This Marine Changed How Tom Hanks and Other Actors Prepare for War Movies

Capt. Dale Dye knew he wanted to pursue something new when he retired after two decades of service in the U.S. Marine Corps, but he was unsure how he could leverage the skills he acquired in the military. A lifelong fan of the movies, he was frustrated by the lack of authentic portrayals of service members on screen. So he set out to change that. Through a fellow Vietnam veteran, he got his first film job on the 1986 remake of Invaders From Mars, working with a group of Marine reservists he convinced the director to hire to portray the soldiers in the film. Once Invaders had wrapped, Dale got wind of a new Oliver Stone project called Platoon, a movie about young infantrymen fighting in the Vietnam War. Determined to honor his fellow veterans, Dale pitched a new idea to Stone: a full-immersion boot camp that would plunge the actors into the gruesome, grueling realities of military service during that conflict. Dale’s boot camp was a success; the picture won multiple Academy Awards, and Dale became the most sought-after technical military adviser in the business, working on projects with Tom Hanks, Matt Damon, Ron Livingston, Steven Seagal and more. Together with his wife, Julia, and his friend Lt. Mike Stokey, Dale now runs Warriors Inc., which has advised and provided actor training for more than 50 films and television shows.
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[@AARP]

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[@patricksullivan7140]

Capt. Dye has done so much for the War Movie genre, adding realism instead of movie star bravado from the old days. I salute you Capt. Dale Dye. Thank you for your service.

[@jake5773]

As a veteran I really appreciate what Captain Dye has done for film making.

[@nathanadams8207]

Dale Dye has been ties to alot of damn good movies.

[@goodthoughts2252]

Or maybe a lot of damn good movies because they had a tie to Dale Dye. Either way great touch of behind the scenes history.

[@rolfagten857]

He is also a great actor in "Casualties of war" and "Band of Brothers"

[@donfacundo2118]

Salute to you Mr Dye🙂

[@boigercat]

What a beautiful story

[@debbiespeckmiear819]

What a wonderful human being!!

[@lunachester3056]

I think very highly of him, He's always come across as very "squared away" Historical accuracy has always mattered but it's missing in most Hollywood films before his involvement.

[@nicholasbcleghorn8008]

Excellent.

[@natural-born_pilot]

A great story and a super guy. Anyone with military background could tell when they first saw him in a movie he was real. When later reading his name in the credits and task he performed as consultant you instantly became aware of what made that film so authentic. One of my favorites was his role in ‘Siege of Firebase Glory’ as commander of the firebase under attack and being over run by the NVA he directs the arriving air support to drop all ordinance on his location coordinates. Heavy!

[@rolfagten857]

Is that the one with Lee Ermy going to Vietnam?

[@michaelcoleman7940]

Dale Dye: a lifetime friend.

[@URangryX]

Thank you for honorably and accurately reflecting our experience, from the nitty-gritty details of our uniforms, to the slang and code-switching that regionals and ethnicities and units had to do. It takes a dedicated professional to get this right! Captain Dale Dye is a HERO because he goes out of his way to understand the Man on the ground and in the air, the warfighter, the grunt, the admin back home....and to communicate their lived experience, language, culture, bravado, gestures, gear, and genuine emotions and motivation ACURATELY. Angelic.

[@AARP]

Thank you for you watching and for your feedback! Stay tuned for more Reporting For Duty episodes on our Channel!

[@rageinbull]

Before Dale Dye veterans would watch war movies and constantly be annoyed by how inaccurate they were. He raised the bar.

[@SSGTStryker]

As a retired NCO, MTI and very occasional background actor, Captain Dye is definitely my biggest inspiration. Dream job is to work for his Warriors, Inc.

[@AirAssault7]

Good job Dale Dye. :)

[@goodthoughts2252]

Such an amazing story what a brilliant man.

[@HighWarlordJC]

Starship Troopers is one of the greatest films I've ever seen. This guy reminds me of my boss (older gentleman, sets his sights on a goal and gets to work).

[@lewistasso8866]

It could have been great if it wasn't for the bad script and acting.

[@adamnevis7636]

Wow this is an incredible video!

[@goodthoughts2252]

And then there is a short with Johnny Depp telling a hillarious story off which he took great pride in - i searched Platoon its in the shorts.

[@HartDoug]

I A B S O LUT E L Y Agree with the Sentiments expressed in this ‘clip’. I am NOT a Vietnam Veteran but I am what is known as a Vietnam Era Veteran. I was never in Vietnam but I did see it... Twice... as I flew over going to and coming from Thailand. Mr. Dye is absolutely correct about ‘what makes soldiers... warriors... ‘tick’...’ Couldn’t have expressed it to better myself! As a ‘retired soldier’, I greatly appreciate the ‘realism’ that he has added to ‘war films’!

[@billsanders5067]

Every combatant in every war was fighting for one thing and only one thing, the person standing beside him. If any REMF says otherwise then they are spewing 100% male bovine manure.

[@erikiversen674]

This film really grabbed me; being a military movie fan - and also thanking my lucky stars that I never had to go through the horrors of war... When I saw this video, I realized my appreciation for the immersive reality of the films that I loved most (Platoon, Private Ryan, Band of Brothers) - were all trained in military reality - by Cape. Dale Dye. The reality of his skillful training of actors brings honor and reality to the vets he is portraying. Has off to AARP for bringing this great perspective! Thanks for your service to our country!

[@TJCooney]

❤

[@joshuaarnold9219]

Amazing to hear how that works

[@hydroreel2467]

I have met this man yesterday Captain Dale Dye is a Missouri Military Academy Alumni now in the alumni hall of fame.

[@lcutie36]

He’s in like all of those war movies playing cameos

[@deborahdufel1664]

Thank you for your service. I have a few beta readers of my book and they have caught things that were downright wrong. Continue on, Sir.

[@RevEricHebert]

Good telling of a good story.

[@shadowwolf9329]

Anyone who has fought in a real battle can decern the difference between actual footage in a Hollywood war movie and the real thing. Hands down.

[@syntaxerorr]

Cool video. Was a little surprised when I scrolled down and it said AARP. That AARP? Can't wait till I'm 50 lol.

[@rolfagten857]

If only they had Dale Dye during the filming of the BBC series "SAS Rogue Heroes" (2022) ! It contains errors such as Reo trucks from Vietnam War in a 1941 British Army in North Africa, and Queens capbadge instead of the Kings capbadges. perhaps for the next seasons an idea to hire Mr Dye.

[@danteehan]

Hotel 2/5, 1968.

[@michaelcoleman7940]

Dye was my dive partner in Okinawa…AFRTS.

[@kremepye3613]

I gave him hand relief in Saigon in '67

[@billsanders5067]

I started paying attention to the small details when I watch war movies. For example men with long hair, sailors and marines saluting when uncovered and in doors, or when someone is told at ease and they go to parade rest. To really top it off, I have seen three movies were the American Flag had too many stars for the time period.

[@paularubin4711]

Disgusting isn’t it. I’ve seen the same. I’m a VETERAN. IM SHOCKED WE SEE AN OFFICER IN UNIFORM SMACKING GUM. WOULD NEVER HAPPEN IN MY TIME

[@rolfagten857]

"A Raid on Rommel" (1971) is also so full of vehicle, military slang, and uniform errors that it seems like a comedy!

[@Jackie1952]

He is a former Marine

[@AARP]

Meet this Navy vet who ran into a fiery plane to save the passengers! kzbin.info/www/bejne/nZK5m397qcqcn68

[@laurenbardoner8903]

This guy truly makes me smile. I love movies, and knowing one day I might join the armed forces he's inspiration.

[@zeltzamer4010]

0:05 What film is this from?

[@rickjones8735]

Still remember our golf rounds ar Awase. Semper Fi brother

[@kurtvonfricken6829]

Too bad many of the beach obstacles in Saving private Ryan were backwards. Oh well!

[@rolfagten857]

and black 101st airborne paratroopers boots.

[@wilhelmgeisler2124]

WHY IS DALE DYE ONLY A CAPTAIN AFTER TWENTY YEARS???

[@lordkreigs1978]

He spent 14 years as an unlisted man and a rose to the rank of master sergeant which is pretty damn high up there, Marines refer to master sergeant and sergeant majors as “Top”. Then he went through Officer candidate school and became a commissioned officer.

[@luketimewalker]

"All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident." Arthur Schopenhauer Dream out Loud - From fool to savior. Captain, on top of my years of admiration for you, you have no idea what your testimony here means to me. I too, WILL have a 2 minute pitch. Cheers from Paris - where you have an incredible lookalike, photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand who creataed Earth from Above, and with whom I've had the honor to work.

[@larry1824]

Dye does his best. Kubrick musta been a tough sell

[@BMF6889]

I served 21 years in the Marine Corps as an infantry officer with 3 years in combat. My first real job out of college was as a Marine platoon commander in Vietnam 1968-69. And many years later I served two years in Latin America supporting the host nation's Army and Navy in counter-insurgence operations. I've seen almost all of the movies about WW II and Vietnam. Platoon was a joke. Deer Hunter was a joke. Green Berets was a joke. Full Metal Jacket was a semi-joke. But Hamburger Hill was close to reality. Band of Brothers and Pacific seemed close to reality. But I'm never seen a movie about Vietnam or the Korean War or about the bomber forces during WW I I that took horrific casualties. The 8th Air Force in WW II took more casualties than the Marine Corps in the Pacific during WW II yet Hanks and Spielberg made the Pacific which was a terrific account of the war in the Pacific, but nothing of the 8th Air Force that took even more casualties. I know what Vietnam was like. I was a platoon commander there from 1969-69, and it had no relationship with the movie Platoon. I was in El Salvador supporting the Salvadoran Army and Navy in counter-insurgency operations and the movie "Salvador" by Oliver Stone was a complete joke and had nothing to do with the reality on the ground there. The FMLN were not patriots fighting against the government. The government was not without major problems but the FLMN was no better. I haven't seen a Korean War movie that matches any of the documentaries that describe the war. I'm glad Captain Dale Dyer could train actors to be more like soldiers, but it didn't work in the movie Platoon or any of the other absurd movies on which he was technical advisor / trainer with the exception of Band of Brothers and Pacific. I haven't yet seen the Tom Hanks and whoever series "Masters of the Air" but in the few trailers I've seen there are minor technical inaccuracies that are so obvious they should have been easily caught in the editing. The B-17 machineguns in the series are not accurate. Even a novice like me caught the problems. The shots of the gunsights on the ball and top turrets were inaccurate. Dale Dyer is a great motivator and trainer of actors for military movies, but he doesn't care if the movie doesn't represent reality like "Platoon" or if it does represent reality like "Band of Brothers" and "Pacific". BTW, the actors in the movie "Platoon" despite Dyer's training bore no resemblance to the realities of Vietnam. It was nothing more than a bunch of actors that were military-like hippies running around like pre-Rambo than anything resembling anything I saw in Vietnam. Ditto the Deer Hunter movie -- totally BS. And the Rambo series was total BS as well, but at least an entertaining joke of the military. The only realistic Vietnam documentary I've seen was a very long time ago when a French team accompanied a Marine unit for about 30 days in combat. There were no actors or staged scenes. It was shot as it actually happened in real time included the deaths and wounded that happened. It's not like the movies. I will say this, the Vietnam scene in the movie Forrest Gump was mostly very real as I experienced Vietnam. Who would have thought. I don't know who was the technical advisor for those scenes, but he had to have been in Vietnam.

[@dvig3261]

Even with the best teachers, Hollywood still regularly misses the mark, by a wide margin.

[@benquinneyiii7941]

Boot camp

[@davidsmietanski6035]

AARP is woke Stay clear