Colonel Samuel Richard 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, 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. 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 pur