1
00:00:10,767 --> 00:00:13,235
When we started out, it was...

2
00:00:13,327 --> 00:00:19,596
I don't really know how
the initial relationship was established,

3
00:00:19,687 --> 00:00:23,157
because I came on
as a hired hand at the beginning,

4
00:00:23,247 --> 00:00:27,365
but I think the idea was to make sure
whatever we did in a military setting,

5
00:00:27,447 --> 00:00:32,521
with a military venue, that we had
as much credibility as possible.

6
00:00:32,607 --> 00:00:37,158
We approached them,
essentially to initiate a relationship.

7
00:00:37,247 --> 00:00:40,364
They jumped at the opportunity.
We ate it up.

8
00:00:40,447 --> 00:00:45,237
What it's done in the long run
is exactly what it set out to do -

9
00:00:45,327 --> 00:00:48,842
we can consult with them,
make sure we're doing things right.

10
00:00:48,927 --> 00:00:52,715
And, ultimately,
as respectfully as possible.

11
00:00:52,807 --> 00:00:56,925
In my conversations with our liaison,

12
00:00:57,007 --> 00:00:59,885
and subsequently
I have experienced firsthand,

13
00:00:59,967 --> 00:01:04,563
a fair amount of respect from the air force
itself in how we were portraying it.

14
00:01:04,647 --> 00:01:09,118
We took what they advised
and assimilated it into our product,

15
00:01:09,207 --> 00:01:13,439
and we've got nothing but compliments
from the air force itself-

16
00:01:13,527 --> 00:01:16,280
from every cadet
right on up to every four star.

17
00:01:16,367 --> 00:01:20,280
How it looked,
how it represented the air force.

18
00:01:20,367 --> 00:01:24,326
Ultimately,
how it lightened certain perceptions,

19
00:01:24,407 --> 00:01:27,558
certainly in my portrayal of a colonel,
and now a general.

20
00:01:27,647 --> 00:01:31,276
It was a matter of choices,
and asking MGM to trust me

21
00:01:31,367 --> 00:01:34,200
in my instincts about the character.

22
00:01:34,287 --> 00:01:36,960
There is no way I could
do what Kurt Russell did -

23
00:01:37,047 --> 00:01:39,163
if you all remember the movie.

24
00:01:39,247 --> 00:01:42,523
Life's too short
to be that stoic and serious

25
00:01:42,607 --> 00:01:44,882
throughout the course of a series.

26
00:01:44,967 --> 00:01:48,596
Not only that,
I cannot make my hair do what his does.

27
00:01:48,687 --> 00:01:54,125
Because I had a certain idea
that was fairly loosely structured,

28
00:01:54,207 --> 00:01:59,486
it was important
that I get some validation

29
00:01:59,567 --> 00:02:03,446
for how I was gonna portray
a military officer.

30
00:02:03,967 --> 00:02:09,519
So I got a nice little pat on the back
from a couple of the four-star generals,

31
00:02:09,607 --> 00:02:12,997
chiefs of staff,
General Ryan and General Jumper.

32
00:02:14,567 --> 00:02:16,523
- Come in.
- General.

33
00:02:16,607 --> 00:02:21,044
I'd like to talk to you about this mission
upon which we're about to embark.

34
00:02:21,127 --> 00:02:25,200
Seems a bit ridiculous, doesn't it?

35
00:02:25,287 --> 00:02:27,721
Have you met General Ryan?

36
00:02:28,607 --> 00:02:30,837
Hello, Colonel.

37
00:02:30,927 --> 00:02:33,487
The General Ryan? Chief of Staff?

38
00:02:33,567 --> 00:02:35,637
That's right.

39
00:02:37,887 --> 00:02:40,640
Shouldn't there have been a memo
or something?

40
00:02:40,727 --> 00:02:45,357
(Richard) The scene we had together
was essentially me coming in

41
00:02:45,447 --> 00:02:48,803
and kind of complaining
about some aspect of some operation.

42
00:02:48,887 --> 00:02:51,606
But the real deal was in the office.

43
00:02:51,687 --> 00:02:55,316
During the scene, of course,
I make a fool of myself as O'Neill.

44
00:02:55,407 --> 00:03:00,481
Between takes of the scene,
I just had to ask the real guy

45
00:03:00,567 --> 00:03:06,836
if my portrayal of Colonel O'Neill
was remotely credible.

46
00:03:06,927 --> 00:03:09,839
- And I cornered, uh...
- (man) General Ryan.

47
00:03:09,927 --> 00:03:12,316
- Yeah. Ryan.
- (audience laughs)

48
00:03:12,407 --> 00:03:17,401
...and asked him he had colonels
that actually behaved in the way I did.

49
00:03:17,487 --> 00:03:20,797
How was my portrayal going?
Was he, you know...

50
00:03:20,887 --> 00:03:24,562
Was it a little shaky?
Was I being disrespectful?

51
00:03:24,647 --> 00:03:29,163
And he stopped me in mid-sentence,
and just said, "Son..."

52
00:03:29,247 --> 00:03:31,442
(audience laughs)

53
00:03:32,607 --> 00:03:37,078
Which I thought
was rather condescending.

54
00:03:37,167 --> 00:03:41,922
He said, "Yes,
we've got colonels like you, and worse."

55
00:03:42,007 --> 00:03:44,202
(audience laughs)

56
00:03:47,047 --> 00:03:54,522
In fact, both generals that I worked
with on Stargate said the same thing.

57
00:03:55,047 --> 00:04:00,280
"You're doing what we all want to do,
but really can't."

58
00:04:03,047 --> 00:04:06,562
Got your hands full
with that one, hey, George?

59
00:04:11,727 --> 00:04:18,678
I was invited by the air force to come
to Washington DC and receive an award

60
00:04:18,767 --> 00:04:26,879
for my representation and my portrayal,
and ultimately, the show's contributions.

61
00:04:26,967 --> 00:04:34,203
They said enlistment was up because
of the show. I found that hard to believe.

62
00:04:34,287 --> 00:04:39,884
The award ceremony that evening was
the culmination of the week's activities.

63
00:04:39,967 --> 00:04:44,563
Black-tie event. The only black-tie event
that the air force has all year long,

64
00:04:44,647 --> 00:04:48,879
in this grand ballroom of the hotel.

65
00:04:48,967 --> 00:04:55,315
It was to present and recognise
the real heroes.

66
00:04:55,407 --> 00:05:00,879
I mean, guys that have been through wars
or made contributions technologically.

67
00:05:00,967 --> 00:05:04,357
Thank God
they had things in perspective enough

68
00:05:04,447 --> 00:05:07,041
to present my award before dinner.

69
00:05:07,127 --> 00:05:10,597
Because after dinner
the real guys got their awards.

70
00:05:10,687 --> 00:05:14,077
In the middle of the dinner,
there was a fire alarm.

71
00:05:14,167 --> 00:05:18,718
Mind you, this is a black-tie event,
so we all exited

72
00:05:18,807 --> 00:05:22,117
in the hot, muggy night in Washington.

73
00:05:22,207 --> 00:05:26,723
That alone was quite a sight to see.

74
00:05:26,807 --> 00:05:29,958
All the ribbons and bows.
Photo ops aplenty.

75
00:05:30,047 --> 00:05:32,959
That was great. That part was really fun.

76
00:05:33,047 --> 00:05:36,881
What you don't see, and what doesn't
come through on the television,

77
00:05:36,967 --> 00:05:43,600
is the humanity of these actors and
actresses that appear on the programme.

78
00:05:43,687 --> 00:05:47,157
And we have here
in the form of Richard Dean Anderson,

79
00:05:47,247 --> 00:05:51,160
MacGyver, Colonel Jack O'Neill,

80
00:05:51,247 --> 00:05:55,081
is a truly fantastic American,

81
00:05:55,167 --> 00:06:00,082
who cares deeply about our country,

82
00:06:00,167 --> 00:06:04,399
our people in uniform,
and our United States air force.

83
00:06:04,487 --> 00:06:06,682
(audience applauds)

84
00:06:08,607 --> 00:06:15,126
(Richard) I got an eagle, and then
a medallion from General Jumper,

85
00:06:15,207 --> 00:06:18,916
showing their appreciation
for my contributions,

86
00:06:19,007 --> 00:06:21,077
and the show's contributions.

87
00:06:21,167 --> 00:06:26,241
And then, as an added bonus, General
Jumper presented me with general stars.

88
00:06:26,327 --> 00:06:29,319
I became an honorary brigadier general.

89
00:06:29,407 --> 00:06:31,557
If you were watching closely,

90
00:06:31,647 --> 00:06:37,279
Richard has been, actually,
the beneficiary of a recent promotion,

91
00:06:37,367 --> 00:06:42,361
which I think is quite appropriate for a guy
who saves the planet every week.

92
00:06:42,447 --> 00:06:43,880
(audience laughs)

93
00:06:43,967 --> 00:06:49,041
Absolutely. So what we have for you
is a set of stars, Richard.

94
00:06:49,127 --> 00:06:54,884
You are an honorary brigadier general
of the United States air force.

95
00:06:58,967 --> 00:07:03,404
I knew I had been humbled in my tracks.
I knew I'd been paid a great compliment,

96
00:07:03,487 --> 00:07:05,921
and I was never so honoured in my life.

97
00:07:06,007 --> 00:07:10,205
My father, who passed away
about a year and a half ago,

98
00:07:10,287 --> 00:07:13,199
I know -

99
00:07:13,287 --> 00:07:18,725
God bless him - how proud
he would have been of me that evening.

100
00:07:18,807 --> 00:07:21,367
It made it all really worth it.

101
00:07:21,927 --> 00:07:26,364
I got a tour of the Pentagon.
I'd never been there before.

102
00:07:26,447 --> 00:07:29,484
I'd been to Washington,
but I'd never really examined

103
00:07:29,567 --> 00:07:36,120
any part of Washington DC other than
the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

104
00:07:36,207 --> 00:07:40,325
But I went to the Pentagon and was given,
I guess, a fairly typical tour.

105
00:07:40,407 --> 00:07:43,479
I got in the golf cart.
There's 17 miles of hallways.

106
00:07:43,567 --> 00:07:48,960
A seaman drove us around.
He was a chatterbox of information.

107
00:07:49,047 --> 00:07:53,120
Shaved clean bald shiny head,
just all proper.

108
00:07:53,207 --> 00:07:56,597
I tried to loosen him up a little bit
by asking some questions

109
00:07:56,687 --> 00:07:58,678
that you don't normally ask.

110
00:07:58,767 --> 00:08:02,043
Things like,
"Why do you have to wear that collar?"

111
00:08:02,127 --> 00:08:04,800
"Are you happy with your uniform?"

112
00:08:04,887 --> 00:08:08,004
"Why is that owl on top of the kiosk?"

113
00:08:08,087 --> 00:08:11,875
But I was just dually impressed
by the venue itself.

114
00:08:11,967 --> 00:08:14,959
Just the bustle of activity.

115
00:08:15,047 --> 00:08:18,084
And then, upon reflection
and through our tour guide,

116
00:08:18,167 --> 00:08:22,240
really getting a perspective
on what transpires behind those doors.

117
00:08:22,327 --> 00:08:26,843
Hallowed as they may be,
it's serious stuff.

118
00:08:26,927 --> 00:08:33,116
I visited all the memorials, and all
the rooms of the Medal of Honor winners.

119
00:08:33,207 --> 00:08:38,281
Certainly the new chapel they have there,
where the 9/11 plane came through.

120
00:08:38,367 --> 00:08:41,677
It was an awesomely
humbling experience.

121
00:08:42,647 --> 00:08:47,641
I was ushered into the office
of General Tom Moseley.

122
00:08:47,727 --> 00:08:51,879
Or Buzz, as he likes to be called.

123
00:08:51,967 --> 00:08:54,959
Within a minute he came out,
and greeted me.

124
00:08:55,047 --> 00:09:00,565
Very boisterous. Heavy-handshake
kinda guy. Full of energy.

125
00:09:00,647 --> 00:09:06,119
He showed me his office. He's got
a collection of commemorative coins.

126
00:09:06,207 --> 00:09:12,680
Just footballs and memorabilia.
All kinds of pictures all over the place.

127
00:09:12,767 --> 00:09:15,918
And I love hearing war stories

128
00:09:16,007 --> 00:09:21,718
or life stories about the military,
in particular.

129
00:09:21,807 --> 00:09:25,356
I let him know that
so that was like opening up the gates.

130
00:09:25,447 --> 00:09:29,486
The tone in General Moseley's office
was such that...

131
00:09:29,567 --> 00:09:34,038
You know that they're very serious about
the business at hand and take care of it,

132
00:09:34,127 --> 00:09:39,406
but he was gracious enough,
or had things in perspective enough,

133
00:09:39,487 --> 00:09:46,598
to make sure that he brought me in
and met MacGyver.

134
00:09:51,327 --> 00:09:55,286
I had the opportunity
to go to Walter Reed hospital,

135
00:09:55,367 --> 00:10:00,521
and visit some of the troops that
had come back from Iraq - injured troops.

136
00:10:00,607 --> 00:10:04,885
There's nothing more humbling
than that experience.

137
00:10:04,967 --> 00:10:10,837
My being there, it was openly expressed,
was so appreciated

138
00:10:10,927 --> 00:10:14,556
that it makes you a little misty when you...
In retrospect.

139
00:10:14,647 --> 00:10:19,767
I talked to about 10 or 12 guys, spent
as much time as I possibly could there.

140
00:10:19,847 --> 00:10:22,645
Guys with no limbs, paralysed,

141
00:10:22,727 --> 00:10:25,605
unable to speak,
hoses coming out of their necks.

142
00:10:25,687 --> 00:10:30,158
I mean, just very embattled
human beings. They were all just...

143
00:10:30,247 --> 00:10:35,958
Regardless of the fact that I was in a show
that represented part of the armed forces,

144
00:10:36,047 --> 00:10:42,236
the fact that a human being from
the outside came in to spend some time...

145
00:10:42,327 --> 00:10:46,957
I don't know. It's one of those experiences
where it's virtually impossible

146
00:10:47,047 --> 00:10:51,598
to relate
what kind of an experience it becomes.

147
00:10:51,687 --> 00:10:56,397
To really be face to face, and in the same
room, and communicating with guys

148
00:10:56,487 --> 00:10:59,285
that have seen frontline action.

149
00:10:59,367 --> 00:11:03,758
But it was so appreciated
by every man and woman that I met.

150
00:11:03,847 --> 00:11:07,396
That's what made me feel the best
about that whole experience.

151
00:11:07,487 --> 00:11:13,357
Notwithstanding the great honour of
receiving the awards and the recognition,

152
00:11:13,447 --> 00:11:18,043
the visit to Walter Reed was the highlight.
I definitely want to go back.

153
00:11:18,127 --> 00:11:24,566
I have not been more honoured by any
experience in my business or in my life.

154
00:11:24,647 --> 00:11:32,725
Mrs Jumper had said, "The last person
to get this was Jimmy Stewart, in 1987."

155
00:11:32,807 --> 00:11:37,198
And you want to throw me in
with that crowd of one?

156
00:11:37,287 --> 00:11:40,040
Thank you so much. Thank you.

157
00:11:49,807 --> 00:11:52,719
The question about
the owl on top of the kiosk -

158
00:11:52,807 --> 00:11:57,005
when it was first built, they had pigeons
crapping all over this building.

159
00:11:57,087 --> 00:12:04,323
Apparently, the daughter of
one of the generals at the time, I believe,

160
00:12:04,407 --> 00:12:07,638
was a little nine-year-old kid who just said,

161
00:12:07,727 --> 00:12:13,563
"Daddy, aren't pigeons afraid of owls?"

162
00:12:13,647 --> 00:12:19,085
They all recognised that that was possibly
the solution, as it turned out to be.

163
00:12:19,167 --> 00:12:23,718
So after spending Lord knows
how many tax dollars to fix the problem,

164
00:12:23,807 --> 00:12:31,361
a little 16-dollar statuette saved the day.

165
00:12:31,447 --> 00:12:31,845
ENHOH