He then orders them to gather their field equipment from the platoon sergeant, and invites them to get steaks if they're hungry. Dan remarks backhandedly that Little Rock is a fine town (this is a reference to the National Guard being deployed to help integrate the schools, which is featured earlier in the film). Mistaking them as being from Arkansas, Lt. Dan was from a long military tradition someone in his family had fought and died in every American War, including the Revolutionary War (1778), Civil War (1863), World War I (1918), and World War II (1944). gear that can be the difference between a live grunt and a dead grunt, and instructs them to change their socks whenever they stop, 'cause the Mekong will blow a grunt's feet right off his legs.'įorrest feels fortunate to have Lt. Dan firmly believes that socks are the one item of G.I.
He then asks where they're from, and they tell him Alabama in unison, prompting him to jokingly ask if they're twins Forrest replies sincerely, missing the sarcasm. Dan warns him about getting it caught on a trip wire. He then makes note of Bubba's hanging lip, which Bubba attributes to his big gums. Forrest and Bubba promptly issue salutes, but receive angry admonishments against it, for fear of hidden snipers targeting officers. Forrest called it 'a long, great, military tradition'. He had ancestors killed in every American war. Lt Dan came from a family that served in the United States Military for generations.
