Operation Dumbo Drop

The Vietnam War makes a really unorthodox setting for a Disney movie, but this movie goes along quite well, thanks to its performances. Danny Glover and Ray Liotta star as the leaders of a rag-tag American platoon in charge of guarding an elephant and its young Vietnamese trainer on a trip to one part of the divided country to another.

Because of its family-friendly base, OPERATION DUMBO DROP plays it

safe with it's war violence. But who says you need bloody, graphic action in order to make a good war-oriented film? As long as the

performances are stellar, the film wins. Case in point is OPERATION DUMBO DROP.

Not to be knit-picky, but, Denis Leary's character was not a lieutenant. He was a "Chief Warrant Officer Grade 3", or "CWO-3" for short. If there is any question of this, one should check out the close-up of Leary to note the bar on his collar with 3 black squares on it.

Should also be noted, wearing of the Beret with colored insignia and flash (patch), was not done during combat operations. The last thing anyone wanted was to be seen because there was something shiny or colorful which could give away one's position to the enemy.

Aside from those inconsistencies, Disney did a great job of putting this motion picture together.

The people chosen, did a fantastic job of being as authentic as possible. Of course, much about the real story had to be quieted down for the sake of the audiences viewing pleasure. Since the real truth of the war was the horror of confrontation.

This was an awesome film, which helped to show an aspect of people in the military, as people. And not the mindless drone killers, some in the population would have the world believe. There was much humanity by the armed forces, but, those are the news stories which the networks DIDN'T show, because it didn't have the flair and sensationalism that was desired by the various network news casts.

In 1968, I was the CA NCO (Civil Affairs Noncommissioned Officer) for Co. C, 5th SFG(A), 1st SF, HQed In DaNang, RVN. I was not directly involved with the mission but had a front row seat and the officers I worked under kept me apprised of the progress. These facts might be of interest:

1. "Our" Top Secret operation had two elephants called Bonnie and Clyde.

2. The elephants were not dropped in slings or standing up as depicted in the movie. They had to be tied down to airdrop cargo pallets. If they were hung in slings, their own weight would have suffocated them. If they had been dropped standing up, their weight would have caused fatal physical harm upon landing.

3. Two veterinarians were flown from England to sedate and revive the animals.

4. The purpose was not for a ceremony but for a much more practical reason. A sawmill had been built in the village to help its economy. The mountain trails were much too narrow to use bulldozers to drag the trees to the mill and someone came up with this idea.

5. The mission ultimately was a failure. The elephants were juveniles (weight!!!) and were much too small to drag the large logs. Growing elephants eat a lot. The village chief complained that the villagers were being forced to travel deeper and deeper into VC controlled territory to collect banana trees for their fodder. I don't know how this problem was resolved.

The movie was much more interesting and fun, as the actual mission was pulled off without a hitch and had little entertainment value. My credibility could be verified on my website which I am required not to include, but I'll be glad to provide it to anyone who is interested. There is a direct contact link available.

For those reviewers who chose this forum to again knock a war over 36 years gone, SHAME ON YOU! You have only exposed your own ignorance. As all soldiers in every war , some Americans conducted themselves better than others. As this mission actually went (and as depicted in this DRAMATIZATION), many of us worked tirelessly to improve the lives of the Vietnamese.

I am most proud of my days in Vietnam when I was privileged to provide food, cooking utensils, clothing and other necessities to peoples displaced by the war. Many good American lives were lost directly attempting to prevent harm to Vietnamese people. I risked my life more than once, not in combat, but in aiding "common" villagers in tasks they could not accomplice themselves. My OIC (Officer in Charge) was shot down and killed while attempting to evacuate refugees from a besieged A-Camp. HE DID NOT HAVE TO BE ON THAT AIRCRAFT.

You are welcome to your opinion and can state it per the First Amendment but, ethically, you should study and actually know a little bit about the topic before you share an opinion. And for Heaven's sake, keep political opinions on political forums. "Dumbo Drop" hardly glorified warfare. It just exposed the truth that a little bit of good can be found in most things, even things as tragic as warfare.

And to the reviewer who doubted that anything funny ever happens in warfare: You too, speak out of ignorance. I spent two years in country and had many genuine good times, often with the fine Vietnamese soldiers with whom I worked.

Operation Dumbo Drop was actually a nice movie in my opinion. Based on a true story it had a nice flowing story line full of action and family-appropriate material. Great actors such as Danny Glover helped the film come alive and send out strong messages. Not the best motion picture.. but it was fun and definitely did/does not deserve the type of criticism I often see it getting. It is a great film for a family movie night or even when you're alone and simply bored. Children and Adults alike can appreciate the exciting action (accompanied with only occasional mild violence), cute humor, and expressed morals and the importance of human kindness. History bluffs would also enjoy this since it takes place during the Vietnam War and shows some interesting details. Overall I believe the movie as a whole deserved at least a 7/10 rating.

-Amanda, Miss Movie Bluff

I do not understand the criticism that some professional reviewers give of this film about its unrealistic treatment of the Vietnam War. I was opposed to that war from about the time that it started but I never doubted the good intentions of those young men who risked their lives fighting it. What is so wrong in playing up that aspect of it? The film is, after all, based on a true story. The film seemed to me to be like a movie version of the television show MASH done for children. Everybody has good words for MASH. Nobody ever complained about doing a comedy about the Korean War. This is a good kid's film with some really fine acting by Liotta, Glover and Leary.