Factual error: How does the main hero Lieutenant Alex Hopper even get into the Navy as an officer in the first place with a felony breaking and entering on his record? You need at least a Secret clearance and a good moral background to commission as an officer, neither of which would be something Alex can get with a felony on his record.
Suggested correction: He was enlisted prior to becoming an officer. You can get a waiver for a lot of things in the Navy, especially with a good record as enlisted.
This entry was already previously corrected for the same reason (arguing that Alex got a criminal waiver) and returned to being a mistake after more details were submitted. The issue isn't joining the Navy; it's being granted a security clearance required for commissioning as an officer with the felony on his record. It may have eventually been possible for him to get a waiver to commission after an extended period of time, but not within the movie's timeframe between his brother ordering him to join in 2005 and the start of the 2012 portion of the movie showing him already being a lieutenant long enough to be eligible for promotion to lieutenant commander at the end of the movie. Even if we assume they ignored the minimum time requirements to promote to lieutenant commander as a reward for his heroism, there's still the matter of how long he would have needed to be an officer to get to lieutenant in the first place prior to the invasion.
You can get felonies reduced to misdemeanors after completion of things like probation or several years of good conduct in the military.
While it is true that some felonies can be reduced after meeting certain conditions put in place by the court, that doesn't change the fact that the original conviction would be what the military would look at when determining whether or not to give him the security clearance he needed to apply to be an officer. Assuming he joined immediately after he was arrested (which in itself is nearly impossible; while you can get a criminal waiver to join after you complete your sentence, joining the military in lieu of going to jail isn't something the military allowed since after the Vietnam War), that still gives him less than seven years to do his enlisted time, get waivers approved to get a clearance with a felony conviction, go to OCS, and get promoted to O-3 all before the invasion.
Corrected entry: When Admiral Shane salutes Alex upon presenting Stone's posthumous Navy Cross, his wrist and hand are bent, which an admiral would not do. In a proper salute, the wrist and hand are straight (one of the first things you learn).
Correction: The style of salute Liam Neeson uses is consistent with the time frame that a current 4-star Admiral would have been commissioned, as my father (commissioned USAF,1966) salutes in a very similar manner. The "straight hand" salute is taught to the current generation of military members, as it is what I was taught at BMT in 2001.
Correction: Officers salute incorrectly all the time, young and old.
Factual error: At the Award Ceremony, Alex is announced as a Lt Commander, but he is wearing Lieutenant's stripes on his shoulder. (01:57:22)
Suggested correction: It was a spot promotion that he didn't know he was getting. The Admiral called him LCDR to let him know he was getting promoted.
Factual error: When Hopper is running from the convenience store you can see Rite Aid in the background. You also see Honolulu police cars in the same scene. There isn't a Rite Aid in Honolulu.
Suggested correction: Not sure about this one. Honolulu is on Oahu, so I'm not sure what the police cars correction is, and there are Rite Aid stores on Oahu, and in Honolulu.
Where is (or at least was in 2012) the Rite Aid in Honolulu?
Rite Aid stores are in 18 states, and Hawaii is NOT one of them. I even went to the Rite Aid website and used the "store locator." When I wrote "Honolulu", the result was "no stores within 50 miles." (This would be currently, so the question below about 2012 remains unanswered).
