A Few Good Men

Character mistake: Some of Colonel Jessup's ribbons are in the wrong order, and his Combat Action Ribbon is backwards.

Character mistake: During the trial, Danny says Lt. Col. Markinson shot himself in the mouth with a .45, but in the suicide scene, Markinson's gun is a Beretta 9mm, the standard-issue U.S. Military sidearm.

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Suggested correction: It's likely Danny never knew the model of the gun that Markinson used. His point was to tell everyone (mainly the jury) that Markinson had committed suicide by shooting himself. Danny mentioning the model of the gun was not his point, he just did that for added effect.

jshy7979

Character mistake: Lt. Caffey (Tom Cruise) wants the two marines to plead guilty and take a deal because he doesn't want the to "spend the rest of their lives in Leavenworth (prison)." The United States Disciplinary Barracks is indeed located in Leavenworth, Kansas. And the US Army and US Air Force send convicted felons there to do their time. However, Marines and members of the United States Navy are sent to Portsmouth Naval Prison in New Hampshire. It is run by the Marines.

Nimzoman

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Suggested correction: It's perfectly within character that Caffey wouldn't know this. He's been in the navy a short time, never tried a case in a courtroom, and is generally uninterested in military protocol.

Portsmouth has been closed since the 1970s. Left abandoned because it was too expensive to rebuild or demolish.

Character mistake: When LTJG Kaffee says "whatever happened to saluting an officer when he leaves the room?" It's well known that Kaffee doesn't know much about military protocols, but Marines and Sailors do not salute while uncovered, especially indoors. Army/Air Force maybe, but not the Navy or Marine Corps.

Character mistake: After Dawson and Lt. Caffey have their heated argument Lt. Caffey storms out of the interrogation room. He stops at the door and asks Dawson why he isn't saluting a superior officer leaving the room. The fuming Dawson gets up and defiantly jabs his hands in his pockets. Dawson is actually following correct procedures. Military prisoners are not allowed to salute anyone.

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Suggested correction: This is more a mistake on Lt. Caffey's part, whether deliberate or not. He knows that Dawson should not salute him, but he wants to make a point about outranking Dawson.

Twotall

Marines are not allowed to put their hands in their pockets; it is against regulations. Dawson doing so is a major "screw you" to Caffey and the regs in general.

Remember Daniel Kaffee is a Navy lawyer of very limited military experience. He may well have thought he was to be saluted as he left the room. Corporal Dawson, being a Marine would know this wasn't required, so the hands in the pockets is definitely an act of defiance.

Continuity mistake: During the trial at the end, Jessup struggles with the MPs to get to Danny Kaffee. After the struggle, his tie is all out of place. In the following close-up shots, it's re-aligned, before becoming completely askew as Jessup goes to retrieve his hat.

More mistakes in A Few Good Men

Col. Nathan R. Jessup: Sweet dreams, son.
Lt. Daniel Kaffee: Don't call me son. I am a lawyer and officer in the United States Navy, and you're under arrest, you son of a bitch.

More quotes from A Few Good Men
More trivia for A Few Good Men

Answer: It's something done to one trooper in a unit who is not pulling his load, to let him know his teammates are tired of him making them look bad. It can range from a beating after lights out to scrubbing a soldier who won't shower with toilet brushes and Comet. (And yes, both of those are from my own military experience, though I wasn't the victim!) It's meant to give a warning and doesn't normally harm anything but the victim's pride. They are strongly against regulations in the past year or two as several soldiers were injured by their unit getting overzealous, just like in the movie.

Grumpy Scot

More questions & answers from A Few Good Men

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