History Film / MenOfHonor

* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: Sunday tells Carl this about the latter's desire to enter Dive School.

* NotSoDifferent: Sunday, who suffered a CareerEndingInjury rescuing men trapped underwater, first starts respecting Carl for saving a classmate in an underwater emergency at the risk of his own life. Later, he acknowledges that Carl is an "old Sailor" like himself, the kind that [=McNamara-sequel=] [[ObstructiveBureaucrat "college boys"]] like Hanks want to get rid of, because they see men as more than statistics.

* MundaneMadeAwesome: Who knew taking 12 steps forward could be so dramatic? [[spoiler: Although a one legged person taking 12 steps in a 400 pound diving suit is hardly mundane, in universe.]]

* ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight: Overlapping with DeliberateValuesDissonance. After specifically sabotaging Carl's diving qualification exam, Sunday is ordered by the racist admiral in charge of the diving school to let Carl ''die'' underwater instead of letting him pass. Sunday deliberately refuses to do so, and is promptly demoted/reassigned after certifying Carl as a Navy Diver.

Ultimately, Brashear overcomes his obstacles to become a Navy Diver, including becoming a national hero for his acts in retrieving the lost atomic bomb in the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1966_Palomares_B-52_crash 1966 Palomares B-52 crash]], but his leg is mangled in the bomb retrieval. He has the leg amputated and then embarks on attempting to return to full active duty despite no Navy man having returned to full active duty with a prosthetic. With the help of Sunday, now a brooding alcoholic of low rank, but knowledgeable in the ways of bureaucracy, he not only returns to full active duty, but eventually becomes the first African-American Master Diver of the U.S. Navy.

A 2000 military drama film directed by George Tillman Jr., starring Creator/RobertDeNiro and Creator/CubaGooding.

-->'''Sunday:''' ''What did your father say to you to make you try so hard?"\\
'''Brashear:''' "'[[DareToBeBadass Be the best]].'"

A military drama movie starring Creator/RobertDeNiro and Creator/CubaGooding. It is a BasedOnATrueStory movie about Carl Brashear, the very first African-American Master Diver of the US Navy. Brashear faces significant obstacles, including racial discrimination, his lack of education having quit school in the 7th grade to work on the family farm, and an antagonist head instructor, Master Chief Petty Officer Leslie William "Billy" Sunday (De Niro), also the man whose bravery inspired Brashear to become a diver.

Ultimately, Brashear overcomes his obstacles to become a Navy Diver, including becoming a national hero for his acts in retrieving the lost atomic bomb in the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1966_Palomares_B-52_crash 1966 Palomares B-52 crash]], but his leg is mangled in the bomb retrieval. He has the leg amputated and then embarks on attempting to return to full active duty despite no Navy man having returned to full active duty with a prosthetic. With the help of Sunday, now a brooding alcoholic of low rank, but knowledgeable in the ways of bureaucracy, he not only returns to full active duty, but eventually becomes the first African-American Master Diver of the US Navy.

* {{Badass}}: Both Carl Brashear and William Sunday.

* ArtisticLicenseMilitary: Master Chief Sunday's various demotions. For Navy personnel E-7 and above, it takes a fill court martial to demote such a person, not simply captain's mast. And even then, such an individual will be '''strongly''' encouraged to retire before it comes to that. The movie is correct in that a chief that has gone through the process of demotion will be more or less stuck in a dead end when it comes to future career advancement until he retires.

* MundaneMadeAwesome: Who knew taking 12 steps forward could be so dramatic?

* TheObiWan: Sunday, after Brashear earns his respect.

A military drama movie starring {{Robert DeNiro}} and Cuba Gooding. It is a BasedOnATrueStory movie about Carl Brashear, the very first African-American Master Diver of the US Navy.

Administrivia/NeedsABetterDescription: Short

* TheDrunkenSailor: Sunday, whose MadnessMantra takes the form of the [=CPO=] Rules:
-->'''Chief Sunday''': A chief petty officer shall not drink; however, if he should drink, he shall not get drunk. If he should get drunk, he shall not stagger. And if he staggers, he shall not fall. If he should fall down, he shall fall in such a manner as to cover up his rate so that passers-by will think he is an officer.

* {{Determinator}}: Carl. He stay underwater for over 9 hours to finish his final test at Dive School. He also didn't let having one of his legs amputated get in the way of his military career.
* Also Chief Sunday, who in the end fights his alcoholism and regains his rank.

* ArtisticLicenseMilitary: Master Chief Sunday's various demotions. For Navy personnel E-7 and above, it takes a fill court martial to demote such a person, not simply captain's mast. And even then, such an individual will be '''strongly''' encouraged to retire before it comes to that. The movie is correct in that a chief that has gone through the process of demotion will be more or less stiluck in a dead end when it comes to future career advancement until he retires.

* {{Socialite}}: Several officers at a

* AppealToForce: Sunday intimidates a Marine standing watch outside the courtroom. The Marine lets Sunday by, even though keeping him out of the courtroom was his only reason for being there.

* JackieRobinsonStory: He was ''not'' the first African-American Navy diver, but he ''was'' the Navy's first African-American master diver. He later became the first [[spoiler: one-legged African-American diver]].

* TheDrunkenSailor: Sunday, whose MadnessMontra takes the form of the [=CPO=] Rules:

* TheMentor: Sunday to Brashear. Carl wouldn't have made master chief without him.

* TheMentor: Sunday
* TrainingFromHell

* {{Biopic}}
* {{Badass}}: Both Carl Brashear and William Sunday

* {{Determinator}}: Carl. Not only did he stayed underwater for over 9 hours assembling just so he could pass. He also didn't let having one of his legs heavily damaged get in the way of his military career.
* FakeUltimateHero: Even though Carl saved the life of a fellow student who were trapped under the ship, it was the other student with him who ended up getting an award for it even though he actually fled from the scene.

* JackieRobinsonStory
* MundaneMadeAwesome: Who knew taking 12 steps forward could be so dramatic...
* TheObiWan: Sunday
* PrettyInMink
* SinkOrSwimMentor: Sunday
* {{Socialite}}
* TheDrunkenSailor: Sunday

'''Brashear:''' "'Be the best.'"

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