MSgt Waters struck me as more of a city man who hated rural people. Maybe his context was different, but I've seen NCO's from large cities (both white and black) treat Airmen (both white and black) who were from rural areas almost as viciously as he treated the character of Pvt. Memphis. His character may well have thought he was doing a service to his race by killing off the rural blacks who embodied certain stereotypes, but think of this: What stereotypes NOW exist? Would MSgt Waters put up with some knothead who walks around with his pants halfway off his butt and who can't even speak in an intelligible manner?
Probably not.
Waters was a harsh man who, paradoxically, had high standards and high hopes for his own children and for his people. I knew NCO's who were like him, although not nearly as extreme. Waters acted on those hopes and standards in a negative and destructive manner. Other men with high standards could be tough, and indeed harsh, but not destructive. One black SMSgt I knew was one of the few high school dropouts the Air Force enlisted after the institution of the all-volunteer force. He worked his rear end off to earn a high school diploma (NOT a GED, but the actual diploma), as well as an Associate's Degree via Community College of the Air Force, and a Bachelor's Degree through the University of Maryland. He was a TOUGH man and had EXTREMELY high standards for the Airmen who worked for him, as well as for the NCO's who were junior to him. He was a Maintenance Superintendent when I knew him, which meant that all aircraft maintenance in the squadron was under his direct supervision. This is a highly technical field, and his job was not just administrative, but required the experience he had gained over many years in both airframe and powerplant maintenance. He tolerated NO immaturity nor stupidity on the part of his Airmen, black or white. He was hard, but fair on ALL maintainers, but he was especially tough on black Airmen who worked for him. One of his most common expressions whenever he heard someone using black English was, "Where did you learn to talk? In a garbage dump?" His attitude was that he had worked hard to gain an education, had earned respect from both officers and Airmen because of ability and demonstrated competence, and he wanted ALL of his Airmen to have the chance to share in the opportunities he had had access to, as well as to display honor, professionalism and the ability to do their jobs to a high level of excellence, but above all else, intelligence.
And some of those Airmen hated him. Some guys just prefer to act like idiots.
He'd never have killed someone, nor set someone up to be killed or commit suicide, as MSgt Waters did to Pvt. Memphis, but he would sure badger an Airman who he thought might benefit from earning additional education, and also from acting like a man who had education, until that individual got that education and acted in an educated manner. Most did...some didn't, and when the time came, those men either applied for transfer or let their enlistments end.
Waters had issues, but he was also a character from a different time. Today, Waters would have been court-martialed and busted out of the service for the way he treated his soldiers. The SMSgt I knew retired after a 24 year career and was highly respected by the vast majority of Airmen and NCO's who served with him. They knew he was harsh, but he was harsh because he cared and wanted the best for his Airmen. There were some who disliked him, but all of them appreciated him...and I think they were better for following his example. If Waters had been more like that SMsgt, and had instead tried to teach Pvt. Memphis to act a little more educated (and Memphis wasn't dumb. He was just country. His character had probably NEVER even seen a large city, or anyplace outside of--I believe--Mississippi. He had never learned any other way to act than as a decent, kind and likable individual. Memphis never got a chance to gain in life experience and perhaps to shed some of his extremely rural ways. Waters was a WWI veteran, was from a large city, had been to France in 1917-18 and north Africa in 1942-43. Between the wars, he likely had been to several different posts and had seen and experienced even more than he had previously. Waters had a father who wanted his children to be educated, and, for all his faults, Waters does seem like an experienced, educated and sophisticated man...just mean as a teased snake), the story might have been different. It also wouldn't have been as interesting.
In case no one noticed, I enjoy all aspects of this movie, from the characters, to the writing, to the acting, to the overall realism of it. A Soldier's Story is one of the finest military movies made. From the process of the investigation to the exposure of the killer and accomplice, Jewison and that marvelous cast made an excellent and memorable film which I enjoy seeing any time I get the chance.
"It's a hard country, kid."
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