Private Pyle represents "Mcnamaras morons" basically they lowered the standard so much mentally deficient people were being drafted left and right, they had an insanely high casualty rate.
racism is a massive joke in the military. because we are all equally fucked and racism doesn't matter anymore but to take the edge off we all fully lean into it and embrace it including stereo types to bring down the tension of a deployment but since 2012 it's gotten much much softer
Yeah, it's a really tough call because there are so many candidates, but saying Snowball got fired because he was black is probably the dumbest comment in the reaction.
I went through basic in 2007 for the Army, and they would definitely put people in leadership positions to challenge/punish people. Being a leader in initial entry training sucks because it is just extra responsibility, and now you get screamed at when you fuck up, or any of your guys fucks up.
R Lee ermy wasn't supposed to act in the movie in a lead role as the drill instructor. He was originally meant to be a consultant since he's an actual marine drill instructor. But Kubrick find his talent great and have him to be drill instructor instead of that guy who was the helicopter gunner.
that how in the 60's man what the drill instuctor has to put as much stress on you as they can. so you will you will try and handle war. break down buils up steve usn ret.
They gotta talk to each other during the movie and voice their thoughts in order to make compelling content. Some information is going to missed. No need to be condescending.
@@yomamapwnz That’s not an illogical conclusion at all. Black Americans were proportionally more likely to be drafted than white soldiers. Furthermore, they were also more likely to be assigned to combat units, with 23% of combat unit soldiers being black while making up 11% of the total force in Vietnam. At the beginning of the Vietnam War, black soldiers were more likely to be assigned to more dangerous assignments. In 1965, nearly a quarter of all casualties were black. The possibility that the soldier was made a scout because he was black and seen as more expendable than the white soldiers shouldn’t be ignored considering the historical context. To be fair, this led to sweeping reforms of the military and the black casualty rate fell to a much more proportional 12.7% in 1967, and such disproportions in casualties never arose again in the US armed forces. Regardless, I don’t think racism should be so rapidly dismissed. “Here you are all equally worthless” is great line and reflects a more progressive attitude that was starting to take hold in the military, but it was far from the truth.
I also met the Gunny. As a Marine, he treated me as an equal and as a Brother. He was nowhere near the typical hollywood movie star. With the fame and adulation he got from in and out of the Marine Corps, it would have been easy to be arrogant, but the Gunny was the exact opposite.
I had someone once ask me watching this movie why Animal-Mother was so racist to Eightball and the guy doesn't shoot him. The answer is because the two of them have seen so much shit fighting in that hell called Vietnam that they are brothers. Animal is the ONLY person who can talk that way to him and get away with it, and its mostly a way for the two of them to deal with the crap they're going through. Anyone else who tries to say that stuff to Eightball would probably end up on the ground bleeding out of several places. Notice when Eightball was being shot up by the sniper, Animal had absolutely no hesitation about running into danger to try and save him? You don't do that for someone you're actually prejudiced against.
Marines love to fuck with each other. Trigger a response, because sometimes....somedays, we'd just feel dead inside. And Fighting and helping/healing each other was the only way we could feel things. You have to understand, MOST enlisted Marines are basically well-disciplined Children between the ages of 17-27. That is the Optimal age range for most junior Marines.
During the Vietnam War, the Department of Defense created a program called "Project 100,000" which enlisted men who were below mental and medical standards to join the military. Pyle not knowing basic things like left/right is something that was common place among the recruits in "Project 100,000". Project men who failed Basic training, which was often, were sent to Special Training Units, only to endure increased physical and emotional harassment, and punishing physical demands. These soldiers were constantly cycled through and standards were lowered until they became "combat ready" and as a result, the combat loss rate for soldiers in this program were three times higher than those of regular soldiers. It's an understatement to say "Project 100,000" is one of the most disgusting things the DoD created in their long history of horrific programs.
These recruits were referred to as McNamara's Morons, he was Secretary of Defense at the time. McNamara made a lot blunders during his time, like doing away with the Navy's cracker jack uniform and it harder to store the new uniforms shirts ties and suit coats.
It seems were gonna maybe need to have this kind of program to happen again if WW3 happens with how much of the population is ineligible to join the military due to mental issues and what not
@@raymonddevera2796 I didn't want to use that term in my OP because it's extremely derogatory and it may have been censored by the RU-vid algorithm. Thank you for elaborating on this program. "McNamara's Morons" is what the soldiers and the general public called these soldiers. That term only added to the f'd up nature of "Program 100,000". McNamara was pretty awful. The dude thought he could win a war using computers and statistics while ignoring extremely crucial elements in war; including the morality of losing lives. His thought process was so bad there was a logical fallacy created from his incompetence.
8 Ball was the Squad's navigator (he was smart enough to carry the map). As crazy (& racist) as Animal Mother was, 8 Ball was his friend & he didn't want to leave him out there. He went charging out to get to him.
@@dsumner1234 Yeah, that's why spoke up for 8 Ball. I liked his character. Sucks when people make mistakes under extreme stress & the costs are high. But, they do happen. I was never a good "map & compass guy" when I was in.
🪖 I’ve watched this hundreds of times and thought I covered and spotted every fine detail yet never caught onto that! Thanks for sharing, I thoroughly enjoy rewatches for little things like that 💚
In reality no one gets off the range with even one bullet, and you do not have a live weapon during basic training for any branch of service. This was very real for basic, I went through in June of 1976 with the Air Force!!
The guy who played the Drill Instructor (R.Lee Ermey )was a real DI in the Corps that's why he was so good at it. He was a great actor,ttoo(Texas Chainsaw, Seven etc.) RIP to a great Marine.
The actor who played the door gunner in the helicopter had originally been cast as the drill instructor, but once Kubrik saw Ermey improvise the dialogue, he got pushed out of that role and was given the door gunner role.
Worst part of reactions like this to this movie is how so many reactors miss jokes or plot because they are talking over them. It's even worse when you get 3 or more reactors in the same video because they are talking over each other as they talk over the movie. The boot camp sequence at the beginning of this film is packed with classic lines that come at you rapid-fire. Even folks that sit quietly can miss a line or two. I know people in the comments sometimes complain about too much pausing, but I'll take pauses when you are laughing too hard to hear the next line over hearing 5 people talk at the same time any day.
Vietnamese girls were snipers all over Hue City, in the book Tunnels of Cu Chi, a female Vietcong sniper recounts how she was 15 and shot 3 Americans from the 25th Lightning in that area before having a change of heart and letting the others live as they started crying and sat down to pray so she decided not to shoot.
It is very hard, many Americans were drafted into t$rrorism, they didnt all want to go invade her country. But, she should do her job, as their officers weren't going to ship them home just because they cried.
@MrElis420 Vietnamese people fought the french colonization, when the French left in came the Americans, when Americans lost they had war with China.Judging by her age that girl had never seen a day of peace in her whole life.
Can't forget a lot of vets became heavily addicted to drugs like heroin while in Vietnam. Being absolutely off their tits most of the time meant they didn't think twice when doing some pretty savage inhuman things to men, women and children... it was literally hell on earth. If you like films like this then you might enjoy ones like Platoon, Apocalypse Now and Born on the Fourth of July
i remember a video where you see american soldiers burn a little civilian village down while little children stood their and watched everything they own getting destroyed.
They were sent in to destroy the place, not aid “the south”, so it was just the logical consequence of the mission - nothing to do with substances. And the mission was a success
It's crazy how much these guys missed the entire point of the basic training scene, when R. Lee. Ermy was insulting them and specifically said the "N" word he also pointed out racial insults towards whites/mexicans etc then proceeded to use those said insults to individually insult everyone based off race to make a point that nobody was better than anyone and that they were "all equally worthless", also Snowball was not fired because he was black lol.
I saw this when it first came out in a theater full of Marines. When Joker came out with "Is that you, John Wayne", you could hear the collective intake of air. We all knew it wouldn't end well... Even now, I'll watch the movie (or actual Boot Camp videos) and laugh the whole way through and my wife and kids don't get it. They think I've lost my mind. lol
The Rifle Creed, or "prayer" you heard them say before going to bed is a real thing we learn in Marine Boot camp. It was not just made up for the movie
I don’t think you understood some of the things that happened in this story. Joker being promoted over Snowball had nothing to do with skin color. The sergeant was testing Joker and Joker stood up to him. Eight Ball wasn’t sent out because he was black, he was sent because he had the map. Kind of like a navigator. Gomer Pyle had no business being in the military but back then they relaxed the standards to draft more men.
@@johnnywhite26 Yes because whyte people haven't been anti blck and reminded them how much they hate them every single day (including your comment) for centuries 😂😂😂. Just hand wave it all away Cletus. R@cism in Vietnam? Never heard of it. Nah no way. Oh and before you call me a victim, i'm not blck. I just open a book every now and then. You should try reading something other than the K KK scriptures at your rallies then maybe you'd finally come off kinda smart
My father told me that this is exactly how the drill Sgt behaved when he was in the Marine Corp, just prior to Vietnam. The drill Sgt's job was to find any weakness, both mentally and physically so that it could be strengthened.
I served ten years in the US Navy with a lot of Marines ... aside from the 'hitting' (though there's ways around that), they said everything about the basic training was pretty accurate.
When my father received a 5 lb box of candy from a relative, a big no-no, he was forced to eat all of it. He was then punched in the stomach, forcing him to throw it up.
Agent Orange was the chemical used to kill off the jungle greenery that hid the Viet Cong so well. Nobody knew at the time the long-term effects of exposure at those levels. A terrible lesson to learn.
“Gomer Pyle USMC” was a sitcom that aired in the 60s about an airhead marine that always screwed up and got on his sergeant’s nerves. That’s where the name came from and why he started calling him “Pyle.” The sitcom is rather corny, but I always found it pretty funny.
@@jamesbaggett7223 Yeah. “Gomer Pyle” was a spinoff from the “Andy Griffith Show” and that’s where I first heard him sing. I thought it was a voice-over…was pretty amazed when I found out it was really him.
The second half of the movie sheds light on the first. The idea is to put you thru hell (basic training), so you can survive an even worse hell (war). In the end, Joker mercy kills her instead of letting her suffer. The duality of man. He keeps his humanity.
How can it be antiwar if it doesn't make clear what was known by the time it was made : the mission was to destroy several countries, it made sense, and it succeeded. Instead the reactions are like “ war is hell “ as if it’s ww2 or something.
@@emilianosintarias7337 Nothing about war in this move is glorified, and everything bad is highlighted. Ergo, it's antiwar. I'm sorry if you can't fundamentally understand that; maybe movies are just not your thing.
@@JTidiotboy I agree most war movies are like that, but not all. There are many movies whose purpose is to make heroes out of everyone on screen. If you walked away from this movie, thinking anyone in it was a hero, then maybe you should give it a second watch.
Why did you bother to write that slop? Your non sequitur aside, it's completely normal in everything from personal psychology to political and historical narrative to erect a contrived, potentially forgivable fault and criticize that, so as to avoid admitting to and wresting with a very real fault. All you have to do is imagine the Germans won ww 2, to imagine the most rebellious war themed movies would criticize the botched, mad or meaningless attempts to help the Slavs, J*ws and Roma. They would thus be apologetics for that war machine. And Germany having won, certain criticism would be allowed even if dismissed, precisely because it would define the limits of criticism in a way that obscures how German war actually works.. Would such films be antiwar movies? In order to create an anti vietnam war movie, you would need to contradict the deflections that the class of people who directed the war employed after it became unpopular. You would not repeat them. Nowhere in Full Metal Jacket is the aim of the war made clear and criticized, and in fact it really isn't even a movie about the Vietnam war. It's a movie about personal cognitive dissonance and different approaches to disavowal for one's actions, so as to not go insane - and a Kafkaesque movie about the the irrationality of the state. But Vietnam was very rational, and it was a successful mission, not chaos.@@Tijuanabill
One of my favorite movies ever but that little exchange always kills me🤣 - How tall are you private? - Sir! 5 foot 9 sir! - 5 foot 9? I didn't know they stacked shit that high!
@@bbb462cid...beyond war movies, there was Saving Silverman, Man of the House, Frighteners (he basically plays Hartmann's ghost, having one badass moment where h fires TWO M60s simultaneously), Fletch Lives, and the Mail Call tv series.
@@ahhamartin Oh, I know. I was listing war films. His character in Frighteners isn't Hartmann though. Not only was he much less profane, the name was Hiles
It’s the Marine Corps, not the Army. It saddens this old Devil Dog that the youth of today can’t even distinguish between the branches of our United States Military. And the “prayer” was real, not made up for this movie. It’s called the Rifleman’s Creed.
The biggest lesson I'd take from this film is that WAR is hell and it doesnt discriminate. When things get tough, you must adapt or you will be defeated in every sense of the word.
R. Lee Ermey was a real-life drill instructor at MCRD San Diego back in the Vietnam War. Stanley Kubrick brought him on as a consultant for Tim Colceri (the original Sgt. Hartman), but Kubrick was so impressed with Ermey's auditions (which consisted of him being pelted with tennis balls and oranges) that Kubrick allowed Ermey to improvise and write 95% of his own dialogue. Ermey's scenes also usually took only 3 takes, highly unusual for a Kubrick film.
The DI was a real one and was on set as a consultant for the actor that they originally had, who was the gunner in the helo. The director like how Ermy was better with the off comments that they asked him to do the role. He was also given the honorary title of Gunner Srg after the movie, he did not retire as one from the Marines. Also Private Pile was to represent those members of the military that were allowed in due to draft with the War. Before the draft and change to the standard Pile would have not met the IQ requirement to be enlisted. Think of it like as the bar is closing down and you dont have anyone to go home with, you start dropping your standards just so you end up with someone.
"one for country, one for corps... Well I guess the corps don't get theirs" idk why but that line gives me boot camp flashbacks. You can't fake being a DI
My father was in the Marine Corps in the 50s and he told me that they had what was called a "towel party" for anyone that was causing the group to fall behind. It's essentially what they did to Pyle and if you didn't join in on the beating, you might be on the end of a towel party of your own. Rough stuff, but you have to remember, these are kids that they are trying to turn into men to fight and die. I don't know if there's a nice way to do that.
I went through Army boot camp in 93 and it was pretty much like this only we had three Piles. Drill Sergeant Rivera stomped on one Piles foot to help him remember right side. One Pile kept screwing up, so by week five it became platoon punishment while he stood aside watching. Another one drill sergeant told him after week one he would not graduate. So He didn't let Pile #2 participate in live ammo drills due to "safety concerns" so he wasn't able to graduate. One guy, not a Pile left his locker unlocked and EVERYTHING got tossed across the floor. One guy decided to take a shower after lights out and was reduced to tears. One guy, D.S. Rivera said, "I'm going to smoke your arms so bad you'll cry trying to hold a piece of paper." Yeah Full Metal Jacket is spot on to what boot camp used to be.
I remember a day in the marine corps when an iraqi came to talk to us about how terrible his people were. It was sickening. Not what he was saying, but the fact that he was doing it. It was meant to dehumanize them so we wouldn't hesitate. What really scares me is how much they encouraged us to hate civilians. "America is not at war, america is at the mall while you and your brothers are fighting for freedom" put that shit in a damaged 18 year olds head over and over and its no wonder the veteran suicide rate is so high.
@@aaronpincus6095 Yup, I wear the TVP 22 a Day bracelet. Not cuz I'm a suicidal vet (I did serve in Iraq) but out of awareness for my Bros & Sisters who had it tougher than I did & came back harmed. I was one of the lucky ones.
@@DerekSansone Thanks for your service. I have one also. While I was never enlisted, I've been around vets my whole life. Dad, brothers and what's really interesting is that every single adult I made friends with after high school were all presently serving or veterans.
6 million people, the majority civilians were killed by America’s “ war on t&rror” .The iraqi invasion was a crime but Bush is just walking around a free man.
Blanket party we used Master Locks What’s the privates 11th general order? Sir the privates 11th General Order is to walk my post from flank to flank and take no shit from any rank sir!”
Y’all don’t pay attention do y’all? Some of you were going with the cadence, literally saying “Marine Corps” and said it was an army movie lol, do better lol
I went to Marine Corps boot camp in 2003 it’s rough mostly mental they yell they get physical with u but it’s no longer this bad. The language is rough unless u were sheltered u can handle it
11:57 He didn't notice that at the range when Pyle removed the magazine, he still had some FMJ rounds in the magazine that he took back with him to the barracks.
I went through Air Force Basic Training in 1976, you did Not have ammunition or a live rifle in the squad bays, you were checked prior to leaving the live fire range and the range master was armed in case any knuckle hands decided to be stupid!!!
There's a firing every few days to give every squad member a chance to be squad leader. Most of us were fired at least a couple of times. It's actually a relief to be fired.
Fun fact about R. Lee Ermy he was not gonna be in the movie originally. He was only a military advisor, he had asked for the part but they told him they already had someone for it. So when it was shooting time he wore his service uniform and his Smokey Bear cover and did what he does best...after that Stanley Kubrick hired him and for I'd say 90% of the script is all him🔥🔥 R.I.P
"GLORY" based on true events of the CIVIL WAR' S first all black ex-slave battalion to see actually combat. ALL STAR CAST. "COURAGE UNDER FIRE" Takes place during the first Gulf War in 1992. Both movies stars Denzel Washington.
The crazy thing is, this movie was made in London England. This is why the buildings look weird and landscape. The guy that pulled that hat off the dead Vietcong,is an English actor Kieron Jecchinis
Bro Private Snowball didn't get fired from squad leader because he was black. If that was the case he wouldn't have been made squad leader in the first place. This was a good reaction, I really enjoyed it.
Two things you will actually have to remember he actually was a drill instructor in real life and Veterans will tell you this portrayal of boot camp during Vietnam was actually accurate., and even today drill instructors both male and female in the Marine Corps are the last people you want to cross
That would also account for the Military Training Instructors in the Air Force, Drill Sergeants in the Army and Recruit Division Commanders for the Navy and Coast Guard!!
They break you down so that a blade of grass has rank on you. Then they build you back up to be able to kill if necessary. THAT is your purpose as a soldier. I was drafted in '68. Sent to Fort Bragg, N.C. for basic training. Had a Black Drill Sergeant who was jus' like F. Lee. Thank You Drill Sergeant Sloan... it's cuzza you that this previous mama's boy survived Nam. I still believe we need a draft today; all MEN,18 to 20, No exceptions. Your turn to watch the gate, Son... you can go to college after. Let the whine begin. Welcome Home Brothers 589th Combat Engineers Song Pha Republic of Vietnam 1970
I agree, all men from 18 to 20 should be required to serve a 4 year enlistment of the military's choice!!! It will make a man out of you. Air Force 76 to 82!!!
Red jacket needs to shut up. Real war isn't on your G.D. video game at home. Real people die in real war. This was a movie about real war and comparing it to "that's what I do on my..." is disrespectful and trash. Beyond clueless. Don't believe me, ask a veteran that's been there, listen and learn.
Every single comment about Snowball is basically "Snowball is a victim of racial injustice" Take the chips off your shoulders guys, it's so sad seeing grown men not even understanding simple facts about the movie they watch.
This is the U.S. Marine Corps not the army and drill instructor is a Marine who was a consultant on the movie but after stanley cuprik met him who was Marine himself said was the best and got the role
Hey homies, the morning PT run can go as long as the Drill Sgt wants it to. Also, these cadences like the eskimo one are real and not made up for the movie.
I’m a retired Marine, I enlisted in 2000 and retired in 2021. I didn’t watch that movie until a good 10 years after I was in the Marines. A lot has changed in bootcamp (For the better). I’m glad you Guys are watching a movie treasured by Marines. Private Pile is Vincent D’Onofrio (Kingpin), great actor.
Fun fact: The helicopter gunner that said “Ain’t war hell!” Was originally cast as the Drill Instructor with R. Lee Ermy being the military advisor. However Ermy did such a good job in the test shots he was put in that place an incidentally made a very successful 2nd career out of it
So much hidden in this film. Like how as Joker finishes off the sniper, he slowly turns until his peace symbol is no longer visible just before firing. Btw the book makes it clear that, his racist grumbling aside, Animal Mother is actually best friends with 8-ball. Part of this makes it to the film when he refuses to leave him.
New recruits were needed and McNamara said "let's lower the requirements then." And suddenly people who were actually unsuitable appeared in the units. The "smart and important" knew how to prevent participation in the service. The one with the dead fox on his head was one of them. Then Pyle encounters this world he doesn't understand, and it shatters the rest of him. Hartmann is the symbol of everything that torments Pyle. A man who understands nothing but can shout “well”.
The most integrated places are infantry platoons. Those guys love each other like brothers and they’ll joke and razz each other in ways that sound dark as hell and racist towards each other but they know it is in jest and they’ll take a bulllet for each other.
Pvt..Snowball was not fired as squad leader due to his race. In Marine Boot Camp they go through different squad leaders almost on a weekly basis. It has nothing to with race but recruits showing leadership qualities of just at the whim if the DI or if a squad leader can't get the job done
I went to Navy bootcamp in 79 and they still treated us the same way. There is no color and they job is to break us down and then build us up as a team. What you saw in the barracks is called a blanked party, we did that to two guys. They were not playing the game and costing us a lot of plain. We ended up kicking 2 from the company and then life for us got better.
They didn't let Pile in, they drafted him. Back then it was the draft. When you turned 18 you were forced to register with the government for selective service. They would randomly pick people to go fight. We don't do that any more, because that's how you make bad soldiers. A bunch of people who are forced to be there. They just wanted bodies to fill uniforms, and if Pile could be trained enough the face the right way during combat, they'd keep him.
One theory is that Animal Mother IS Pyle and the "suicide" was only a nightmare that Joker had the last night on the island. The Blanket Party/Hartman killing/suicide is blue because it's a dream and the soundtrack, it represents the sound of someone in a deep sleep. After Joker went to report for Stars & Stripes, he fell out of touch with everyone he graduated with. Once he catches up to Cowboy and meets Animal Mother, it's Pyle, but he has seen so much in whatever amount of time has passed that he isn't recognizable as Pyle anymore. He's tough just as he was when we last saw him before that "last night on the island". It's probably not what Kubrick had in mind, but it certainly is an interesting theory. Someone even made a YT vid about it. With a Kubrick movie, it's often hard to tell. In The Shining, a theory says the hotel is really "hell". In Eyes Wide Shut, many theories about the mask from the orgy party.
@@joeyrogers7017 My grandson is graduating HS next week. He just signed up for the Marine Corps. The recruiter was at the house Wednesday night. So another generation takes their post.
