The political and social issues that divided America in the 1960s rippled through the armed services as well. The Vietnam War required a draft that forced many men to fight in a war they did not support. Racial conflicts between blacks and whites, lifestyle conflicts between draftees and "lifers," the easy availability of marijuana and heroin, and mounting questions about the validity of the war itself brought morale in many units to a low ebb.

The Actors’ Group takes a look at that not-so-long-ago era with playwright John Patrick Shanley’s military drama, "Defiance." The story takes place on a Marine base in 1971, but the core issues are timeless.

Lt. Col. Morgan Littlefield (Tim Jeffryes) wants to reduce the racial conflicts and rampant drug use in his command but isn’t sure how to do it, so he calls a young African-American officer, Capt. Lee King (Greg Hunt), in for a conference. King is so disenchanted with his country that he isn’t interested in doing any more than is required of him. He definitely does not want to be a racial "first" of any kind or to be designated the base spokes­man for all black Marines.

Both officers ruffle the feathers of a slovenly chaplain whose cheerful self-righteousness borders on malevolence.

Hunt is a commanding presence and has some of the best dialogue in a well-written show. But no words are needed for him to convey the wide range of emotions King is experiencing as he deals with the demands and expectations of Littlefield and the chaplain.

Jeffryes brings Littlefield into focus as a complex, multifaceted man, a decorated combat veteran who feels that his career is incomplete. One more accomplishment might fill that void — and ensure him a final promotion in rank.

Littlefield is a man of action in the line of duty, but when he is with his wife, Margaret, his commander’s self-confidence dissipates.

Margaret, played by Rebecca Lea McCarthy with equal parts sharp tongue and maternal world-weariness, is done with being an officer’s wife. She would rather her husband retire, and looks forward to an idyllic post-military life.

Brian Gibson (Chaplain White) has a remarkable resemblance to Tim Conway in character as Ensign Parker in "McHale’s Navy," but the chaplain is no bumbling junior officer. Gibson gradually reveals glimpses of the predator lurking behind the big belly and wide smile.

"Defiance" turns out to be about much more than race. Many of the issues it addresses could just as easily come up in a corporate or academic setting today.