Posted on 03/28/2006 5:25:33 PM PST by SandRat
3/28/2006 - HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. (AFPN) -- "I wanna be on something that shoots," said retired U.S. Marine Corps Gunnery Sgt. R. Lee Ermey.
That's exactly what the host of the History Channel's "'Mail Call" got when he and his crew spent two days at Hurlburt Field filming for an upcoming show.
Best known for movie roles such as the hard-as-nails basic training drill instructor in "Full Metal Jacket," "Gunny" Ermey attracted a crowd wherever he and the film crew went.
The Airmen of the 16th Special Operations Squadron got a kick out of having a bona fide movie star in their midst as he strapped in for a flight on an AC-130H gunship. During the visit he ate lunch with the troops, posed for photos and shook as many hands as were extended to him without turning down a single person.
"This is great having him here and it's a great morale boost for the troops," said Maj. Mike Arnold, 16th Special Operations Squadron.
"I've always had a lot of respect for the Air Force, but I have a much better understanding of the Spectre now and what goes on while it's in flight," said Gunny Ermey.
The gunny kicked off his visit here with an early morning jog to catch up with special tactics officer selection course candidates running the Monster Mash, a grueling exercise that tests physical and mental toughness. The STO selection, which drives candidates to the extreme of exhaustion, impressed him.
They dont call it 'Hell Week' for nothing," he said. The Army Rangers and the Green Berets may get all the glory but the Air Force special tactics gets it done!
Gunny Ermey began his day Tuesday by sneaking into the Middle Eastern Orientation Class at the USAF Special Operations School.
After sitting in on the class, the cadre of the Dynamics in Terrorism course escorted him to the range where they demonstrated vehicle search techniques and gave a briefing on weapons used by terrorists around the world.
The gunny was offered the opportunity to add two new weapons to his list of weapons fired, the Israeli Galil and the Styer-aug. He also prepared what he called 50 caliber fruit salad by disintegrating a watermelon with a Barrett rifle used by explosive ordnance disposal technicians to destroy unexploded ordnance on the battlefield.
"This is great stuff," he said. "Here at Hurlburt you can really see how the services are working together."
During the visit Monday and Tuesday, he told stories from his days in the Marine Corps.
"Back in my days, if you were on the ground with a rifle you couldn't always talk to the gunship that was right overhead. Now you can do that, he said.
"The Airmen here make such a sacrifice, being away from their families and friends and going into harms way to keep us safe, he said. We should all be grateful for the dedication of the air commandos.
(Capt. Elizabeth Paul, Air Force Special Operations Command public affairs, contributed to this article.)
Fond memories of Hurlburt and Eglin. Great places to train.
Air Force Para-Rescue people (PJ's for Para-Jumpers) are about as tough as they get.
Spectre is nothing to mess with.
Wow!! Neat! That was hubby's last duty station before retiring. We were there -- literaly, as we had on base housing -- six years. He was sr. NCO at HQ/SOC.
He got back on at Eglin and worked there until he retired around 1980. My Sister worked at Field 9 (Hurlburt now) until she went to college.
I used to love visiting Eglin and Hurlburt. There was always something interesting going on at both of them.
Ermey is a retired Staff Sergeant, only an honorary Gunny.
You took the words out of my mouth.
I will say also that he is a heck of Marine supporter as well as our other forces. Not to mention darn fun to watch him play with things that blow up and break!
I find it hard to believe he would not have ascended to the top of the enlisted ranks had he not been medically retired.
We can speculate until the cows come home about what might have been but the fact remains that while he plays a Gunny on TV in actuality he's a Staff Sergeant. By the way, he would have had to make a lateral move out of the wing to make it to Sergeant Major.
BTW, an honorary rank, degree etc. does entitle the person to use the term.
It would be less than honorable if he pretended it was earned but he doesn't.
Ah, yes - TACAIR
"Death on Call"
I prefer his role in "The Siege of Firebase Gloria". Maybe not as good a movie, but his role in it was more "real" as was the basic plot of the movie.
SIRYESSIR! (Creaking sound from every joint as BtD drops for 20. Wheezing. Sound of approaching paramedics...)
The photo didn't come through but the story came in load and clear. Whether in his Gunny persona or just as R. Lee he is still a true NCO taking care of the troops. Wishing your son a speedy recovery.
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