Book #55: Rambo III by David Morrell

Rambo III

David Morrell

 Released: January 1st, 1988

My 25th book for 2024 was David Morrell’s “Rambo III”.

I remember the first time I heard of Rambo.  My uncle had the box set at his house.  He was a fan of the Stallone movies from back in the 1980's.  Around 2007/2008, Walmart released them on DVD, and I picked them up to check out and watch in my dorm room.

The first time I saw Rambo 3, I was sitting at a house my dad and I rented in 2008.  I had the movie playing on my Lenovo laptop.  I still remember the militaristic-style music playing in the background.   It was not as serious or intense as the first 2 but still had its merits.  It was my favorite Rambo movie for a time.  I remember the scene where Trautman gets kidnapped and the Russian voice goes "Drop your weapons.  You cannot escape.  Drop your weapons!".  The fight at the beginning was pretty intense as well.  Subtle nods to Stallone's other masterpiece, the Rocky franchise.  There is also the scene where the Muslim guide tells Rambo "You go home, and you think about your decision.  You think long and hard." and Rambo responds, "I did."  I also loved the scene where Rambo cauterizes his own wound by using gunpowder and lighting it on fire.  Also, the final scene and "F*ck 'em" as Rambo stares down the entire Russian military based in the country and he prepares to take them on himself.

The story is set against the backdrop of the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan.  A great way for filmmakers to set stories against the Russians in a Middle Eastern setting.  I remember seeing similar elements in the 15th James Bond film, The Living Daylights from 1987.

I know it's a bit unusual to read the 3rd book in the series before reading the prior two, but I enjoyed the film version, and figured why not?

The book plays out a bit differently than the film.  Rambo takes a bit of an interest in religion in that he explores Buddhist themes, as well as understanding more of the Islamic religion from the rebels he teams with to get Col. Trautman back.  When Trautman finds him in Bangkok, he is a bit of a broken man.  While still physically strong and mentally capable, he is lost in life.  His experiences throughout this book help led him to greater enlightenment and a sense of a higher power and purpose.

Another element is that Col. Trautman is truly injured and relies fully on Rambo to save him.  We see a tremendous father-son connection that has been shown similarly in the other stories, but we see here just how far Rambo would go to save his fallen former officer and friend.

Here is what I learned:

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• “Spiritual combat is as brutal as the combat of men; but the vision of justice is the pleasure of God alone.” - Arthur Rimbaud, A Season in Hell

• Rambo studies Buddhism.

• He wear a mini Buddha that he retrieved from his female friend’s corpse in Vietnam.

• Life is pain.

• Rambo grew up on a Navajo Reservation in Arizona.

• Samuel Trautman is a Colonel in the United States Army, Special Forces.

• In the movie, Rambo fights for extra money.  In the book, he doesn’t realize he is paid to do so until they give him money.

• Rambo gave his winnings (equal to $200 USD) to a random Thai boy on the street.

• Robert Briggs works for the State Department’s Intelligence Services in Bangkok, Thailand.

• Rambo holds the following military honors:
• 2 Silver Stars
• 4 Bronze Stars
• 2 Soldiers Crosses
• 4 Vietnamese Crosses of Gallantry
• 12 Purple Hearts 
• 1 Congressional Medal of Honor

• Afghanistan was once called Yaghistan (land of the free).

• Major Azov is 40 years old.

• Andreyev is a young Russian solider.

• He comes from a town called Perm.

• Major Azov reads Gogol Plays.

• Rambo isn’t fond of Republicans.

• Col. Trautman is a Republican.

• Rambo and Trautman both have an A-Positive blood type.

• Rambo found this out when Trautman once gave him blood.

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Overall, the book is a decent read.  If you're into military operations or have an interest in media that is based on the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan, the book is a good read.

Recommended.

On to Book #56: "James Bond, The Spy Who Loved Me" by Christopher Wood.