Continuity mistake: In one of the early surgery scenes you see Trapper operating, although he arrives only later as the new chest cutter. (00:13:20)
M*A*S*H (1970)
Plot summary
Directed by: Robert Altman
Starring: Donald Sutherland, Robert Duvall, Tom Skerritt, Elliott Gould, Sally Kellerman
The 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital is shaken up by the arrival of Captains "Hawkeye" Pierce (Donald Sutherland) and "Duke" Forrest (Tom Skerritt)...crack surgeons but lousy soldiers. Joined by renowned chest-cutter "Trapper" John McIntyre (Elliott Gould), the surgeons set about dealing with the daily carnage of the war by raising hell. From getting rid of the idiotic Major Burns (Robert Duvall) to helping the camp dentist commit "suicide", there's no lengths the Swampmen won't go to to distract themselves from the horrors of war.
More mistakes in M*A*S*H
P.A. Announcer: Attention. Due to a possible camp infection, Arlene Chu's Hollywood Grill is off limits. That is all.
Trivia: Robert Altman originally wanted Elliot Gould to play Duke Forrest; it was only at Gould's request that he played Trapper John.
Answer: An officer is a person who has had special training (in college ROTC, or in OTS, called 90 days wonders) for command, tactics, military law and the like, after which they are Commissioned. They are basically management. An enlisted person is someone who has gone through basic military training, but does not have command responsibilities or authority. Basically labor. This gets a little confusing when enlisted personnel can rise in rank to become a Non-Commissioned officer, often called the backbone of the Service. But the highest ranked enlisted person does not out-rank, and has to salute, the lowest ranked officer.
Richard Welty