The true story behind "Jarhead" -- Greenville mom takes issue with book, movie

MLive.com ^ | November 03, 2005 | Ted Roelofs

[wmichgrad]

GREENVILLE -- Diantha Eldridge remembers all the Marines in their crisp dress blues, how they came to her home in Greenville in 1992 to pay respects to her son.

Although he signed the funeral guest book, she has no memory of one certain Marine -- Anthony Swofford, author of "Jarhead," a gritty account of the Gulf War and now a major movie, opening Friday.

She does take issue with the book's depiction of her son, Marine Lance Cpl. Troy Collier. Eldridge said she tried to reach Swofford to give him a piece of her mind.

"We would have had a talking-to," she said. "A lot of things in there aren't true."

Collier is a major figure in Swofford's book, a battlefield comrade credited with saving the author from suicide. But Eldridge and other Greenville-area residents are convinced Swofford's account of their town and the events surrounding his funeral is as much fiction as fact.

As for the movie, the name Troy Collier no longer exists. A major character in the film, "Allen Troy," played by actor Peter Sarsgaard, appears to be a composite character that includes elements of Troy Collier. One of the movie's final scenes depicts a funeral for Allen Troy, though the movie doesn't reveal how he died.

The real-life Troy Collier died Feb. 23, 1992, killed instantly about 7:30 a.m. when he lost control of his 1989 Nissan pickup and slid off M-91, striking several trees. He was 22.

Eldridge said her son, a 1987 graduate of Greenville High School, had been out of the Marines just two months when he died. He was on his way to work as a nurse's aide at an adult foster care home in Saranac.

When she learned about the book "Jarhead," which made the 2003 New York Times bestseller list, Eldridge felt like she lost her son a second time.

"I was devastated when I read some of the things in that book," she said. "Things rushed back at me. I felt like I was going through his death all over again."

Except for the scenes set in Greenville, Eldridge, 56, said she didn't read much of the book, a blunt, profanity-laced account of the Gulf War and the Marine subculture.

Eldridge said she was most troubled by this comment of Swofford about her son: "I also knew that just like me, he believed in no God."

Eldridge recalled that her son "wasn't very happy" after he got out of the Marines and came back home to live. He was studying to be a nurse at Muskegon Community College and still piecing together life after his time in the military.

But on this, she is adamant: "Troy did believe in God. Troy went to church after he came home. Nobody made him."

The book recalls his burial at a Greenville cemetery on a bitterly cold day with below-zero wind chill, an inch or two of snow on the ground. Eldridge said it was unusually mild, the ground not even frozen, the day she buried her son.

Later, the book recounts how Swofford and the other Marines decided to go for a drink at a "bar in the basement of an antique shop."

There's no such bar in Greenville, but locals agree that was most likely a bar called Legends, in the basement of the Winter Inn.

They are skeptical about what "Jarhead" says happened there. The story recounts a spectacular fight between the Marines and about a dozen local toughs. One of the Marines is insulted, the book says, and the Marines soon are taking on all comers, busting chairs and breaking bottles over heads. Swofford says he threw the instigator of the fight over the bar in a crash of broken bottles.

Barry Thornton, partial owner of the Winter Inn, was an ID checker at the entrance to the bar at that time. He recalls a fight involving some Marines or Army soldiers, but nothing like that account. The bar closed about nine years ago.

"I remember a lot of glasses got broken," he said. "But there was no time when anyone got thrown behind the bar. I don't recall anything where glasses were ever broken over anyone's head. I would remember that."

The book also recounts how the police came and took them into their cars and told them they should leave town the next day.

Bruce Schnepp, Greenville's director of public safety and a lifelong resident of Greenville, said he has no recollection of anything like that.

Though she differs with much of "Jarhead," Eldridge said the book does get one thing right about Marine life.

"They all did a lot of drinking. They were always drinking. That part is true."

[sargunner]

"We plan on going to one of the multi-screen theaters and paying to see something else and then stepping in to see "Jarhead" afterwards just to see how accurate the movie is."

Kelly, You sly (devil)dog. I suspect using this tactic is the only way you'll get your money's worth.

Take care

[Publius6961]

BUMP!

[pepperhead]

Durting WWII, when Hollywood put movies out, there was no question they would be pro-American, pro-military, patriotic, anti-enemy movies.

The tv spots I have seen gives the impression that this movie is just that. A pro-American, pro-military, patriotic, anti-enemy movie. Looks like they are pulling a Million Dollar Baby here to me.

[Chode]

yup, a li'l sneak and peak will be enough... after that, it'll be a function of how much BS you can to sit through to see all their lies. good luck.

[Question_Assumptions]

As opposed to other actors, huh?

Watch a Bruce Willis movie like "Tears of the Sun".

[kellynla]

Here is a review from a student who saw a pre-screening of the film, "Jarhead."

Juansmith from Washington State, USA


"I saw a promotional screening of the film, sponsored by my university. Following the screening was an audience Q&A with the author (and main character), Tony Swofford.

And it was no surprise that the very first question from the audience was, quite ambiguously, "Do you support the military?" When Swofford dismissed the question as too broad and complex to be answered with a simple yes or no, the inquirer followed up with, "Well, do you support the war?" Swofford dismissed this even more readily.

To me, this was perfectly representative of how the film handled its potential political implications.

As Troy says early on in the film, "To hell with politics. We're here now." And that's essentially how the movie went.

It bypasses the soapbox and simply tells you how it was, from the perspective of a single soldier. And while the opening boot camp scenes may seem like Full Metal Jacket Lite, the rest of the film is truly unique.

Sam Mendes directs with his usual brilliance, showing once again his affinity for bright, vivid color, even in the largely monochromatic desert.

Jake Gyllenhaal gives an excellent performance as Anthony Swofford, complemented by the able talents of Jamie Foxx and Peter Sarsgaard.

The film's only real flaw is that, like the war on which it was based, it's pretty slow, and not a lot really happens.

In the strictest sense, I would have a hard time even classifying this as a war film, and it's certainly not a deliberately political film.

But in its own way, it tells an intense, personal story. Beyond that, you're simply left to make your own judgments."


From what this student says the author sounds like a disenchanted Marine. He wouldn't say that he was for or against the war and he wouldn't say whether he was for or against the military which in my mind says the author is against the war and not reeeeeel happy with the Corps.

Semper Fi,
Kelly

[L98Fiero]

"Watch a Bruce Willis movie like "Tears of the Sun"."

I did. It rocked. We all know guys like Bruce are as rare as hen's teeth in Hollywood.

[LongElegantLegs]

Gah, I CAN'T BELIEVE I CALLED JAMIE FOXX 'JAMIE KENNEDY'!! Sorry, all, and thanks for the corrections. :-P
I still find his Oor-ah oddly feminine.

[Diva Betsy Ross]

Love the screen name!

[rdb3]

Gah, I CAN'T BELIEVE I CALLED JAMIE FOXX 'JAMIE KENNEDY'!!

That happens, so no biggie. I have to see that whole scene before I can say it sounded "feminine". The clip on the commercial seems to me that he was just talking to another Marine, so he didn't yell it.

I'm loudly screamed, "HOOAH!" in the Army while doing PT or in some other training. Me telling another soldier "hooah" meant that I agreed with what he was saying.

Anyway, I still wish to see this movie. Ray Charles, err, I mean Jamie Foxx is a great actor, so I want to see how he plays.

If you want a Google GMail account, FReepmail me.

[chesty_puller]

it has quite a bit of officer bashing in there as well

That changes everything....I'm gonna watch it now.

[LongElegantLegs]

Ray Charles, err, I mean Jamie Foxx is a great actor...

Ha ha! Now, that was a role he was born to play. I could be inferring too much from the inflection of a two-second quote.

[LongElegantLegs]

Why, thank you! I love your profile page.

[My2Cents]

Didn't even notice the misnomer.

[emerson boozer]

No problem, I thought it was just a funny mistake.

[airborne]

DARN IT! I was hoping to see a good war movie!

Just darn!!

[Diva Betsy Ross]

Yours is pretty good too..but you are missing something, I think we should work on that (If you want to..). Look in your freepmail!

[Diva Betsy Ross]

I think you are right. That makes me feel badly- however I don't think I will see the film myself.

[kas2591]

It's been a while since I read the book; but I'm pretty sure he didn't fire a round. His battalion took some blue on blue casualites; that was about it.

[Sam Gamgee]

I want to know when was the last time Hollywood produced a patriotic war movie?

BTW - anyone see DownFall - the German movie about the last days of Hitler. I came away feeling sick to my stomach. Realizing what a bunch of pant pissing cowards Hitler's henchmen really were.