Mail Call's Motivation Man

Tsyroc · Post by **Tsyroc** » 2004-01-11 01:10pm

From this week's TV Guide.

R. Lee Ermey is on a show called Mail Call on The History Channel. R. Lee Ermey picture and article

TVGuide: What kind of inaccurcies in military films make you groan?

Ermey: Haircuts. Young actors hate to cut their damn hair because they wanna look cool, and if they don't have any hair, they think they don't look cool. Myself, I buss it right on down to the bone. I think hair's a waste of time

Damn straight.

I don't cut my hair that short (3/8ths to 1/4 inch depending on the weather) but I do find it annoying that what I do cut grows back so quickly.

Nathan F · Post by **Nathan F** » 2004-01-11 01:16pm

If you saw my hair, you'd think it was military cut. I get it nearly buzzed around the sides, and cut really short up top. It's getting too long as it is now...time for a haircut!

Trytostaydead · Post by **Trytostaydead** » 2004-01-11 01:32pm

So to you military people out there, do drill instructors really leave such a lasting impression upon you?

Tsyroc · Post by **Tsyroc** » 2004-01-11 01:54pm

Apparently not since I was having trouble remembering the name of one of mine. I haven't been in boot since July of 1988 but Ermey still remembers his after a much longer time. Maybe it's the difference between Navy and Marine Corps boot or it could just be that he ran into them more because he stayed in longer than I did and became a DI himself.

Chardok · Post by **Chardok** » 2004-01-11 04:31pm

Yes. My Drill sergeants are indellibly burned into my memory...unfortunately...

jegs2 · Post by **jegs2** » 2004-01-11 04:45pm

Trytostaydead wrote:So to you military people out there, do drill instructors really leave such a lasting impression upon you?

The names of my two drill sergeants in the summer of 1987 were SSG Godwin and SSG Mabini. The first was a large, imposing black man who wasn't really all that tough-talking (he didn't have to be), while SSG Mabini was a skinny Hawaiian with an attitude. I doubt I'll ever forget them...

DPDarkPrimus · Post by **DPDarkPrimus** » 2004-01-11 04:57pm

Luckily, the only influential sergeants in my life are Emery and Apone.

CmdrWilkens · Post by **CmdrWilkens** » 2004-01-11 05:31pm

Senior Drill Instructor Staff Sargeant Gray
Drill Instructor Staff Sargeant Weeks
Drill Instructor Staff Sargeant Tolley
Drill Instructor Sargeant Haney

Nope, can't say I remember a thing 'bout them

Melkor · Post by **Melkor** » 2004-01-11 06:26pm

Not to get to off topic, but has anyone else seen Ermey as a marine DI in Space:AAB. He was freaking mean and hilarious at the same time.

StarshipTitanic · Post by **StarshipTitanic** » 2004-01-11 06:58pm

Melkor wrote:Not to get to off topic, but has anyone else seen Ermey as a marine DI in Space:AAB. He was freaking mean and hilarious at the same time.

The pancake guy?

Alyeska · Post by **Alyeska** » 2004-01-11 07:56pm

Long hair is a nuicance. When I get my haircut, it would be acceptable by most parts of the US military. However since I only get it cut every 6-8 weeks I get a little fuzzy by the end.

SylasGaunt · Post by **SylasGaunt** » 2004-01-11 11:15pm

Oddly enough I got a haircut today along with getting to watch seven straight hours of mail call on the history channel (then two specials on secret airplanes of WW2 followed by another episode of MC)

TrailerParkJawa · Post by **TrailerParkJawa** » 2004-01-12 01:18am

I have to agree that it really bothers me when actors won't cut their hair short for a movie. What fucking arrogance. Don't take the part assholes.

I get my hair cut pretty short on the sides, always ask for a #1, but the top varies. I try to get my hair cut every 2-3 weeks money permitting. Right now, Im running about every 4.

Knife · Post by **Knife** » 2004-01-12 01:24am

Trytostaydead wrote:So to you military people out there, do drill instructors really leave such a lasting impression upon you?

Sir, recruit Knife remembers the Senior Drill Instructor as well as the recruits other two Drill Instuctors that the recruit had over twelve years ago, sir.

Sgt Batista (yup, thats right, my senior DI was an E5)
Sgt Phillips
Sgt Hentle

I remember their specific tones and voices, I remember what set each of them off, and I remember each ones favorite types of thrashing. One was a recon Marine, one was straight leg infantry, and the other was artillery.

Ender · Post by **Ender** » 2004-01-12 01:37am

Damn straight I remember them. Those guys never cut us any slack, but they went to the mat for us everytime someone was gunning for a single one of us. If only I saw that more often outside Boot

Death from the Sea · Post by **Death from the Sea** » 2004-01-12 02:23am

Knife wrote:
Trytostaydead wrote:So to you military people out there, do drill instructors really leave such a lasting impression upon you?
Sir, recruit Knife remembers the Senior Drill Instructor as well as the recruits other two Drill Instuctors that the recruit had over twelve years ago, sir.

Sgt Batista (yup, thats right, my senior DI was an E5)
Sgt Phillips
Sgt Hentle

I remember their specific tones and voices, I remember what set each of them off, and I remember each ones favorite types of thrashing. One was a recon Marine, one was straight leg infantry, and the other was artillery.

the name Batista makes him sound like a huge monster of a man, I guess that comes from the WWE wrestler image I get when I think of that name.

Senior DI - GySgt Capers (was promoted to Gunny the week before I graduated from boot and he also became the series gunny)
SSgt Carrington - this man was the shortest DI I ever saw but he could put you in a serious hurtlocker and he wasn't even the heavy
SSgt Cruz - he was fresh out of DI school and yelled alot for no reason, trying to be intimidating but he tried too hard and he became comical to me and the rest of the recruits and it pissed him off.
Sgt Renolds - the Heavy, nuff' said.

Enforcer Talen · Post by **Enforcer Talen** » 2004-01-12 02:29am

SDI SSGT Hammock
DI SSGT Reich
DI SSGT Goumelle

and, briefly

DI SGT Hall
DI SGT ---

Knife · Post by **Knife** » 2004-01-12 02:31am

the name Batista makes him sound like a huge monster of a man, I guess that comes from the WWE wrestler image I get when I think of that name.

He was actualy a pretty fucking fit medium built man with a BAD disposision.

Senior DI - GySgt Capers (was promoted to Gunny the week before I graduated from boot and he also became the series gunny)

What year was this?

Tsyroc · Post by **Tsyroc** » 2004-01-12 07:09am

Okay, okay I do remember my DIs.

RCC Steffy (Chief Radioman)

and the guy I was being uncertain about because his name is pretty comon.

BT1 Johnson (Boiler Technician 1st class). Other than his name he's actually the one I remember the best because he's was the loud one who got pissed often and quickly. I probably did more pushups for him than Chief Steffy but I know that I did them for each of them at some time or another.

Petty Officer Johnson got me for saying "yeah" and Chief Steffy got me for mishandling my rifle when we were doing formation exercises.

Petty Officer Johnson cycled the whole company many times whenever and wherever possible, including after getting our typhoid shots which was supposedly against the rules.

Now the fun part about being on a big slab of asphalt in the middle of summer in Orlando, Florida is that after awhile the DI's decided that it was more "atention getting" to just be in the pushup position barehanded on the asphalt than it was to actually do pushups. Normally when in formation and having to do pushup you'd do them with both hands on top of your rifle and push from on top of it.

I ran into Chief Steffy a few months after boot at a McDonalds. He was just smiling and shaking his head at me and a couple of other guys from our company.

Melkor · Post by **Melkor** » 2004-01-14 12:32am

StarshipTitanic wrote:
Melkor wrote:Not to get to off topic, but has anyone else seen Ermey as a marine DI in Space:AAB. He was freaking mean and hilarious at the same time.
The pancake guy?

Nope he was in the pilot. There was this little bit where the wildcards are only recruits and as soon as they get off the bus he gives them a little "Q&A" session.