Anyone else think of "Full Metal Jacket" during Hawk's talk?

[_Darth J]

You know, the thing about boot camp or basic training is that regardless of the enlisted person's MOS, the whole point is to give you the basic training (hence the name) on how to kill people in a war (I say that without the slightest disapprobation, by the way). So here's this future General Authority going to do the "every Marine is a rifleman" thing, and what is conscience bothering him about? Learning how to shoot an assault rifle to kill people? Learning to use hand grenades to kill people? Learning basic infantry tactics to kill people?

Nope. Swear words. I mean, sure, his sole function there is to be taught how to participate in state-sanctioned murder, but it's the bad language from his drill sergeant that is really bothering him.

P.S. When I refer to boot camp or basic training, I mean, respectively, the Marines or the Army. They train for different things in the Navy.

[_DrW]

A USMC Drill Instructor's mission is to tear new recruits down, both mentally and physically, and then rebuild them as "lean, mean fighting machines".

Most of the Marines I went through Boot Camp with came out of the experience with deep respect and appreciation for their Drill Instructors.

Drill instructors impart to their charges the basic skills required for survival in battle. In the main, they also care deeply about their recruits. My DIs (there were always at least two or more of them per group) kept copies of the Company photographs including the recruits in their units and would mark the faces of those killed in combat on the photos.

Not an easy thing to do, and a constant reminder to them not to give anybody a pass when it comes to learning and demonstrating basic skills.

[_DarkHelmet]

Having joined the Marine Corps during the height of the Viet Nam war and having witnessed and experienced much worse during Basic Training, I cannot imagine a Marine Corps Drill Instructor doing anything but mocking and berating someone with a Book of Mormon in their duffel bag.

Quite simply, it is their job - and they do it well.

This kid was certainly not the first to have had a Book of Mormon. There are prescribed processes and procedures for treatment of raw recruits. These do not include any deference whatsoever to the Book of Mormon.

Sorry, but I call BS on the story. I don't doubt that the DI found a Book of Mormon in a duffel bag. I am highly skeptical of the claim that it caused the young recruit who owned it be spared the required harassment.

(If that were the case, the rest of the recruits would probably be writing home and asking to be sent a copy for their personal protection.)

After watching the clip James Bond posted, it is hard for me to imagine that drill instructor's heart being softened by the site of a Book of Mormon. More likely he would have tossed it on the floor and pissed on it just to get a reaction from Brother Hawk.

[_Dr. Shades]

Yeah, that's pretty much how I remember Marine Corps boot camp... 'cept we had four drill instructors, not just one.

My platoon had three.

In any case, there were three drill instructors in Full Metal Jacket, too, but the junior drill instructors didn't have any lines. At the end of the opening scene you can see them in the background.

Having joined the Marine Corps during the height of the Viet Nam war and having witnessed and experienced much worse during Basic Training, I cannot imagine a Marine Corps Drill Instructor doing anything but mocking and berating someone with a Book of Mormon in their duffel bag. . . There are prescribed processes and procedures for treatment of raw recruits. These do not include any deference whatsoever to the Book of Mormon.

Agreed. At the absolute best, the drill instrutor would've been indifferent to it.

[_Rollo Tomasi]

I so wished he would have said "a jelly donut." Instead it was a Book of Mormon in his hand, and my mental image of R. Lee Ermey holding a jelly donut in his face was dashed.

The first half of "Full Metal Jacket" is among the greatest in cinematic history, in my opinion. That drill sergeant still scares me every time I see the movie. The far-reaching and tragic consequences of the sergeant's finding the jelly donut in "Pyle's" foot locker have made me never to want to eat another donut ever!

[_DrW]

I so wished he would have said "a jelly donut." Instead it was a Book of Mormon in his hand, and my mental image of R. Lee Ermey holding a jelly donut in his face was dashed.

The first half of "Full Metal Jacket" is among the greatest in cinematic history, in my opinion. That drill sergeant still scares me every time I see the movie. The far-reaching and tragic consequences of the sergeant's finding the jelly donut in "Pyle's" foot locker have made me never to want to eat another donut ever!

The treatment received by the recruits in the film clips is certainly condensed, but not exaggerated in the least. In the first few weeks, the harassment is constant and it wears you down. Nobody escapes it.

Singing during PT helped. The hymn that struck me was sung to the tune of "Camp Town Races" with the first few lines being:

You're coming home in a body bag doo dah doo dah
You're coming home in a body bag oh the doo dah day
Shot between the eyes
Shot between the thighs
You're coming home in a body bag
etc, etc.

The worst part of Boot Camp for me was seeing one of the Marines I really admired being carried out of his rack on a stretcher stiff as a board with his face covered, having died during the night of meningitis.

He was a big black guy from Chicago who was a natural leader. He had not been feeling well for a couple of days and the DI's finally sent him to sick call. (He had not asked to go).

The Corpsman apparently missed the diagnosis and the Marine died that night. He was the first of many who became ill (at least two of whom died) that winter at MCRD before they finally got things under control. There was no break in training because of this problem, however.

As I have mentioned before, my training company took a lot of casualties in Viet Nam, something north of 30%. Because I had volunteered instead of being drafted, I was one of very few who in my group (mostly from Chicago and Detroit) didn't end up with a grunt MOS.

[_DarkHelmet]

When I watched Bond's video link, there was a related video that I clicked on and had to share.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgFgEqm3o60

[_mledbetter]

As I have mentioned before, my training company took a lot of casualties in Viet Nam, something north of 30%. Because I had volunteered instead of being drafted, I was one of very few who in my group (mostly from Chicago and Detroit) didn't end up with a grunt MOS.

Thanks for your service, DrW. I'm humbled by the bravery of people such as yourself.

I'm not sure if this is true or not, because my dad talks a lot, but my father claimed that on his first day in the Marines, he mouthed off to one of his DI's in a threatening manner, and all three of them literally beat the holy crap out of him. Not sure if they do that, but I would believe it. Marines are like a family after all so if you threaten one of them you might as well be threatening all of them.

[_son of Ishmael]

Having joined the Marine Corps during the height of the Viet Nam war and having witnessed and experienced much worse during Basic Training, I cannot imagine a Marine Corps Drill Instructor doing anything but mocking and berating someone with a Book of Mormon in their duffel bag.

Quite simply, it is their job - and they do it well.

This kid was certainly not the first to have had a Book of Mormon. There are prescribed processes and procedures for treatment of raw recruits. These do not include any deference whatsoever to the Book of Mormon.

Sorry, but I call BS on the story. I don't doubt that the DI found a Book of Mormon in a duffel bag. I am highly skeptical of the claim that it caused the young recruit who owned it be spared the required harassment.

(If that were the case, the rest of the recruits would probably be writing home and asking to be sent a copy for their personal protection.)

After watching the clip James Bond posted, it is hard for me to imagine that drill instructor's heart being softened by the site of a Book of Mormon. More likely he would have tossed it on the floor and pissed on it just to get a reaction from Brother Hawk.

I wish I could pee on command like that

[_mledbetter]

I wish I could pee on command like that

You have to take a deep breath and speak encouraging words to your prostate as you get older. :-)