That One Scene
by James Clark | Task & Purpose | September 9, 2021
There’s a lot of bullshit in the military and it comes in many forms and for many reasons. There are ass chewings over uniform regulations, bloused boots, cuffed sleeves, shaved faces and hair length, as well as strongly worded reprimands for failing to show up 15 minutes early to formation. Oftentimes that’s all there is to it. You take the verbal hits and move on. But there is always — always — that little voice in the back of your head that dares you, double dog dares you, to take it higher up the chain of command.
For anyone who’s watched HBO’s 2001 hit World War II series Band of Brothers, it did happen — not just on screen, but in real life. In the very first episode of the series, then 1st Lt. Richard “Dick” Winters (played by Damian Lewis) is given the option to accept his punishment for a minor infraction or to request a trial by court-martial. Winters chooses the latter and signs the paperwork as his commanding officer, Capt. Herbert Sobel, played by a very sour-looking David Schwimmer, stares at him in stunned silence.
