10th's exploits inspire 'Jericho' writers

The real-life role of Fort Drum's 10th Mountain Division has not gone unnoticed by writers of the CBS TV drama "Jericho."

The series, about what happens in the aftermath of a nuclear attack on the United States, prominently depicts 10th Division troops. The move, while not sanctioned by the Department of Defense (more on that later), was deliberate, according to Steve Scaia, one of the writers on "Jericho."

In the show's second season, reconstruction efforts to restore the town's power and communication have begun.

"We have great respect for the military on our show and strive to use it as realistically as possible," Scaia wrote in an e-mail to the Daily News.

"To make the 'Occupation of America' believable, we looked to the units doing similar work in Iraq and Afghanistan, figuring that those would be the first to be 're-deployed' to the United States in the wake of the disaster we created."

"Jericho" writers apparently did their homework in choosing the 10th Division over more familiar units such as the 1st Infantry (the Big Red One) or 82nd Airborne.

Scaia noted 10th Division roles in the reconstruction and security of western Baghdad, particularly during Iraq's 2004 elections, and similar roles in Haiti and Bosnia. He also pointed to the division's relief efforts after Hurricane Andrew struck South Florida in August 1992.

"Clearly, they're good at what they do," Scaia wrote.

The real-world 10th Mountain Division — one of the most storied units in Army history — has been in a nearly continuous deployment mode since the war on terror began in 2001.

At the same time, it seems that when Hollywood creates a disaster the 10th Division gets called out, too. The division has been portrayed in at least five fictional film and television projects since 2001, including "War of the Worlds," "The Day After Tomorrow" and the Jack Ryan thriller "The Sum of All Fears." In projects sanctioned by the Department of Defense actual 10th Division troops have often played roles.

In several instances, the 10th Division's home base outside Watertown put the unit in close proximity to filming locations in Montreal, Quebec, prompting the DOD to call on 10th Division soldiers to represent American troops.

DOD offers support when officials believe projects use soldiers in realistic scenarios and missions while also portraying the military in a positive light.

"Jericho," which features a United States with two governments claiming the right to run the country, does not receive assistance from DOD.

Viewers might notice that patches on the soldiers' sleeves in "Jericho" are different from actual 10th Division patches. While they include "Mountain" and crossed sabers, the color scheme is reversed from the division logo. Without DOD help, the series is unable to secure use of the actual logo or patch.

"So, we leaned into it by using a modified version," Scaia wrote. "We justified it to ourselves by thinking that because the Army is fractured between East and West ... this version of the 10th Mountain Division has adjusted their patch to distinguish themselves."

Scaia acknowledged the potential for controversy. "It will likely spark a lot of debate as to whether the men and women of the 10th would fight with (the) new division patch on their arm, not to mention under a completely different flag," he wrote. "But it's all deliberate, and plays heavily into future episodes of the show."

So, then, what conclusion should viewers draw? "Specifically, that the 10th's role is just as much about reconstruction and re-establishing of infrastructure as it is warfare. They hold the ground as well as they take it," he wrote.

Documentarian Abbie Kealy, who told the historic story of the 10th Division in "The Last Ridge," said that by making the 10th an army of occupation the writers of "Jericho" have tapped into a division characteristic of "intelligent reconstruction that goes back to their days in wartime Italy."

"The 10th has always shown a lot of heart dealing with displaced and even destroyed civilian infrastructure," said Kealy, whose uncle was a World War II-era member of the 10th Division. "My observation of the current 10th is they value these ideals of early 10th and are eager to take that legacy from here."