Tour of Duty
You may be looking for the Man from U.N.C.L.E. zine called "The Tour of Duty Affair" which is the 8th volume in the series: Timeshift.
| Fandom | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Tour of Duty |
| Abbreviation(s): | TOD |
| Creator: | Steve Duncan and L. Travis Clark |
| Date(s): | 1987-1990 |
| Medium: | tv |
| Country of Origin: | US |
| External Links: | wikipedia, IMDB |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Tour of Duty was a Vietnam war-era drama series, which aired on CBS beginning in 1987. The plot centered on the officers, noncoms, and enlisted men of 3rd Squad, 2nd Platoon, B ("Bravo") Company, 3/44th Infantry Regiment, 196th Light Infantry Brigade, Americal Division, Firebase Ladybird, I Corps, often addressing the harsh realities of war, drug abuse, racism, fragging[1], and disillusionment. The first season focused on the platoon in-country, at Firebase Ladybird, while the second saw them forced to abandon the base after being overrun and attached to Tan Son Nhut Army Base near Saigon in order to run Search and Destroy (S & D) missions. The move added additional characters to the cast in order to fill in for those killed in the season finale, including civilians and women. The third and final season saw them attached to a Studies and Observation Group unit (SOG) designated 'Team Viking' in order to conduct covert operations.
For related fandoms, see List of Military Fandoms.
Characters
Following the death of Captain Rusty Wallace, in the first season 2nd Platoon Bravo was led by 2nd Lieutenant Myron Goldman and Sergeant Clayton Ezekiel "Zeke" Anderson. The platoon consists of Specialist Randy 'Doc' Matsuda, and Privates Daniel 'Danny' Percell, Alberto Ruiz, Marcus Taylor, Scott Baker, Marvin Johnson, and Roger Horn. By the end of the season, Capt. Wallace and Specialist Matsuda have been killed, Private Horn has been wounded in action and sent home to the States, and Private Baker transferred from the platoon.
Characters introduced in the second season were either civilians, reporters, or military personnel attached to Tan Son Nhut Army base in Saigon. They included 1st Lieutenant John McKay, a helicopter pilot, Dr. Jennifer Seymour, a psychiatrist, and Alex Devlin, a female reporter. The latter two were love interests for Sgt. Anderson and Lt. Goldman, respectively. These characters would recur to varying degrees in the third season, while Corporal (originally a Private) Marcus Johnson would return home, having completed his tour.
The third season added Pfc. Francis 'Doc' Hockenbury, a conscientious objector and combat medic, and Colonel Brewster, a new commanding officer. Privates Percell and Ruiz completed their tours, and returned to the United States. By the end of the series, Team Viking consisted of Lt. Goldman, Sergeant First Class (following a promotion) Anderson, and Marcus Taylor, now acting as Goldman's Team Leader in-country.
Pairings
Most Tour of Duty fanfiction and fanart is slash, with gen and het works running a very distant and very close second and third. The most popular pairings are Goldman/Anderson and Goldman/McKay. Ruiz/Taylor can be found, as well as Percell/Hockenbury.
The canon couples are Goldman/Devlin, and Anderson/Seymour.
Online Presence
- Notes From the Underground is a comprehensive fansite with character bios, an episode guide, picture galleries, production notes, and historical information created by members of the TOD listserv. The aim is to provide in-depth data for writers and fans of the show.
- Tour of Duty Gen, Slash, and Het stories archived at Archive of Our Own.
- Tour of Duty Gen, Slash, and Het stories archived at Fanfiction.net
Fanzines
gen, multimedia:
- Black Ops
- Everything But the Kitchen Sink
- Remote Control Goes to War
- Scorpion Files
- Special Circumstances
mixed gen and slash:
- Business Associates
- Notes from the Underground (on CD, Tour of Duty only)
References