and broken veteran. "Napalm Sticks to Kids" was employed at the USNA from the early 1970s until the late 1980s when efforts were made to prohibit its singing. During pre-production of the 1982 film An Officer and a Gentleman, the screenplay was sent to the US Navy for approval in the hopes that the military would support production of the film. The Navy refused, citing as inaccurate: the film's vulgarity, offensive language, and amorality—including saying that "Napalm Sticks to Kids" was no longer used by the early 1980s. Writer and producer Douglas Day Stewart knew otherwise; not only was he a former Naval officer, but during his research, an active Naval-officer trainer dictated "Napalm Sticks to Kids" to Stewart. In response to the Navy's claims, Stewart traveled to Naval Air Station Pensacola and interviewed a group of officer candidates who all confirmed that the cadence was still in widespread use. An Officer and a Gentleman did not modify the script to suit the Navy, and so without their support, the film features aviation candidates chanting the running song. References Further reading 1972 songs American songs military music military traditions songs about children songs about death songs of the Vietnam War