MovieChat Forums > Stripes (1981) Discussion > We Are 10 + 1?

We Are 10 + 1?

posted 15 years ago by Mannlaw99
41 replies | jump to latest

My memory tells me that Winger says something such as "we (Americans) are 10 and 1" (in wars). Since I get most of my information from comedy movies and DVD covers, I ask this: was 10 and 1 America's record at the time this movie was made? It seems to me we had victories in:
1. The Revolutionary War
2. The War of 1812
3. The Mexican American War
4. The Civil War
5. The Spanish American War
6. WWI
7. WW II
8. Korea

We lost in Vietnam. So I see our record as 8 & 1. Good enough for a BCS Bowl Game but not 10 & 1. Anyway, did Winger say 10 & 1, and if he did, what wars am I missing, or was the hero of this movie wrong about an important historical fact (which would be very difficult for me to accept).

[–] KenThinks 8 years ago

My brother and I have debated this line for years...but not for the reasons you guys have been debating here. He heard Winger say "we're ten and one" while I've always heard it as "we're tan and wan." Tan and wan? Yes, tan and wan.

Back when I was a kid, I remember seeing this old historical pamphlet at a World War I exhibit. On the front cover was an illustration of a solider and it said something along the lines of "our boys are tan and wan" but still fighting the good fight overseas. I remember this vividly as I asked my parents what "wan" meant and learning that it meant "to look sickly or pale" which this illustration definitely depicted.

This would make that sense in that particular portion of Winger's speech:

"There's something wrong with us, something very, very wrong with us. Something seriously wrong with us - we're soldiers. But we're American soldiers! We've been kicking ass for 200 years! We're tan and wan!"

...which you would definitely be after kicking ass for 200 years.

https://youtu.be/YXjqTyQuq4w?t=80

Murray opens his mouth wide when he says "tan"...he'd keep his mouth kinda closed to pronounce "ten." Try it yourself.

Either way, the debate rages on. :)