R Lee Ermey Dead At 74

[Rev. Rye]

Unless you've been through boot camp you may not realize that it's one long test. If you can't fold your underwear according to the specs why would they give you a tank? How you handle stress is a big part of it. That's where the DI comes in. Ermey exaggerated the role but not by a huge amount.

Ermey was one in real life. Apparently, the drill sergeant in the original novel The Short-Timers was even more sadistic than in the film, and Ermey convinced Kubrick to tone it down. Apparently, in real life, if he acted like he did in the novel, he’d completely lose respect from his recruits. This is one of those cases (like Karl Malden’s priest in On The Waterfront) where it might seem like a big exaggeration, but, in reality, it’s not.