The "goof" that never was

Its long been taken as gospel (and a big "goof" in the film) that John Wayne, as Colonel Mike Kirby, fails to hook up his main parachute's static line before exiting the aircraft during the jump sequence in "The Green Berets."

This is incorrect. When Sgt. Peterson (Jim Hutton), the second-last man in the stick, steps up to the ramp, Colonel Kirby quickly clips his static line's fastner to the anchor line behind Peterson, asks "You ready?" and follows him off the ramp.

Blink and you'll miss it, but The Duke does hook up!