"Oliver Wendell "Spearchucker" Jones was a surgeon in the movie and television series M*A*S*H. He was portrayed by Fred Williamson in the movie and by Timothy Brown (who had played the corpsman CPL Judson in the film) in the television series."
Posted on 05/24/2008 1:26:22 PM PDT by Free ThinkerNY
BERLIN (Reuters Life!) - Veteran actor and director Clint Eastwood rejected criticism from fellow U.S. director Spike Lee that his films "Flags of Our Fathers" and "Letters from Iwo Jima" failed to recognize the role of African-American soldiers.
In an interview with Germany's Focus magazine, Eastwood said it was nonsense to suggest he had "erased the role of black GIs from history". He said there were no Afro-Americans in those films because there were no Afro-American soldiers involved.
"Does he know anything about American history?" Eastwood told Focus when asked about Lee's criticism. "The U.S. military was segregated til the Korean War, and the blacks in World War Two were totally segregated. The only black battalion on Iwo Jima was a small munitions supply unit that came to the beach.
"The story was about the men who raised the flag and we can't make them black if they were not there. So tell him: Why don't you go back and study your history and stop mouthing off!"
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
If you find out anything, please ping me. I have been trying to get information on something slightly related. My Chinese GF’s grandfather was killed in the PI in WWII. I know he wasn’t fighting for the US, and I don’t believe any Chinese willingly fought for the Japanese. Her family, as per cultural habit, does not talk about it, even within the family.
Of course they do. We’re supposed to be ashamed to be white. Never had White Guilt Syndrome myself & quite certain I’m immune.
He’s all mouth and no Moxie.
Me too......
Black troops made up less than 8% of total G.I.s in WWII.
“It wasn’t until President Truman integrated the military that blacks became involved directly in combat, starting with the Korean War”............................. Not so, Lincoln used “colored troops”, the 9th and 10th U.S. Colored Cavalry regiments during the Indian wars and the Spanish-American War, and the 369th Infantry Regiment during World War I, and they were involved in WW II in Italy with the 92nd Div. (Buffalo Soldiers) Spike is going to make a movie about them.(92nd ID) I’m sure he will blame all their short comings on the white officers that were leading them (maybe rightly so in a few cases). The 92nd consisted of 3 infantry regiments, the 365th, 370th and the 371st; four field artillery battalions, the 597th, 598th, 599th and 600th; plus headquarters battery, and the 92nd Reconnaissance Troop, along with the support units. The 92nd division was one of the units, that fought along the German Gothic line. As a newly trained division they took a beating, but they were up against some very battle hardened troops, including an SS Division and in the worst terrain possible. At one point the were fighting along side the famous 442RCT. We will have to wait and see what Mr. Lee produces before we can pass judgment.
The Black Widdas!
Badly, most of them, the few who survived were American POWs.
Spike Lee was just using this to push his own film. I’m glad Eastwood set him straight on history.
Spike's got Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson and Obama.
Spike Lee’s a moron for bringing this up, he should have checked the facts before mouthing off. I’m sure he has “people” that could do that.
This has been a “BlueStateBlues Joint”
If people studied history, most would never vote Democrat.
A few would still...but they would be the people who get Ds and Fs in history.
If I’m not mistaken, that’s Lawrence Fishburne...
I know a lot of people dislike “Apocalypse Now”, but I love the movie.
I understand completely, though, the people who hate it and why they hate it. It is complete fantasy masquerading as reality, and digs a bigger hole for Vietnam Veterans to dig their reputations out of.
I like it because it is complete and total fantasy...and you gotta love some of the characters in it. I mean, hey...any character who utters the lines “I love the smell of napalm in the morning...” has got me!
See, John Kerry loves the movie, because in his twisted brain, it is reality. He sees it as HIS reality, complete with a Cambodian excursion. What a twit.
‘preciate the popcorn. Has your popcorn prices gone up too?
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