Corrected entry: At Guadalcanal, American marines were armed with outdated weaponry. (So what else is new?) They had Springfield 1903 bolt action rifles and Model 1927 Thompson Submachine guns. In this movie, they have modern weapons: i.e. M-1 Garand rifles, and Thompson M-1 Submachine guns, none of which were, at this point, issued to any marines.
Wubbman
8th Sep 2003
Correction: This movie focuses on the soldiers that were there, not marines. The statement is made by John Travolta's character that "the Marines have done their job and now its our turn." The soldiers did have M1 rifles and subguns, the marines didn't.
Wubbman