RIP R Lee Ermey. We’re Gonna Miss You, Gunny.

By Tom Knighton

R. Lee Ermey was a unique character in American film. When you needed someone to play a grizzled, in-your-face Marine drill instructor, Hollywood had just one stop to make. It was this character that really launched Ermey’s acting career and made him a part of my life.

Unfortunately for us, we are diminished today.

I’m not going to lie, I’m heartbroken.

You see, while I never got a chance to meet Ermey, his roll in Full Metal Jacket was a key part of my preparation to go to boot camp myself. While I was going Navy and not Marines, I knew that what Ermey portrayed would be worse than anything I would encounter.

So I watched his scenes each and every day until that became the reality I was sure to encounter. I was fully prepared to have R. Lee Ermey himself in my face, screaming at me, even punching me in the stomach if I smarted off (which I’ve been known to do since early childhood). Every moment of …Read the Rest

Source:: Bearing Arms