US-Mexico Border Wall

Lore & Background

In the novel First Blood, Rambo served in Vietnam but no specific deployment dates are given; in the films, he is a Green Beret in Vietnam, but exact deployment dates are not canonically established. His captivity in Rambo: First Blood Part II occurs in Vietnam, but the specific location and dates (e.g., near the Chinese-Vietnamese border in November 1971, escape in May 1972) are not canonically given. The fellow POW is named 'Banks', not Delmar Barry. No mention is made of any border wall structures between the United States and Mexico.

In Their Own Story

In the film version, he searches for his friend Delmar Barry, only to find him dead of Agent Orange exposure. He is arrested by Sheriff Will Teasle after being dropped at the town limits and subsequently beaten while shaving triggers flashbacks to his torture as a prisoner of war. The story describes his flight into the mountains of Kentucky in the novel version or Hope, Washington, in the film, where he engages in guerrilla tactics against police and National Guardsmen. The text contains no events, characters, or descriptions related to a US-Mexico border crossing or barrier.

Reader's Guide

The source provides specific details on Rambo's expertise in surviving dense forests and using guerrilla tactics developed during the Vietnam War. It notes his physical attributes: black hair, brown eyes, height of 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m), and a muscular physique. His skills include hand-to-hand combat, weapons handling, and evasion against large enemy forces. The text mentions he received training in flying helicopters and served under Colonel Samuel Trautman. However, there is no guidance or description regarding navigation of a US-Mexico border wall, as this location is absent from the provided historical record of the character.

Did You Know?

• The name 'Rambo' was inspired by Rambo apples, which were named for Peter Gunnarsson Rambo, a Swedish immigrant who arrived in America in the 1640s.
• David Morrell chose the first name 'John' as a reference to the Civil War era song 'When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again'.
• In the novel First Blood, Rambo does not kill Teasle; Teasle survives the final confrontation, and Rambo is killed by Trautman with a single shot to the head.
• According to the source, Arthur J. Rambo was a real U.S. soldier in Vietnam who never returned, with his name appearing on the Vietnam War Memorial wall.