Hollywood’s go-to military adviser

“I believe sincerely and firmly that the basic warrior spirit is essentially the same. A soldier will act the same way if he’s part of a 256-man Macedonian phalanx as he will if he’s a guy carrying an M4 in Fallujah,” Dye observes. “The mentality, the heart, the emotions are the same. I found that if I kept that in mind and meticulously did my research, then I would be ready to train any outfit, any period, any service, and it’s proved to be true.”

Dye’s Warrior Inc. has helped produce more than 50 movies and TV shows, including Courage Under Fire, Starship Troopers, Casualties of War, Saving Private Ryan, and Band of Brothers.

“The boot camp was a very important part of the success of Band of Brothers. If you’re going to play the part right, you need to know what it feels like,” says actor Ron Livingston, who was nominated for a Golden Globe for his role in the miniseries.

Dye’s boot camp taught Livingston how to deal with stress, chaos and the mind games of war. He also benefited from technical instruction such as weapons training, how to handle military gear and other squad-based tactics.

“It’s got to become second nature. And that allows you to have a whole layer to think about whatever else you need to think about in the scene,” Livingston says.

During his trainings, Dye says, he breaks actors down and builds them back up. As a result, he hopes that audiences better understand, appreciate and empathize with what real-life soldiers go through. “If we don’t adhere to that accuracy, then their story either gets shabbily told, only partially told or never told. And that’s a disservice I will not allow.”

This is the ninth episode from AARP Studios’ new documentary series Reporting for Duty. Each month you can expect a new inspirational story about veterans and military families at YouTube.com/aarp.​​