Question: When the state police and national guard were called in to draw Rambo out into the open to capture him, why weren't the Marines or other active duty Green Berets called upon instead to deal with an unstable war veteran who was unpredictable and armed and dangerous? The government sent over Colonel Trautman, but he could have at least brought a group of special forces with him to help out in the hunt.
Brittle Fingers
5th Jan 2024
First Blood (1982)
Answer: The answer is in Trautman's first appearance in the film: he is very adamant that the way to deal with Rambo is to deescalate the situation, not add more firepower/soldiers/hunters. It's likely the government considered sending special forces, but Trautman, who knows Rambo, would have declined for the same reason he explains to Teasle: the best thing to do is let Rambo escape, let him calm down, and apprehend him once he's no longer in "survival" mode.
Answer: There's no evidence that the government sent over Trautman. Just because Teasle says that's what happened, it doesn't mean he was correct; he could have just been speculating. I've always assumed Trautman heard about Rambo on the TV or Radio and headed over of his own volition.
Teasle asks Trautman why the army would send over a "full bird colonel," and Trautman responds by saying the army thought he might be able to help.
Brittle Fingers