rapid fire
Up Close
Behind the Role
War movies and their portrayals of service have been a Hollywood staple since the earliest days of cinema. Among the most memorable is Stanley Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket (Warner Bros., 1987), which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year.
For Gunnery Sgt. R. Lee Ermey, USMC (Ret), who brought striking realism to his portrayal of a drill instructor in the film, the role was no coincidence.
Kubrick originally hired Ermey, who had been a drill instructor for 25 months in the 1960s, as a technical advisor, but Ermey had other plans. “I accepted the job so I could get my foot in the door because I wanted to play Gunnery Sergeant Hartman,” he explains.
Since Kubrick already had hired an actor for the role, Ermey videotaped himself performing one of the movie’s most visceral scenes. Kubrick loved what he saw and gave Ermey the part, even allowing him to write his own dialogue.
Ermey has appeared in more than 60 motion pictures, including Apocalypse Now, The Boys in Company C, Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning, Saving Silverman, Toy Story, and, most recently, The Watch. He credits much of his success in Hollywood to skill sets honed in the Marine Corps.
“I learn my dialogue so severely,” he says, “that I could do the first scene from Full Metal Jacket right now, word-for-word. I’m all about preparation.”
When not working, Ermey spends much of his time volunteering. He serves as the celebrity spokesperson for the Young Marines of the Marine Corps League.
“You’d be surprised what a little leadership and guidance can do for these kids,” he says. “I give them as much time as I possibly can.”
— Don Vaughan
Miscellany: MOAA Connect
*CONNECT, CREATE, COLLABORATE. Coming soon, MOAA members will be able to interact with each other in a special online military community. There you can join interest groups and find local chapters, start a discussion, or access expert information. Keep an eye out for more information about MOAA Connect.
*ATTENTION, WRITERS. The Military Writers Society of America helps historians and veterans and their families record history and the complexities of military life — and encourages writing and other creative endeavors as therapy. To network with other writers, find out about conferences, or apply for one of the society’s writing awards, visit
www.mwsadispatches.com.
An Ivy Welcome
After decades of a conspicuous military absence on many Ivy League university campuses, several schools now are reopening their doors to ROTC units.
Cadets at Yale University in Connecticut proudly took oaths of office in September, the first time this has happened since 1955.
“This was a historic event, and we are glad to be back,” says Col. Scott E. Manning, USAF, commander of Air Force ROTC Detachment 9 at Yale and an aerospace professor.
Harvard University in Massachusetts and Columbia University in New York also are welcoming back detachments, after many years of only providing military ties through nearby schools. Many have credited the change to more inclusive policies in the armed forces and a reinvigorated sense of public service.
*online: Learn more about the Young Marines of the Marine Corps League at
www.youngmarines.com.
DECEMBER 2012 MILITARY OFFICER 25
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