What I saw cut close to the bone.
The division commander has a moustache contest, but the sergeant major has his own agenda. The battalion commander realizes the division commander's contest came at the wrong time. Now it's time to fight. (I've seen that kind of screwup before.)
An espresso maker blows up and destroys a radio battery. The platoon leader lies to protect his men. The battalion commander knows the lieutenant is lying and humorously suggests handing out decorations. (As a junior officer, I was involved in stuff like that.)
The marines go into combat without sufficient tools of the trade or even sufficient maps. (The same thing happened in Grenada in 1983.)
While the guys are waiting for combat, they read skin mags and regard a man who wrote for Hustler as "greatness in the room". (I've seen plenty of that in real life. Nothing is as nerve-wracking as waiting for the actual fight.)
One marine, highly keyed up before the fight, expounds on the Pussy Theory of History at great length. (I heard plenty of that, and that marine had an accurate diagnosis of some of the ills of Islamic society.)
Lighten up. These guys struck me as the real deal.
No I’ve never served. But the Marines I’ve met have a love a respect for the Corp and the guys last night seemed to be trapped in their situation or are “fighting for the white race.”
Give me a break.