History Series / TourOfDuty

* TemporaryBlindness: In "Brown-Gray Odyssey", Lt. Goldman temporarily loses his sight when his Jeep hits a mine, and has to be guided by a female VC prisoner he is holding at gunpoint.

* RankUp: Myron Goldman goes from 2nd lieutenant to 1st lieutenant between first and second seasons, and Staff Sergeant Anderson is promoted to Sergeant 1st Class in season 3.

** Finally, the last episodes of the series are almost universally depressing. [[spoiler:Lt. Goldman]] is completely disillusioned and has stooped to the same tactics he testified against a friend for. [[spoiler: Zeke]], with nobody to return to, is given another batch of young idiots to watch die. [[spoiler: Marcus, now the last of the old squad]], is wounded in a firefight. [[spoiler: Pop]] loses his son and is badly wounded. [[spoiler: Griner]] comes home blind. [[spoiler: Hockenbury's pacifism]] costs the life of a comrade and he is stuck in a care center watching wounded men die. [[spoiler: Ruiz and Percell]] both struggle to adjust to life back home, and [[spoiler: [=McKay=]]] is grounded from combat flight, has difficulty getting a job, and when he does he can find no joy in flying in a civilian capacity. The series saved its emotional gut punches for last.

* BreakTheCutie: Horn is introduced as a pacifist and conscientious objector who'd rather play the harmonica than fight what he sees to be an unjust war. His character arc depicts his realizing the necessity of killing to survive in an environment that doesn't care about his philosophical views and his gradual transformation into a stone-cold killer. His final episode shows him suffering a crisis when he realizes what he's become.

* AllYourBaseAreBelongToUs: Firebase Ladybird suffers this in the episode [[http://www.tourofdutyinfo.com/EpGuide/UnderSiege.htm "Under Siege"]]. The [[CluelessBoss new company commander]] brushes off Anderson and Goldman’s concerns about the base defenses, thinking Charlie would be foolish to attack the base. Cut to the VC broadcasting over a loudspeaker that the base is now surrounded, and will attack that night. Oh, not to mention the base is desperately low on ammunition and no ground or air support is available. The VC attack and overrun the base. Only thanks to some [[spoiler:clever rigging of some IED's in and around the base perimeter is the platoon]] able to get the upper hand and drive the [[spoiler: enemy back]]. However, [[spoiler: [[TrashTheSet the base is completely destroyed in the process.]] ]]]]

* ReReleaseSoundtrack: Every licensed song was replaced with a soundalike, including "Paint It Black" by Music/TheRollingStones, which was used as the RealSongThemeTune.

* AllYourBaseAreBelongToUs: Firebase Ladybird suffers this in the episode [[http://www.tourofdutyinfo.com/EpGuide/UnderSiege.htm "Under Siege"]]. The [[CluelessBoss new company commander]] brushes off Anderson and Goldman’s concerns about the base defenses, thinking Charlie would be foolish to attack the base. Cut to the VC broadcasting over a loudspeaker that the base is now surrounded, and will attack that night. Oh, not to mention the base is desperately low on ammunition and no ground or air support is available. The VC attack and overrun the base. [[spoiler:Only thanks to some clever rigging of some IED’s in and around the base perimeter is the platoon able to get the upper hand and drive the enemy back. However, [[TrashTheSet the base is completely destroyed in the process.]] ]]

** Finally, the last episodes of the series are almost universally depressing. [[spoiler:Lt. Goldman is completely disillusioned and has stooped to the same tactics he testified against a friend for. Zeke, with nobody to return to, is given another batch of young idiots to watch die. Marcus, now the last of the old squad, is wounded in a firefight. Pop loses his son and is badly wounded. Griner comes home blind. Hockenbury's pacifism costs the life of a comrade and he is stuck in a care center watching wounded men die. Ruiz and Percell both struggle to adjust to life back home, and [=McKay=] is grounded from combat flight, has difficulty getting a job, and when he does he can find no joy in flying in a civilian capacity.]] The series saved its emotional gutpunches for last.

** Finally, the last episodes of the series are almost universally depressing. [[spoiler:Lt. Goldman is completely disillusioned and has stooped to the same tactics he testified against a friend for. Zeke, with nobody to return to, is given another batch of young idiots to watch die. Marcus, now the last of the old squad, is wounded in a firefight. Pop loses his son and is badly wounded. Griner comes home blind. Hockenbury's pacifism costs the life of a comrade and he is stuck in a care center watching wounded men die. Ruiz and Percell both struggle to adjust to life back home, and McKay is grounded from combat flight, has difficulty getting a job, and when he does he can find no joy in flying in a civilian capacity.]] The series saved its emotional gutpunches for last.

The first season opens in 1967 and follows a standard light infantry platoon. In the second season, the troops found themselves relocated to a base near Saigon while conducting the typical "search and destroy" missions. Female characters were also introduced (in hopes of gaining more female viewership and because of the premiere of the ABC Vietnam Army Nurses drama ''Series/ChinaBeach'' which was aimed at a more female audience). In the third season, the remaining female character was killed off and the platoon was transferred to a SOG (Studies and Observation Group) unit under the command of Colonel Brewster (Carl Weathers), conducting covert operations in Vietnam and in Cambodia, culminating in the fictional version of the raid on Son Tay Prison. The third season was the show's last.

* SleevesAreForWimps: Anderson rarely wears his uniform shirt when out in the field, preferring to wear his equipment harness over a tank top, so his well-muscles arms are on full display.