ABSTRACT
Some of my fondest boyhood memories were the hours spent playing “combat” with the other boys in the neighborhood. Because this took place in the early 1960s, our chosen play model was based on Combat! (ABC, 1962–1967), the popular TV dramatic series set during World War II. We took turns playing Sergeant Saunders (Vic Morrow), the squad leader; Doc, the medic (Steven Rogers, Conlan Carter); and the other squad members. Wesley Britton says that the series’ popularity with young viewers led to tie-in board games and bubblegum cards. 1 He also relates that one Vietnam veteran told him that many older adolescent males were so inspired by the show that they volunteered for the Army. 2 Regardless of whether the series might have served as encouragement for some young men to join the military, Combat! depicts war as a grim, grueling experience with few crucial battles or heroic acts and a place where death is often an arbitrary occurrence. 3
