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After _Platoon _premiered in December 1986, it grossed over $100 million and won four Academy Awards, including Best Picture. HOLLYWOOD’S GO-TO MILITARY ADVISER Courtesy of Dale Dye “I

believe sincerely and firmly that the basic warrior spirit is essentially the same. A soldier will act the same way if he’s part of a 256-man Macedonian phalanx as he will if he’s a guy

carrying an M4 in Fallujah,” Dye observes. “The mentality, the heart, the emotions are the same. I found that if I kept that in mind and meticulously did my research, then I would be ready

to train any outfit, any period, any service, and it’s proved to be true.” Dye’s Warrior Inc. has helped produce more than 50 movies and TV shows, including _Courage Under Fire, Starship

Troopers, Casualties of War, Saving Private Ryan, Forrest Gump _and _Band of Brothers_. “The boot camp was a very important part of the success of _Band of Brothers_. If you’re going to play

the part right, you need to know what it feels like,” says actor Ron Livingston, who was nominated for a Golden Globe for his role in the miniseries. Dye’s boot camp taught Livingston how

to deal with stress, chaos and the mind games of war. He also benefited from technical instruction such as weapons training, how to handle military gear and other squad-based tactics. “It’s

got to become second nature. And that allows you to have a whole layer to think about whatever else you need to think about in the scene,” Livingston says. During his trainings, Dye says,

he breaks actors down and builds them back up. As a result, he hopes that audiences better understand, appreciate and empathize with what real-life soldiers go through. “If we don’t adhere

to that accuracy, then their story either gets shabbily told, only partially told or never told. And that’s a disservice I will not allow.” _You can _subscribe here_ to _AARP Veteran

Report_, a free e-newsletter published every two weeks. If you have feedback or a story idea then please _contact us here_._ _This is an episode from AARP Studios’ new documentary series 

_Reporting for Duty._ Each month you can expect a new inspirational story about veterans and military families at YouTube.com/aarp_