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Military Maverick: Difference between revisions
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== Air Force (includes pilots from the other services) ==
=== Anime and Manga ===
* Isamu Alava Dyson from [[Macross Plus]]. Reckless, insubordinate, short tempered and not even punishment details wanted him. Eventually transferred to Project Super Nova as a test pilot since the only thing keeping him in the military was that he was ''that damn good''.
* Elizabeth Beurling of [[Strike Witches]] fame is a maverick herself, taking little heed to the brass and disobeying them at almost every turn (from simple things like smoking and going to the pub late at night to more complex things like refusing to use the new striker units), she is rather skilled in combat and has no ranged weapons instead just uses her kukri and cuts up enemy soldiers, grant she does have a rather gloomy personality to her. The girl has got issues but she can hardly care less.
** Not surprising given she was at least somewhat based on the real life maverick George Beurling; although he was rather a different kind of Maverick. After failing to join the Canadian Air Force, and the Finnish air force, he hopped on a ship and went to England to try and enlist in the RAF in which he was successful. He was regarded as high strung, brash, and outspoken, and he also never smoked or drank (which when you're a fighter pilot makes you a maverick...). He was a skilled pilot but rejected a commission at first and was reprimanded for attacking targets without permissions several times. He was also known as a loner in the air and was written up for stunting as well. He was eventually discharged even before the war ended more or less for being a pain in the ass.
=== Film ===
* Lieutenant Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, USN from ''[[Top Gun]]''.
** "Your ego is writing checks your body can't cash."
** "You don't have time to think up there. If you think, you're dead."
=== Literature ===
* A fair number of people in the [[Dale Brown]] novels, most notably Brad Elliot. While the contrast with the politicians and other American leaders has always been there since the first, in ''Battle Born'' and beyond it's even more apparent with the more lawful newcomers to Dreamland serving as foils to the old-timers.
** Lampshade Hung in ''Plan of Attack'', where General Gary Houser claims that McLanahan has been "pulling shit that should have landed you in prison for a hundred years".
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* Mackenzie "Mac" Calhoun, of [[Star Trek: New Frontier]], was specifically picked to command the ''Excalibur'', the [[One Riot, One Ranger|only ship in the sector]], because he was basically the [[Cowboy Cop]] of Starfleet.
=== Live Action TV ===
* ''[[Battlestar Galactica]]'': Kara Thrace, a deconstruction of the trope whose maverick existence only exists with a messed up life and a lot of favouritism.
** It's made obvious at the start of the series that the only reason she was able to get away with all the crap she pulls is because she's just ''that damn good'' and the ''Galactica'' herself was under the command of an officer who was going to be retired soon. Later, she was one of a few dozen fighter pilots left in the whole of humanity in a little fleet almost completely dependent on pilots for defense. There was a good chance she'd get discharged in normal times, but when you're down to 40...
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** John Sheppard from ''[[Stargate Atlantis]]'', though to a lesser extent.
=== Other ===
* In [[Advance Wars Eternal War]], we have the Pink Queen. "Our units are under attack? Who cares? Do you like my new eye-liner?" Robyn too. She'd rather stare at the sky than go to war.
===
* Maniac, from ''[[Wing Commander (video game)|Wing Commander]]'', is generally agreed to have earned his [[Code Name|callsign]]. At times, the protagonist, Christopher "Maverick" Blair, has as well. Some say he's a subversion.▼
=== Real Life ===
* A possible real-life example (it's disputed how true this is) would be many of the Polish pilots in the Battle of Britain. Prone to recklessness and spamming the radio with discussions in Polish on the parentage of their German opponents (who they, for obvious reasons, loathed), they were responsible for 12% of the Luftwaffe kills in that battle, despite being only 5% of the pilots.
** That being said, the RAF handbook was often ignored even by British pilots. For example, the rules stated that machine guns' should be zeroed (that is, the bullets would cross the path of the guns from the other wing) at 600m to allow newbie pilots to attack from a safe distance. But to be most effective, it needed to be at 200m, so many pilots from different nations changed them.
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* John McCain, who was more than happy to point this out.
* [[World War I]] [[Ace Pilot|ace]] Frank Luke. He was bad-tempered and contemptuous of authority; when he took off on his last flight, the one that earned him a posthumous Medal of Honor, there were orders out to arrest him for being AWOL. His favorite targets were German observation balloons, which most pilots avoided because they were "invariably ringed with antiaircraft guns and often protected by a flight of fighters. Going after one was much like kicking a hornet's nest, but it was just the sort of challenge Luke liked...." Eddie Rickenbacker called Luke "the greatest fighter pilot of the entire war."
▲* Maniac, from ''[[Wing Commander (video game)|Wing Commander]]'', is generally agreed to have earned his [[Code Name|callsign]]. At times, the protagonist, Christopher "Maverick" Blair, has as well. Some say he's a subversion.
== Army ==
=== Anime and Manga ===
* In [[Fullmetal Alchemist (manga)|Edward Elric's]] early years as a State Alchemist, Roy Mustang made good use of his sense of honor and knack for trouble-making by sending him in the general direction of cowboy-prone situations with rumors of the Philosopher's Stone surrounding them.
* Mr. Bushido (AKA {{spoiler|Graham Akre}} in a [[Paper-Thin Disguise]]) from the second season of ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam 00]]'' refuses to do '''anything''' except engage the 00 Gundam in battle, and won't even launch for combat unless the 00 is present as well. He gets away with it because 1) he is quite literally Just That Good, and 2) the 00 is Celestial Being's strongest weapon, and keeping it tied up is extremely helpful to the A-Laws.
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* In ''[[Maiden Rose]]'', both Klaus and Taki are mavericks at times. And it gets them both in trouble.
=== Film ===
* Likewise, the film version of ''[[The Devils Brigade]]'' has numerous mavericks on the American side.
* ''[[The Dirty Dozen]]'''s Major Reisman. All of the Dozen are actually mavericks (or much worse) but they ''definitely'' face consequences for it.
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* The protagonists in ''Play Dirty'', although the only one of them who is officially in the military is the Michael Caine character, and his commission was ''supposed'' to be purely honorary. The rest are a bunch of [[Boxed Crook]]s turned into an experimental strike force by an eccentric colonel. Unsurprisingly, their tactics tend to be...nonstandard.
=== Literature ===
* In [[Dan Abnett]]'s ''[[Gaunt's Ghosts]]'' novels, over and over again; always crowned with success, which may be why they get away with it.
** Dorden in ''Ghostmaker'', refusing to leave a field hospital
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* Richard [[Sharpe]], who even [[Word of God|Cornwell calls a loose cannon.]] Though rules were a bit lax back then, he still gets in trouble for breaking them at times.
=== Live Action TV ===
* The entire membership of ''[[The A-Team]]'', most notably Murdock, who may or may not be certifiably insane.
* ''[[Firefly]]'''s Malcolm Reynolds, in his time as an Independent sergeant, made something of a reputation for himself for unconventional tactics, a distinct willingness to defy the odds, and an absolute refusal to quit...even when, it might be said, he should have. He was an irregular in a nonprofessional insurgent army, so not unexpected.
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** [[Truth in Television]] to a large degree, even today; the US armed services have enough of a need for medical personnel that they are given more leeway about their (lack of) military bearing than would be tolerated in combat soldiers/sailors/airmen. Crystallized in a saying going back to Korea if not earlier: "There is nobody as un-military as a military doctor."
===
* Commander Micheal McNiel of ''[[Command & Conquer]]: Tiberian Sun'', who is defined by his headstrong aggressiveness, most notably in the final mission, where he refuses to obey orders to wait for reinforcements before assaulting Kane's headquarters.▼
** Captain Nick "Havoc" Parker in ''[[Command & Conquer]]: Renegade'' also disobeys orders, but is arrested immediately upon his return from the battlefield. Of course, he doesn't spend more than a few hours in jail, but his boss is explicitly described as unusually tolerant of his quirks, "which makes him the ideal boss for Havoc". Note that while his motives are admirable ("They're torturing civvies, we can't ''wait'' six hours."), he hijacked a hovercraft that couldn't really be spared to go off and assault the enemy base single-handedly immediately after a previous attack had failed, and when there was absolutely no reason to not simply wait a mere six hours for reinforcements to arrive.▼
* All four of the protagonists (and their pilot) in ''[[Battlefield: Bad Company]]''.▼
=== Other ===▼
* A cartoon by Bill Mauldin in [[World War II]] showed two officers walking past an unshaven, scowling U.S. paratrooper who leaned against a lamppost ignoring them. The higher-ranking officer told the other, "It's best not to speak to paratroopers about saluting. They always ask where you got your jump boots."▼
=== Real Life ===
* Let's not forget the quintessential real-life maverick General Patton. Rommel serves as a good German version.
** As generals they were granted more leeway, but Patton did suffer from his maverick ways, consistently being demoted and kept from a higher command, at one point almost being dismissed from service during the second world war due to his 'poor' conduct outside the field of battle. Rommel however was a maverick only in the field, and outside of it presented himself as every inch the perfect officer.
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* Andrew Jackson. He led American troops into the then Spanish colony Florida, without an official approval from the Government. This is the [[Tropes Are Not Bad|very rare]] case of it working out for the best because the U.S. managed to bargain for Florida and make it an official State, and Jackson is widely regarded as a hero, becoming the first Governor of Florida and then later the President of the United States.
* On a bit different note, the ''Order of Maria Theresa'' founded by its namesake was awarded to commanders who defied orders and yet achieved victory. Although historians generally agree that it was meant to promote not recklessness but rather a healthy initiative on the battlefield.
▲* Commander Micheal McNiel of ''[[Command & Conquer]]: Tiberian Sun'', who is defined by his headstrong aggressiveness, most notably in the final mission, where he refuses to obey orders to wait for reinforcements before assaulting Kane's headquarters.
▲** Captain Nick "Havoc" Parker in ''[[Command & Conquer]]: Renegade'' also disobeys orders, but is arrested immediately upon his return from the battlefield. Of course, he doesn't spend more than a few hours in jail, but his boss is explicitly described as unusually tolerant of his quirks, "which makes him the ideal boss for Havoc". Note that while his motives are admirable ("They're torturing civvies, we can't ''wait'' six hours."), he hijacked a hovercraft that couldn't really be spared to go off and assault the enemy base single-handedly immediately after a previous attack had failed, and when there was absolutely no reason to not simply wait a mere six hours for reinforcements to arrive.
▲* All four of the protagonists (and their pilot) in ''[[Battlefield: Bad Company]]''.
▲== Other ==
▲* A cartoon by Bill Mauldin in [[World War II]] showed two officers walking past an unshaven, scowling U.S. paratrooper who leaned against a lamppost ignoring them. The higher-ranking officer told the other, "It's best not to speak to paratroopers about saluting. They always ask where you got your jump boots."
== Government and Federal Agents (includes spies) ==
=== Comic Books ===
* The adults-only MAX incarnation of Nick Fury, who has at one point beat up a General with his belt.
=== Film ===
* [[MI 6]] Agent 007, aka Commander [[James Bond]]. Spies tend to play things by ear as a rule, but Bond seems to revel in doing things that will give Q, M, and the British government a heart attack. The fact that he [[Saving the World|saves the world]] with clockwork regularity tends to offset this.
=== Literature ===
* [[Lois McMaster Bujold|Bujold's]] Lt. Miles Naismith (Lord) [[Vorkosigan Saga|Vorkosigan]], Barrayaran Imperial Security. He is assigned directly to Simon Illyan, the head of ImpSec, because while he succeeds in absurd situations, he repeatedly drives his commanding officers nuts.
{{quote|"Hm," Illyan said. "And yet . . . who shall I assign you to now? Which loyal officer gets his career destroyed next?"
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** He also counts on the "seniority lets you get away with more" front; when he is first admitted to the Imperial Service Academy, his father admits that "I think he will make a terrible ensign... but he might make a fine Chief of Staff one day." Miles is such an insubordinate ensign that Illyan ''has'' to either dismiss him, or shorten his chain of command so he has fewer people to disobey.
=== Live Action TV ===
* [[24|Counter-Terrorist agent Jack Bauer]] is [[Jack Bauer Interrogation Technique|the epitome of this trope.]]
* [[NCIS|Jethro Gibbs]] doesn't cross the line with his agency's directives, unless he has to. Or needs to. Or ''feels like it''. Quite frankly, it's amazing that Gibbs has a ''job'' sometimes.
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== Marines ==
=== Comic Books ===
* Not a lot of Marines on this list, but two that fit, both from DC Comics' ''[[Hitman (Comic Book)|Hitman]]'', are Tommy "Hitman" Monaghan and Natt "The Hat" Walls of the United States Marine Corps. Tommy ends up killing two fellow Marines with a sniper rifle (Don't worry, they [[Pay Evil Unto Evil|had it coming....]]) They ingeniously, if messily, [[Make It Look Like an Accident]] and get away with it. Later, during Operation Desert Storm, Tommy and Natt accidentally kill several British S.A.S. troops in a "friendly fire" incident. They get away with that too. Well, [[Laser-Guided Karma|for a few years, anyway]].
=== Live Action TV ===
* Averted by Greer in ''[[Stargate Universe]]''. There's no doubting he knows his job and is willing to give his life to protect even people he dislikes, but he displayed such a temper that an early [[Fan Nickname]] for him was [[Incredibly Lame Pun|Furious George]]. He also reputedly beat up a superior officer...and so was languishing in the brig waiting to be shipped back to Earth when the attack hit Icarus Base.
=== Video Games ===
* [[Doom]]'s protagonist is a Marine who was [[Reassigned to Antarctica|shipped out to the Mars base]] because he assaulted a superior officer (who himself deliberately ordered the company to open fire on people he knew were probably pacifist monks).
=== Film ===
* If it is a cousin of the [[Cowboy Cop]] then [[Clint Eastwood]] has to be here somewhere. Gunny Highway from ''[[Heartbreak Ridge]]'' fits pretty well. At least the part of annoying your superiors. And isn't there some sort of regulation that forbids the [[Drill Sergeant Nasty|drill instructors]] from firing live ammunition at their recruits?
** Well, if there is, there'd be two outs: He isn't a drill instructor, and he isn't firing *at* them; he's firing at places he's told them not to be.
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== Navy (for space navies, see Space below) ==
=== Film ===
* Captain Ramsey in ''[[Crimson Tide]]''. He's apparently given a lot of leeway due to his combat experience, even taking his dog with him on the boat.
* ''[[Down Periscope]]'' is pretty much based on the idea of the main character playing the part of this trope.
=== Literature ===
* Jack Aubrey from the [[Master and Commander]] books and film, and Thomas Cochrane, the real-life British officer he is based on.
=== Live Action TV ===
* Another water-based one: ''[[McHales Navy]]''. If nothing else, typical naval crews were probably discouraged from carrying Japanese soldiers on board.
* At least in the miniseries I saw, [[Horatio Hornblower]] had his moments.
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* [[JAG]]'s Harmon Rabb.
=== Real Life ===
* Horatio Nelson. At the Battle of Copenhagen in 1801, he was signalled by superiors to withdraw. On being informed of the orders, he put his spyglass to his right eye and declared, "I really do not see the signal." He had been blinded permanently in his right eye in an action at Corsica in 1794. He then proceeded to demolish the combined Danish-Norwegian fleet.
** The signal was giving him permission to retreat, not ordering him to, and his commander sent it [[Genre Savvy|knowing full well]] that Nelson would ignore it if his situation was still tenable. Still an example.
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== Space (not fighters) ==
=== Anime and Manga ===
* Yang Wen-Li and his group from ''[[Legend of the Galactic Heroes]]''.
* [[The Captain|Murrue Ramius]] in ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam SEED]]'' is a [[Reasonable Authority Figure]] who repeatedly ignores military regulations and, occasionally, direct orders in order to best serve the [[The McCoy|well-being of the people involved]]. She is contasted by [[Sergeant Rock|Natarle]], whose strict by-the-book adherence to the rules ends up putting her on the wrong side.
=== Literature ===
* Ender Wiggin from [[Ender's Game]] was a ''deliberate'' Military Maverick - he thought he was being a rebel, but they figured he was [[Child Prodigy|smart enough]] to know better than the rule-makers, and actually intended him to break the rules.
* Inverted in [[Jack Campbell]]'s ''[[The Lost Fleet]]''. Captain Geary is thought of as crazy ''because'' he uses reasonable and not particularly noteworthy tactics. Which baffles his fleet, who are used to simply rushing into the enemy and counting how many ships are left over to determine a victory.
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* [[Honor Harrington|Lester Tourville]] used a mild form of this as a method of [[Obfuscating Stupidity]]. His persona as a competent but somewhat reckless officer helped him avoid promotion to a rank where he would be at risk of getting shot.
=== Live Action TV ===
* John Sheridan of ''[[Babylon 5]]'' was such a maverick that {{spoiler|he participated in a conspiracy against the (increasingly dictatorial) civilian EarthGov and finally decided to turn his command into an independent country}}. He also was not a fan of standard military tactics.
** Averted when, during the pilot episode remake/movie, he refused promotion to be second-in-command of the first ship being sent out to investigate Minbari space. He did so because he knew the CO was known to be overaggressive during tense diplomatic situations and he did not want to be in a position where he'd have to stand up to him for the ship's own good. The ship instead left for Minbari space with a much more jellyfish-spined XO, the captain got into a tense diplomatic situation where he became overaggressive, and we all know what happened after that.
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** Often, the Federation seems to survive more on supreme acts of heroism than any actual organised strategy. Against technically superior forces like the Borg or the Dominion (early on, before the Federation learned to counter the latter's advantages), this approaches [[Conservation of Ninjitsu]]; elsewhere, it's more a case of [[One Riot, One Ranger]], with single ships scattered through the galaxy. Said ships usually prevail by some fantastically risky tactic, as often as not a brazen bluff or [[Indy Ploy|Making]] [[Applied Phlebotinum|Shit]] [[Indy Ploy|Up On The Spot]], many times [[It Only Works Once|never to be]] [[Forgotten Phlebotinum|done again]]. The lack of effective fleet-level planning may derive from Gene Roddenberry's reported dislike for making Starfleet "[[Mildly Military|too military]]"—feel free to insert any [[Interservice Rivalry|joke about his Air Force background]] you wish.
=== Video Games ===
* John Forge from ''[[Halo|Halo Wars]]'' apparently had discipline problems (multiple promotions AND demotions), had a cocky attitude, punched out a superior officer, and once ''brawled with a Spartan''. He makes up for it by being extremely [[Badass Normal]]. Avery Johnson also had a checkered past and cocky attitude (and was also extremely [[Badass Normal]]).
** Now, now, let's not forget Corporal Kojo "Romeo" Agu.
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* In [[Mass Effect 3]], a turian general Adrien Victus is widely mistrusted by the turian military for using unconventional and "dishonorable" tactics. He ends up as the leader of the turians {{spoiler|after everyone else above him in the line of succession is killed by the Reapers}} and turns out to be pretty good at it, if still unconventional by supporting such measures as {{spoiler|curing the krogan genophage to secure their assistance}}.
=== Web Comics ===
* While Tagon's Toughs were under Breya's employ in ''[[Schlock Mercenary]]'' the entire crew from Tagon and downwards (i.e. everyone ''except'' Breya) arguably qualified. While the Toughs are still as maverick as they used to be, they now work under Tagon, who ''encourages'' this behavior. Besides, they're mercenaries and not a military unit, which justifies it. Schlock is special forces ''in'' the mercenary company and is arguably twice as much maverick as everyone else.
* In ''[[Far From Home]]'', [http://mightymartianstudios.com/2011/05/03/ffh-sci-fi-webcomic-bubble/ the lieutenant made a paper airplane out of a briefing]. Hence, [[Reassigned to Antarctica|the scouting mission]].
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== Special Forces (all branches) ==
=== Anime and Manga ===
* Teana Lanster at the start of ''[[Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS]]''. Unlike most examples, the series went for a far less positive potrayal of this type of character. Teana's Maverick nature almost caused a friendly fire incident during their second mission and her adamant refusal to listen to the advice and orders of her superiors [[Get a Hold of Yourself, Man!|required several officers to beat the idea into her head]] that being reckless just for the sake of personal pride is a quick way to get you and your comrades crippled or killed. It was only when Teana toned down the Maverick nature of hers did she [[Took a Level In Badass|begin to be truly efficient in battle]].
=== Comic Books ===
* Snake-Eyes, ''[[G.I. Joe]]'' (Reloaded continuity), is pretty much insane—and the most dangerous man alive. (In other continuities, he's simply the most dangerous man alive.)
=== Literature ===
* Holly Short from ''[[Artemis Fowl]]'' is like this.
===
* [[Truth in Television]]: Special Forces units ''do'' tend to be more lax on the rules. Partly because [[Bunny Ears Lawyer|as elite units their superiors let them get by with more]]—which is as much because special forces tend to recruit soldiers who are self-disciplined and don't need micro-managing, yet are capable of using their initiative, as out of respect for their capabilities—and partly because they're often assigned covert missions where traditional military behavior can be detrimental.▼
** Mark Bowden's book ''Black Hawk Down'' goes into detail about how this could cause friction with more conventional units. The Army Rangers at Mogadishu in 1993 practically idolized the Delta unit (reputed for extraordinary autonomy and flexibility) as the top rung of the special forces ladder, but company commander Captain Steele was concerned that Delta's "cowboy" ways would rub off too much onto the younger Rangers (not to mention that he thought that "they could be comically arrogant") who needed discipline, while a Delta sergeant first class had an even lower opinion of the Rangers' basic competence, and of Steele in particular. The movie would allude to the tensions with the "this is ''my'' safety sir" scene and then the Delta SFC's [[Expy]] arguing with Captain Steele on the battlefield nearby other Rangers. (The movie version left out that the real Delta who inspired the "safety" scene defied Captain Steele ''in full view of other Rangers'', without the immediate urgency of combat as an excuse.)▼
*** According to the book [[It Got Worse|it was worse than that]]; both Captain Steele and the Delta SFC generalized the Rangers as having been young and inexperienced and seemed to see the Rangers as not adopting the deeper understandings or self-discipline. Egregious examples would include Rangers unknowingly firing on Delta positions at least twice without checking first, and a trio of Rangers attempting to imitate ''how'' he was taking cover, apparently not understanding that he was doing so ''only because'' he'd [[Gun Kata|found a spot where the cover let him fire with impunity]]. Unfortunately one of those Rangers would be mortally wounded while in this position due to being exposed.▼
* There is a story about a regulation for "Green Berets" (United States Army Special Forces) in Afghanistan to wear regular uniforms and to shave after a photo came out of a topless Green Beret in a ''keffiyah'' on the scene at an averted assassination attempt. Not only would it make them more visible, but the shaving cost them street cred in a country full of traditionalist Muslims...so when one of the brass ordered a team to regularly send photos of themselves with their (changing) radio frequency to show compliance, the team simply kept sending back the first and only clean-shaven photo, with their latest frequency ''Photoshopped'' in.▼
* ''[[Army of Two]]'' somewhat takes on the Black Hawk Down example; the first mission is set back when Rios and Salem were Rangers, and their initial awe at the sight of Phillip Clyde [[Rule of Cool|whooping ass with his bare hands and free running]] is tangible. Unlike the Delta operators from ''Black Hawk Down'', he's ''very'' condescending to them and [[Ax Crazy|rather homicidal]].
** In fact, their awe lasts all of five minutes, after which they join the same mercenary company but refuse to work in the field alongside him. (In contrast, according to the ''Blackhawk Down'' book the Deltas sometimes helped out the Rangers on-base, i.e. teaching techniques, or in the case of one Ranger building him a custom machine gun grip.)
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** Jacob Taylor, one of your squadmates in ''2'', is a former Alliance soldier who's only working for Cerberus because the Alliance refuses to get involved in the colony attacks due to red tape. Despite Cerberus being [[Mildly Military]] at best, and Shepard's squad in particular being an extreme [[Ragtag Bunch of Misfits]], he acts the same way he would have at the Alliance, and is the only squadmate who makes it a practice to salute.
* A minor example only: in ''[[Crusader: No Remorse|Crusader]]'', aside from their armor, Silencers are given free rein to use whatever equipment they deem necessary for an upcoming mission. As they are ''[[Super Soldier|Silencers]]'', their judgement on what they need is generally considered unimpeachable.
=== Real Life ===
▲* [[Truth in Television]]: Special Forces units ''do'' tend to be more lax on the rules. Partly because [[Bunny Ears Lawyer|as elite units their superiors let them get by with more]]—which is as much because special forces tend to recruit soldiers who are self-disciplined and don't need micro-managing, yet are capable of using their initiative, as out of respect for their capabilities—and partly because they're often assigned covert missions where traditional military behavior can be detrimental.
▲** Mark Bowden's book ''Black Hawk Down'' goes into detail about how this could cause friction with more conventional units. The Army Rangers at Mogadishu in 1993 practically idolized the Delta unit (reputed for extraordinary autonomy and flexibility) as the top rung of the special forces ladder, but company commander Captain Steele was concerned that Delta's "cowboy" ways would rub off too much onto the younger Rangers (not to mention that he thought that "they could be comically arrogant") who needed discipline, while a Delta sergeant first class had an even lower opinion of the Rangers' basic competence, and of Steele in particular. The movie would allude to the tensions with the "this is ''my'' safety sir" scene and then the Delta SFC's [[Expy]] arguing with Captain Steele on the battlefield nearby other Rangers. (The movie version left out that the real Delta who inspired the "safety" scene defied Captain Steele ''in full view of other Rangers'', without the immediate urgency of combat as an excuse.)
▲*** According to the book [[It Got Worse|it was worse than that]]; both Captain Steele and the Delta SFC generalized the Rangers as having been young and inexperienced and seemed to see the Rangers as not adopting the deeper understandings or self-discipline. Egregious examples would include Rangers unknowingly firing on Delta positions at least twice without checking first, and a trio of Rangers attempting to imitate ''how'' he was taking cover, apparently not understanding that he was doing so ''only because'' he'd [[Gun Kata|found a spot where the cover let him fire with impunity]]. Unfortunately one of those Rangers would be mortally wounded while in this position due to being exposed.
▲* There is a story about a regulation for "Green Berets" (United States Army Special Forces) in Afghanistan to wear regular uniforms and to shave after a photo came out of a topless Green Beret in a ''keffiyah'' on the scene at an averted assassination attempt. Not only would it make them more visible, but the shaving cost them street cred in a country full of traditionalist Muslims...so when one of the brass ordered a team to regularly send photos of themselves with their (changing) radio frequency to show compliance, the team simply kept sending back the first and only clean-shaven photo, with their latest frequency ''Photoshopped'' in.
{{reflist}}
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