First Blood (1982)
Creation and background
Morrell (1972 First Blood novel by David Morrell) says that in choosing the name Rambo he was inspired
by "the sound of force" in the name of Rambo apples, which he
encountered in Pennsylvania. These apples, in turn, were named for Peter
Gunnarsson Rambo who sailed from Sweden to America in the 1640s, and soon the
name would flourish in New Sweden. The name Rambo was likely derived from a
shortened form of Ramberget (a hill on the Hisingen island in Gothenburg, where
Peter Gunnarsson was born) plus "bo" (meaning "resident
of"). Today, many of his descendants can still be found in this region of
the US. Morrell felt that its pronunciation was similar to the surname of
Arthur Rimbaud, the title of whose most famous work A Season in Hell, seemed to
him "an apt metaphor for the prisoner-of-war experiences that I imagined
Rambo suffering". Furthermore, an Arthur J. Rambo was an actual U.S.
soldier in Vietnam, but he never returned. His name can be seen on the Vietnam
War Memorial wall in Washington, DC. He was granted the first name
"John" as a reference to the song "When Johnny Comes Marching
Home Again".
In the novel and first film, Rambo appears as a soldier who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and has difficulty adjusting to normal life. He is shown to be prone to violence because of the torture he suffered at the hands of North Vietnamese soldiers in the Vietnam War. In the next films and novelizations, he is displayed as a man who wants to stay away from conflict but is willing to do anything to save his friends and the people he cares about from any danger. Due to his violent nature, many civil people tend to fear him. However, Colonel Samuel Trautman (who was his commanding officer in Vietnam and is probably his only friend) understands him and the pain and torture he has endured in the war and is the only one able to reason with him when he becomes an outlaw after incapacitating police officers in the town of Hope.
Rambo has a muscular physique due to his time as a soldier in the army and his intense training regimen. He has a high amount of strength and stamina. Rambo is an expert in surviving in dense forests against a large number of enemies due to his experiences in the Vietnam War. He is also an expert in guerrilla tactics, weapons, and hand-to-hand combat. Rambo has black hair and brown eyes. His height is 5'10" (1,78 m). In the DVD commentary for First Blood Morell remarks that the inspiration for Rambo was World War II hero Audie Murphy.
In all five films, Rambo is portrayed by Sylvester Stallone. In the animated TV series, the character is voiced by Neil Ross.
Fictional biography
According to all the films, the character's full name is
John James Rambo. He was born on July 6, 1947 in Bowie, Arizona, to father
Reevis Rambo (1922–2000) and mother Helga Rambo (1926–1969), as shown on the
graves at Rambo’s farm in Rambo: Last Blood. In Rambo: First Blood Part II, he
is said to be of Native American and German descent, while the film's
novelization reveals he has an Italian father and a Navajo mother. John's niece
is also well known, Shirlene. Rambo enlisted in the U.S. Army at the age of 17
on August 6, 1964, although he states in Rambo he was "drafted into
Vietnam." After he graduated from Rangeford High School in 1965, his
military service began in January 1966. Rambo was deployed to South Vietnam in
September 1966. He returned to the U.S. in 1967 and began training with the
U.S. Army Special Forces at Fort Bragg, North Carolina under Colonel Samuel
Trautman's tutelage.
In late 1969, Rambo was re-deployed to Vietnam as member of a SOG brigade. He became part of a Special Forces Long-range reconnaissance patrol unit commanded by Colonel Trautman. Trautman's team received the code name of Baker Team and usually consisted of eight men. Other known members were Delmar Barry (a black operative who quickly became Rambo's best friend), Joseph "Joey" Danforth (another friend of Rambo), Manuel "Loco" Ortega, Paul Messner, Delbert Krackhauer, Giuseppe "Greasy Cunt" Colletta, and Ralph Jorgenson. In an event that would haunt Rambo for the rest of his life, Danforth died in Rambo's arms after being fatally wounded by a rigged shoeshine box while their unit was on rest and recuperation time.
During a mission in November 1971 Rambo's unit came under surprise attack by NVA forces. Delmar, Rambo, and some other surviving members were captured by North Vietnamese forces near the Chinese-Vietnamese border and held at a POW camp, where many other American POWs were imprisoned and repeatedly tortured. Rambo's unit was decimated during the ordeal, but Delmar and Rambo managed to escape captivity in May 1972, and Rambo was immediately re-deployed at his own request. At some point in his military career he also received training in flying helicopters. Rambo finally received his official military discharge on September 27, 1974. His final rank is not known but, judging from the crossed arrows (officer) insignia on the lapel of his Army Alpha Dress Green uniform, it is safe to assume that he was either a 1st Lieutenant or Captain.
Upon his return to the United States, Rambo discovered that many American civilians hated the soldiers returning from Vietnam, and he claimed that he and other returning soldiers were subject to humiliation and embarrassment by anti-war "hippies" who threw garbage at them, called them "baby killers", and excluded them from society. His experiences in Vietnam and back home resulted in an extreme case of post-traumatic stress disorder. At the same time, inner questions of self-identity and reflectiveness had commenced to cause Rambo to lash out at society rather than handling difficult situations in a "civilized" manner. First Blood picks up from this point.
[Takes off his bandolier]
Rambo: There wouldn't be no trouble except for that king-shit cop! All I wanted was something to eat. But the man kept pushing Sir.
Trautman: Well you did some pushing on your own John.
Rambo: They drew first blood, not me.
Trautman: Look Johnny, let me come in and get you the hell out of there!
Rambo: They drew first blood...
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