Historical Accuracy
The Medal of Honor had been awarded to a woman, Dr. Mary Edwards Walker, an American Civil War doctor, but not for valor in combat. A White House aide played by Bronson Pinchot makes the distinction.
The Geneva Conventions permit military medical personnel to carry and use weapons to defend themselves and their patients. (Taking offensive action would invalidate their status as protected non-combatants and would be considered perfidy.) In this respect, the portrayal of the helicopter crew was accurate in that the commanding officer, Captain Walden, carried a side-arm, while the two non-medical personnel in the helicopter (Monfriez, an infantryman, and Altameyer, the helicopter crew chief) were equipped with an M16 rifle and M249 SAW. Specialist Ilario, the crew's Combat Medic, was unarmed throughout the engagement. Based on these observations, no violation of the Geneva Convention was made by the fictional crew.
Read more about this topic: Courage Under Fire
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