The Green Berets (book)
Encyclopedia
The Green Berets is a book (ISBN 0-312-98492-8) written by Robin Moore
about the Green Berets
during the Vietnam War
. First published in 1965, it became a best-selling paperback in 1966. The latest edition was published in 2007.
who insisted that Moore go through the "Q Course
" in order to better understand what made Special Forces "special." Moore trained with the soldiers at Fort Benning
and Fort Bragg
for nearly a year, becoming airborne qualified. He then accompanied them on a deployment to Vietnam
in 1963.
Moore's account included several controversial facts about Special Forces missions that were classified at the time, prompting Moore to publish his book as "fiction". Moore's officer in Vietnam, Larry Thorne, was the book’s first Vietnam hero: “Kornie” in Chapter One, the chapter that served as the basis for the movie.
starring John Wayne
. Production included extensive cooperation from the U.S. Army, which insisted that Moore not be involved with the film. To please the Pentagon, Wayne bought Moore out for $35,000 and 5% of undefined profits of the film.
The movie version
is noted for being one of the few films about Vietnam actually produced during the Vietnam War. It is set in South Vietnam
but was mostly filmed in and around Fort Benning
. It contains a notorious error in the final sequence, when the sun on the horizon is seen setting into, rather than rising out of, the sea. (The sea borders Vietnam on the east.) As Georgia also only has a coastline to its east, this shot was likely completed elsewhere, possibly California
.
Robin Moore
Robert Lowell "Robin" Moore, Jr. was an American writer who is most known for his books The Green Berets, The French Connection: A True Account of Cops, Narcotics, and International Conspiracy and, with Xaviera Hollander and Yvonne Dunleavy, The Happy Hooker: My Own Story.Moore also co-authored...
about the Green Berets
United States Army Special Forces
The United States Army Special Forces, also known as the Green Berets because of their distinctive service headgear, are a special operations force tasked with six primary missions: unconventional warfare, foreign internal defense, special reconnaissance, direct action, hostage rescue, and...
during the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. First published in 1965, it became a best-selling paperback in 1966. The latest edition was published in 2007.
Background
Moore, a Harvard classmate of Robert Kennedy, wanted to write about the United States Army Special Forces. It was Special Forces founder General William P. YarboroughWilliam P. Yarborough
Lieutenant General William Pelham Yarborough was a United States Army officer and a 1936 graduate of West Point. General Yarborough designed the parachutist badge, paratrooper or 'jump' boots, and the airborne jump uniform. He is known as the 'Father of the Modern Green Berets.' He is descended...
who insisted that Moore go through the "Q Course
United States Army Special Forces selection and training
The United States Army Special Forces soldier trains on a regular basis over the course of their entire career. The initial formal training program for entry into Special Forces is divided into four phases collectively known as the Special Forces Qualification Course or, informally, the "Q Course"...
" in order to better understand what made Special Forces "special." Moore trained with the soldiers at Fort Benning
Fort Benning
Fort Benning is a United States Army post located southeast of the city of Columbus in Muscogee and Chattahoochee counties in Georgia and Russell County, Alabama...
and Fort Bragg
Fort Bragg (North Carolina)
Fort Bragg is a major United States Army installation, in Cumberland and Hoke counties, North Carolina, U.S., mostly in Fayetteville but also partly in the town of Spring Lake. It was also a census-designated place in the 2010 census and had a population of 39,457. The fort is named for Confederate...
for nearly a year, becoming airborne qualified. He then accompanied them on a deployment to Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
in 1963.
Moore's account included several controversial facts about Special Forces missions that were classified at the time, prompting Moore to publish his book as "fiction". Moore's officer in Vietnam, Larry Thorne, was the book’s first Vietnam hero: “Kornie” in Chapter One, the chapter that served as the basis for the movie.
Film adaptation
The book was adapted a 1968 film of the same nameThe Green Berets (film)
The Green Berets is a 1968 war film featuring John Wayne, George Takei, David Janssen, Jim Hutton and Aldo Ray, nominally based on the eponymous 1965 book by Robin Moore, though the screenplay has little relation to the book....
starring John Wayne
John Wayne
Marion Mitchell Morrison , better known by his stage name John Wayne, was an American film actor, director and producer. He epitomized rugged masculinity and became an enduring American icon. He is famous for his distinctive calm voice, walk, and height...
. Production included extensive cooperation from the U.S. Army, which insisted that Moore not be involved with the film. To please the Pentagon, Wayne bought Moore out for $35,000 and 5% of undefined profits of the film.
The movie version
The Green Berets (film)
The Green Berets is a 1968 war film featuring John Wayne, George Takei, David Janssen, Jim Hutton and Aldo Ray, nominally based on the eponymous 1965 book by Robin Moore, though the screenplay has little relation to the book....
is noted for being one of the few films about Vietnam actually produced during the Vietnam War. It is set in South Vietnam
South Vietnam
South Vietnam was a state which governed southern Vietnam until 1975. It received international recognition in 1950 as the "State of Vietnam" and later as the "Republic of Vietnam" . Its capital was Saigon...
but was mostly filmed in and around Fort Benning
Fort Benning
Fort Benning is a United States Army post located southeast of the city of Columbus in Muscogee and Chattahoochee counties in Georgia and Russell County, Alabama...
. It contains a notorious error in the final sequence, when the sun on the horizon is seen setting into, rather than rising out of, the sea. (The sea borders Vietnam on the east.) As Georgia also only has a coastline to its east, this shot was likely completed elsewhere, possibly California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
See also
- List of bestselling novels in the United States in the 1960s
- United States Army Special Forces in popular cultureUnited States Army Special Forces in popular cultureMembers of the U.S. Army Special Forces will emphatically assert that the "Green Beret" is a hat and not the man who wears it. Nevertheless, for a time in the 1960s the Green Berets and the men who wore them became a national fad emerging in a wide variety of popular culture referents...