As a current active-duty Army Soldier, I can honestly say that watching the pilot episode almost put me in a coma. My wife warned me that there would be MANY "mistakes" and that there was a contest to spot them all in the pilot show. I gave up after counting 40 of them in the first 10 minutes and just settled for trying to understand the characters themselves (it was really, really difficult, though... those discrepancies were VERY distracting!). After the pilot episode, though, it seemed like the producers started to get things at least a LITTLE closer to right, even if there were still some glaringly bad mistakes. Maybe it's because I suffer from a touch of masochism within, but I kept watching each new episode in the hope that things would improve- and they have, albeit marginally.
At this point, I've come to accept the fact that this whole series is probably just set in a completely different universe. That's the only way I can allow myself to enjoy it at all... and, surprisingly, that works for me. So far.
I agree that getting a squared-away, long-time veteran Soldier would go a long way towards making the show more appealing/accurate. I liked the fact that some of the actors went through a mini-Basic course, but I think it's the WRITERS who would benefit most from such an experience. This show has a lot of potential and could become a fantastic Go-To for military comedy, but it needs a serious overhaul in order for that to happen. Not an overhaul of the story, mind you, but an overhaul of purpose. Some characters ought to be dropped entirely and some ought to be fleshed out more. The one thing that bugs me MOST about character interactions is the total lack of discipline:
1) Every time I see the Rear D platoon in formation I simply want to scream.
2) Just about the ONLY time I see anyone going to Parade Rest is when there's a scene in the CSM's (Command Sergeant Major) office. Side note: why is that character a CSM? I could totally get it if he was a First Sergeant, but CSM? Really? I mean, REALLY? The actor who plays the role is former military, for cryin' out loud- he should've been strangling the producers from day one of filming for this kind of stuff!
3) When a CSM comes into an area of operations a Soldier should shout out "AT EASE!" and everyone within earshot should go to Parade Rest until the CSM tells them to relax or says, "As you were."
Those kinds of things are ingrained in Soldiers during Basic Combat Training. If there was some sort of backstory to explain WHY all of these boneheaded Soldiers managed to graduate from Basic, I MIGHT be able to accept their presence in the show... but right now I'm wondering why the majority of them haven't been Chaptered out of the service yet.
I WANT to enjoy the show more. I truly and honestly do. I even like some of the characters. If they'd simply fix the more glaring issues with how Soldiers behave, I'd be able to.