
And once in Vietnam, of his previous combat experience, he keeps claiming to be a hardened veteran to the other correspondents.
Miles Gloriosus: Joker often brags about his "killer instincts" (though most, if not all of that is probably meant to be deliberately ironic). Lockhart during briefings and wearing a peace button on his flak jacket. In general, Joker doesn't really care much for rank structure, often snarking at Lt. Mildly Military: Due to his position as a reporter, Joker falls outside Lusthog Squad's chain of command. She's already bleeding out and dying shooting her just ends her pain. Joker ends up giving one to the Vietnamese sniper at the end of the movie. Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Best seen during his interactions with Cowboy and Gomer Pyle. Not only has Joker seen combat, he defended his base from an NVA attack using an M60 Machine Gun just like Animal Mother carries. During their introduction to each other, Animal Mother questions if Joker has seen any combat. In the book, that peace sign gets him reassigned to Cowboy's squad as a rifleman, putting him even closer to the war. ("I think I was trying to suggest something about the duality of man, sir.") Joker puts a peace sign in his collar, while on his helmet is written "Born to Kill", which doesn't endear him to a field colonel. I Know Mortal Kombat: Joked about when he meets Animal Mother. In this case, Joker probably liked the name enough to possibly introduce himself to the other Marines at Stars and Stripes, making himself even more a Joker.
Which sticks with him after boot camp which usually doesn't happen since most nicknames are derogatory. He quoted John Wayne for a joke at basic training, which Hartman overheard Hartman gave him the Joker nickname for this and he ran with it. Deadpan Snarker: How he got his nickname.However, he's probably being sarcastic, since he's a military journalist, and when he has to perform a Mercy Kill, he finds it very hard. Blood Knight: Joker claims that he joined the Corps to be a killer.He works as a combat correspondent in Vietnam.