'Jarhead': Whose Stories Are They? - New York Times

The screenwriter for 'Jarhead' admits that he had read Turnipseed's memoirs of the 1st Gulf War, wonder what the lawyers will make of this?

"Joel Turnipseed, a former marine who wrote 'Baghdad Express,' a memoir of the first gulf war, was sitting in Minneapolis watching 'Monday Night Football' with his wife last week when a commercial for the film 'Jarhead' came on the television.

'Jarhead' was directed by Sam Mendes and is based on Anthony Swofford's memoir of the first gulf war. The commercial showed marines in the desert hurrying to don their chemical protection gear. One of the characters, Troy, played by Peter Sarsgaard, put on his hood and turned to another, Swoff, played by Jake Gyllenhaal, and in his best Darth Vader voice invited him to 'come to the dark side.'

Mr. Turnipseed said he was shocked. 'I turned to my wife and said, 'Honey, there is something funny about that,' ' he said in a phone interview. 'That scene is in my book, not Tony's,' he added, referring to Mr. Swofford." (more) 'Jarhead': Whose Stories Are They? - New York Times