M*A*S*H
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Dear Ma - S4-E16

Factual error: When the South Korean Colonel and General are in the mess tent, their rank insignia are wrong. The insignia they are wearing are for the U.S. Army.

Movie Nut

Upvote valid corrections to help move entries into the corrections section.

Suggested correction: They could have been Korean Augmentation To the United States Army (KATUSA) officers, who were Koreans drafted or volunteered into the US military to act as a liaison between Koreans and the US military. As such they wore US uniforms and rank.

stiiggy

I respect your idea. However, having served my time in Korea, and known a number of the KATUSA soldiers and a ROK General, the insignia shown is incorrect.

Movie Nut

You were in Korea in 1952?

stiiggy

1988, however I am familiar with the rank insignia of the time.

Movie Nut

Dear Ma - S4-E16

Factual error: When the South Korean Colonel and General are in the Mess Tent with BJ, their rank insignia is wrong. The insignia the Colonel is wearing is for a U.S. Colonel, and the General's insignia would not be three stars in a horizontal line.

Movie Nut

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Mistakes

Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen - S11-E16

Other mistake: How did Hawkeye Pierce, a surgeon, know how to drive a tank? It is nothing like driving a car and takes skills, training and experience that a surgeon simply would not have. He wouldn't even be able to start the engine.

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Quotes

Sometimes You Hear the Bullet - S1-E17

Henry Blake: All I know is what they taught me at command school. There are certain rules about a war, and rule number one is that young men die. And rule number two is that doctors can't change rule number one.

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Trivia

Trivia: Gary Burghoff's left hand was slightly deformed, and he often hid it behind his clipboard during filming.

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Questions

Dear Dad - S1-E12

Question: A number of times it is mentioned that the outfit is unarmed, yet several times, Frank has a rifle, or a pistol, and once Klinger had a grenade, and the guards and Klinger, while on sentry duty, has a rifle. Was this standard, or is this a mistake?

Answer: Even an Army field hospital would have SOME weapons for self-defense if the enemy attacked. What's meant is that it's not a combat outfit, and therefore wouldn't have enough weapons to actually attack anyone. (It's also mentioned a few times that the Officer of the Watch is supposed to carry a pistol at all times, but Hawkeye refuses to do it when he's in charge and Colonels Blake and Potter don't enforce the rule).

Captain Defenestrator

Answer: The Geneva Convention allows even doctors to carry a sidearm to be used in their self defense or the defense of their patients, however it is rare to do so.

stiiggy

Answer: As an old medical unit staffer, my experience is that med units have combat units assigned to defend them. Usually it was marines.

Answer: My old doctor (now deceased) served in Korea during the War. He was required to carry a sidearm anytime he was not in the hospital.

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