Was it ever addressed in the movie if these sailors were in contention to be sent over to Vietnam, and if not, why not? It seemed a bit odd for a movie about the Navy in the early 1970s to not mention the war or have its specter hanging over the characters. It was set contemporarily with the movie's/the novel's releases (1970-1973), right?
shareI was in the navy stationed at Pearl Harbor when The Last Detail came out in 1973. The talk of war would have ruined the movie as a comedy for me. Besides the worst of the Vietnam War as the Navy saw it was over with by then.
shareThey had already been there. Both Badusky and Mulhall wore Vietnam Service Medal and Vietnam Campaign Medal ribbons. At that stage of the war ('73-'74), they'd be unlikely to be sent back.
shareThey do actually bring it up briefly when there at the girls place with all the records. "Man says you got to go you go" or something to that effect And the hippie talking about the bombing in Cambodia. Also I don't think Nicholson had Vietnam service or campaign medals on(could be wrong). But like others have said on here the U.S was done in Vietnam. In 1973 troops were being withdrawn at a rapid rate after the Paris Peace accords. By '74 there were only Embassy personnel and and a couple hundred logistical troops throughout the country.
shareWhen they're on the train, and at the party (with Nancy Allen), and their coats are off, the service ribbons of both Badusky and Mulhall are clearly visible, and the Vietnam Service Medal and Vietnam Campaign Medal ribbons are unmistakable on both of them.
shareWell they were in Vietnam, but I would hardly consider any sailors over there combat vets. So they wouldn't have been as mentally destroyed as real grunts. Hence they can still function with glee with Meadows state side.
shareThe US began the drawdown in '69 and the last of US combat troops were out of Vietnam by mid '73. Even at its late '60s peak troop strength no more than 1/3 of active duty US military personnel were in SEA. That means that even before the '69 - '73 drawdown began, most US troops (2/3rds) were someplace other than Vietnam.
share