How times have changed.

What's wrong with spear chucker?

I liked the slurs used in the movie.

These folks are fighting the Korean War during which time segregation was legal.

In fact black soldiers didn't live with white soldiers until Truman got it done in 1947.

The attitudes of Trapper and Hawkeye are relatively enlightened as they treat Spearchucker as one of the guys.

It's that way in the novel, too; I think it is presented in such a casual way to make Dr. Oliver Harmon (or Wendell, in the book) Jones feel like part of their group. They rag on each other all the time, and since they treat him as an equal, the casual use of the nickname becomes a sign of acceptance, I think. Jones played pro football, and was likely referred to as Spearchucker by fans, teammates, and the media.

Remember, Augustus Bedford "Duke" Forrest (the Tom Skerrit character) is from Forrest City, Georgia, meant to be reminiscent of Nathan Bedford Forrest, the Confederate General and first Grand Master of the KKK. (He's the one Forrest Gump is ironically named after.) Getting Duke to accept Spearchucker and be their tent mate is an interesting point in favor of desegregation.

In any event, the original poster is right - it was a different time.

If I remember correctly, while I might be wrond I think I am right, in the novel on which the movie is based 'Spearchucker' did get his name because he was a javelin thrower in college. Also, the character was white, not black. Remember, this is the Korean war circa 1951 to 1953. The military did not desegregate until 1949. I think pro-football was segregated until well into the 1950's and I suspect that most colleges and medical schools were segregated until about the same time. In other words, the probability that there was a neurosurgeon in the Army that was also a black football star is vanashingly small.

Mmmmm....pulling the walls off the nurse's shower tent wouldn't go over so well today, either.

[deleted]