Continuity mistake: We see Mr Otto's convoy in the desert. In the shot of Mr Otto when the Black Hawk comes down into shot, there are 3 people in the side door. When we see the driver of the truck, there are 4 people in the side door area. Camera goes back to Mr Otto and now there are 3 people again. (00:06:05)
Continuity mistake: When Blackburn is reporting for duty, he asks what it's like. Grimes then puts his hands out, palm down. Camera changes and his fists are now clenched with no time to clench them. (00:11:30)
Continuity mistake: At the start, Mr Otto states he is just a businessman while his cigar is in his hand held away from his face. Camera changes and his cigar is in his mouth. (00:07:10)
Continuity mistake: Grimes gets handed a death letter and he holds it up. Camera changes and his arm and the letter are not in sight, which they should be at that angle. (00:29:00)
Continuity mistake: When Randy Shugart and Gary Gordon arrive to defend the downed chopper, Shugart is shooting his rifle as a right-hander, but in one short sequence as they're pulling Mike Durant to cover he is shooting as a left-hander. The shot has obviously been reversed as the bolt of the M14 and the height adjustment knob on the aim point optic are on the wrong side of the rifle. (01:29:00)
Answer: The answer to this question is quite simple. Whenever any book is put on to the screen things must be glorified in order to catch the eye of a film goer. In movies like this one, heroes, brave men, and down right bad ass characters are what people need to see. If the movie was just like the book, there would be just a whole bunch of equally important characters, which is something very rarely seen in movies. So in short they made sgt Eversmann a main character simply because the movie needed one.
That makes sense but does anyone know why Eversmann was the specific soldier chosen as the focus for the movie?