Editor's Note: The following includes graphic references to physical assault.

The Big Picture

• A Few Good Men is inspired by true events involving an assault on a Marine, revealing the dark side of institutionalism.
• The "Code Red" incident depicted in the film was based on a real-life incident from 1986 involving Marine David Cox.
• David Cox, the inspiration for the character Dawson, was acquitted of serious charges and mysteriously murdered years later.

Aaron Sorkin's A Few Good Men, which celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2022, is a precautionary tale of institutional indoctrination that rides on the push extended by the tight exchanges between the characters and the stellar performance of the leading cast. Based on a 1989 play by Aaron Sorkin, A Few Good Men has established its place as one of the best legal dramas of all time. Undoubtedly, the Rob Reiner-directed film has left an impact that gets amplified with the knowledge that the events in the film were inspired by true incidents. The true story behind the events that inspired A Few Good Men only adds to the film's legacy. So, prepare yourself to handle the truth!

What Is 'A Few Good Men' About?

The film follows the court-martial of two U.S. Marines charged with the murder of a fellow Marine at the Guantánamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba. Tom Cruise's Lieutenant Daniel Kaffee and Demi Moore's Lieutenant Commander Joanne Galloway, along with Kevin Pollak's Lieutenant Sam Weinberg, come to the defense of Lance Corporal Harold W. Dawson (Wolfgang Bodison) and Private First Class Louden Downey (James Marshall), who stand to be dishonorably discharged from the Marines if they are found guilty of committing the crime. The trial unfolds a tale of how institutionalism blinds even the bravest and leads them to believe in a "code" that trumps personal morality on most occasions, sometimes with grave implications.

'A Few Good Men's Private William Santiago Was Inspired By a Real-Life Marine

A Few Good Men quickly establishes the plot with the opening scene depicting an attack on a Marine named William Santiago (Michael DeLorenzo) at the United States Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay, which is also infamous for the Guantanamo Bay detention camp. The next scene shows Lieutenant Commander Joanne Galloway briefing her seniors about the death of PFC. William Santiago which took place one hour after the attack by LC. Dawson and PFC. Downey. She tells them that she believes it to be a case of "Code Red," a form of extrajudicial punishment carried out within the military without legal approval. Therefore, PFC William Santiago's death becomes the inciting incident of Sorkin's legal drama.

PFC William Santiago was inspired by PFC William Alvarado who allegedly wrote letters to a congressman complaining of poor living conditions on the base. He also complained about the Marines shooting illegally across the fenceline into Cuba. In the film, Santiago is said to have named Dawson in his letter as the one who committed the fenceline shooting. The main motive of PFC Alvarado's letter was, however, to seek a transfer from the base. The commanding officer of the base, Colonel Samuel Adams, allegedly elected not to transfer Alvarado despite concerns that Alvarado's daring act might have put him in danger. However, there is nothing strong to suggest that Samuel Adams, unlike Jack Nicholson's Colonel Jessup, incited a group of officers known as "The Ten" to perform a "Code Red" on Alvarado for ratting on his mates.

'A Few Good Men's Code Red Refers to an Incident from 1986

Marine David Cox was one of the members of "The Ten" who orchestrated the "Code Red" on PFC Alvarado. It's possible that Cox served as the inspiration for Dawson. Apparently, they were inspired by the act after watching the movie Animal House. As shown in A Few Good Men, Cox and the other nine Marines entered Alvarado's room to restrain him and assault him as part of the "Code Red." They restrained him and stuffed a pillowcase in his mouth before assaulting him and dragging him out of the room. The idea was to blame Alvarado for the shame he had brought to the Corps. The punishment for Alvarado for the dishonorable conduct was stopped when he started choking and spitting blood. The Marines took a pause and looked for help at the sight of Alvarado falling unconscious.

Fortunately, Alvarado met a more merciful fate than that of PFC Santiago in A Few Good Men as he recovered later. His lungs were filled with fluid during the attack. In the film, it is shown that Santiago had a medical condition that the officers were not aware of, although it merely remains a point of speculation by Kaffee to disclaim the opposition's charge that Santiago died of intentional poisoning. Following this incident, the members of "The Ten" were arrested.

David Cox Did Not Give Up Easy, Just Like Dawson

Seven of the ten members who carried out the "Code Red" took the offer of an "other than honorable discharge" from the Marines. But quite like Dawson, David Cox refused to take the deal as he believed he was not on the wrong side for merely following an order from his superiors. In a bid to continue his service in the Marines, Cox decided to defend himself against the charges even at the risk of a court-martial and 20 years in prison. He was defended by an advocate named Don Marcari who took the same approach that Daniel Kaffee did.

When Cox met him, Marcari was also a Navy attorney just starting out, similar to Kaffee. Don Marcari used the "obedience to order" defense to push the case of his defendant by establishing in front of the jury that Cox and the others were merely following an order from a senior official, portrayed as First Lieutenant Jonathan James Kendrick (Kiefer Sutherland) in the movie, who in turn was following the orders of Colonel Jessup. The case became Marcari's first big case although multiple individuals have come ahead in the years since A Few Good Men's release, claiming to be the inspiration for Kaffee. However, Sorkin has dismissed all these claims by stating that Kaffee was entirely a fictional character.

As opposed to Dawson and Downey in the movie, Cox found greater success in the four-day court trial as he was not found guilty of aggravated battery and was only charged with simple assault, which carried a 30-day sentence. Importantly, Cox was allowed to resume his career in the Marines, unlike Dawson and Downey, who were dishonorably discharged from the Marines - a form of film justice meted out by Sorkin. He went on to serve his final years in the Marines in South Korea, Panama, and North Carolina before his discharge as a Corporal.

David Cox Died Under Mysterious Circumstances

Things did not end well for David Cox though, as he mysteriously went missing in January 1994 before his dead body was discovered by a canoeist in April of the same year near the Charles River. Cox was found wearing his military jacket, and the investigators believed that someone close to him was behind the murder, dismissing the rumors that his death had anything to do with the "Code Red" incident which made him famous (or infamous), thanks to A Few Good Men. For more than 25 years, the identity of the person behind David Cox's murder has remained a mystery. The case of Cox's murder also appeared in Season 8 of Unsolved Mysteries.

Reportedly, before his death, Cox was supposed to start with his first full-time civilian job and had also decided to join a lawsuit, filed against the makers of A Few Good Men, by five ex-Marines, who were part of the group that assaulted Alvarado. The lawsuit claimed that Aaron Sorkin came to know about the incident in 1986, which inspired the events of the movie, from his sister Debra Sorkin, who defended one of the marines in court. Sorkin took the story and used it as the foundation for his 1989 play A Few Good Men, which later inspired the film of the same name.

The true story behind A Few Good Men reveals that the otherwise shocking depiction in the film is merely a reflection of what transpired in real life. While the death of PFC William Santiago in the film remains an exaggerated retelling of real-life events, there is merit in the fact that "Code Red" remained an active practice even though it was against the legal code. Possibly, the consequences of the code's practice are buried under the weight of the system, as depicted in A Few Good Men, with Colonel Jessup symbolizing a system that thrives on secrecy and moral subordination. While it will remain a secret whether there was an involvement of a "higher authority" behind the infamous "Code Red" incident, the true events behind A Few Good Men prove that what transpired on the screen is not outside the scope of possibility or reality.

A Few Good Men is available to watch on AMC+ in the U.S.

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