<P> In 1969, Forrest joined the Army Special Services, where he entertained wounded military veterans with his Ping Pong skills . His exceptional skills earned him a place in the All - American Ping Pong team, with whom he traveled to China during the Ping Pong Diplomacy period of the early 1970s . Upon his return, Forrest was a national celebrity, "famous - er even than Captain Kangaroo", and was invited to New York City by Dick Cavett to appear on The Dick Cavett Show, where John Lennon was also a guest at the time . Hearing Forrest talking about the Chinese having "no possessions" and "no religion" during his interview with Dick would eventually inspire John Lennon to write the song "Imagine". </P> <P> Soon after, Forrest reunites and stays with Lieutenant Dan, his platoon leader from Vietnam and now using a wheelchair, over the winter holidays . Dan has since became an alcoholic who has lost all faith in God, and was dismayed that such an "imbecile" like Forrest could earn the Medal of Honor and humiliate himself in front of the United States . During a New Year's Eve celebration in 1971, Forrest persuades Lieutenant Dan to join him in the shrimping business as his first mate, in an effort to fulfill his promise made to Bubba earlier in Vietnam . Dan later invites two prostitutes, Carla and Lenore, to his New Year's Day party, both of whom he eventually kicked out of his apartment for insulting Forrest when Forrest rejected their advances . Forrest apologizes to Dan for ruining his party, who replied by simply wishing Forrest Happy New Year . </P> <P> In June 1972, Forrest was invited with the US Ping Pong team to the White House, where he meets President Richard Nixon, who offers him a room to stay in at Watergate Hotel . That night, Forrest was awakened by a group of people with flashlights breaking into an unlit office . Mistaking it for a power outage, Forrest calls security guard Frank Wills to inform him about the break - in, inadvertently initiating the Watergate Scandal and leading to Richard Nixon's resignation in August 1974 . In that same year, Forrest was honorably discharged from the Army with the rank of Sergeant . </P> <P> Upon his return in August 1974, Forrest finds his Greenbow house filled with memorabilia capitalizing on his fame as a ping - pong player in China . At his mother's insistence, Forrest made $25,000 endorsing a brand of ping - pong paddles, and used most of the money to travel to Bubba's hometown of Bayou La Batre and purchase a boat . When someone pointed out it was bad luck to have a boat without a name, Forrest names his boat after Jenny, which he calls, "The most beautiful name in the whole wide world ." Unbeknownst to Forrest, Jenny had descended into a life of drugs and sexual promiscuity at this point, and even contemplated suicide over her choices . </P>

What was forrest gump's rank in the army