Biography for
Lt. Dan Taylor (Character)
from

Lieutenant Dan Taylor was born into a family with a proud military tradition: someone in his family died in every American war.

He was sent to Vietnam during the Vietnam war and assigned to fourth platoon. While serving in Vietnam, he was paranoid of snipers and surprise attacks by the Vietcong. His platoon encountered an ambush and Lt. Dan Taylor called for a Napalm drop.

However, during the skirmish he was hit in the legs, and was certain it was his time to fulfill his destiny of dying in that war. However, Forrest Gump came to his aid and carried him to safety before he was killed by either his injuries or the Napalm drop, despite Lt. Dan Taylor's objections. He was sent to a field hospital and his legs were amputated. Forrest Gump is brought to the same hospital and Lt. Dan Taylor confronts Forrest about saving him and how he must live as a double amputee.

He was eventually discharged due to his new handicap and ended up in New York City. He spends time in New York, presumably living off of disability or government programs for injured veterans. He meets with Forrest again, and although has yet to come to terms with Forrest saving his life, he treats Forrest like a friend and spends New Year's with him, even sticking up for him. While drinking in a bar on New Year's Eve, he promises Forrest to be his first mate if he ever becomes the captain of a shrimping boat.

He is made to eat his alcohol-induced words when Forrest Gump buys a shrimping boat and does indeed become the captain of it. He serves as the first mate of the Jenny shrimping boat, where he guides Forrest to where he thinks they will catch shrimp. Lt. Dan Taylor and Forrest are out fishing when Hurricane Carmen goes through the Gulf of Mexico, destroying the entire fleet of shrimping boats in Bayou La Batre, all except for the Jenny. As a result, Forest Gump's shrimping business, Bubba Gump Shrimp, takes off due to an increased amount of shrimp caught and a virtual monopoly on the shrimping market.

Lt. Dan Taylor eventually comes to terms with his survival and disfigurement in Vietnam and forgives Forest for saving him and makes his peace with God. He goes on to invest the already high profits of the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company into a new computer company, Apple Computers, making Forrest Gump and himself very wealthy. With this new wealth, Lt Dan Taylor is able to afford custom made titanium alloy prosthetic legs giving him the ability to walk again, although there are some limitations to them as he cannot sit in a folding chair. He meets and marries Susan, his Korean wife. The chronological order of his surgery and meeting Susan are unknown.