Sam Trautman

Sam Trautman
Rambo character
Richard Crenna as Sam Trautman in
Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985)
First appearanceFirst Blood (1982)
Last appearanceRambo III (1988)
Created byDavid Morrell
Portrayed byRichard Crenna
Voiced byAlan Oppenheimer
In-universe information
Full nameSamuel Richard Trautman
AliasCovey Leader (field names)
Occupation Colonel, United States Army
NationalityAmerican

Colonel Samuel Richard "Sam" Trautman is a fictional character in the Rambo novel and film series, and other media in the franchise. His first appearance was in David Morrell's novel First Blood. His character was expanded on in the film series where he was played by Richard Crenna.

The character has been variously described as a father figure to the main character,[1]: 224  and as a symbol for the military or the American government and its relationship with soldiers. In the original novel of First Blood, Trautman serves as an allegory for "Uncle Sam", i.e., the United States Government which created Rambo to serve their military needs.[2]: 188  In both First Blood and Rambo Trautman primarily exists as a background figure engaging in arguments with other figures who are pursuing or using Rambo for their own purposes, while in Rambo III, Trautman becomes a more central figure in the physical action of the film.

  1. ^ Brian James Baer, "Fathers, Sons, and Brothers: Redeeming Patriarchal Authority in The Brigade", in Helena Goscilo and Yana Hashamova, eds., Cinepaternity: Fathers and Sons in Soviet and Post-Soviet Film (2010), p. 238.
  2. ^ Rebecca A. Umland, Outlaw Heroes as Liminal Figures of Film and Television (2016).