Is this a goof or what?
In the scene where Col. Childers is approaching the entry to the base where an angry crowd of protesters and reporters awaits him, his drivers side widow is clearly closed. The next second he encounters the crowd the window is suddenly open, proven by one the protesters spits on his uniform and he gets out of the car grabbing the protested by the collar and slamming him into the car.
Could be he rolled down the window because he was going to have to show ID at the base entry. Dumb move, though, seeing as he was passing a whole buncha angry protesters and not-so-sympathetic media.
Really though, I wouldn't give this movie credit for being that well thought out. If they were worried about something as small as that, they probably would have also bothered to fill in some of the other gaping plot holes, or maybe film a real ending. I think he had the window down so we could get a good glimpse of the ol' tried and true "Spitting on a Namvet" image.