Z")
> [@caligulathegod](#): > > Back then, actor ages did not reflect character ages as much. “Acting!” “Back then”? They _still_ cast 25+ year olds as high school students. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/m-a-s-h-question/817805.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/m-a-s-h-question/817805.md?page=4)