Semper Fi... R. Lee Ermey

Another one of my hero's passed away today. His name was R. Lee Ermey. I think like a lot of people I was taken by storm in his performance as drill instructor Gunnery Sergeant Hartman in Stanley Kubrick's "Full Metal Jacket".

We lost him today (April 15th, 2018) due to complications from pneumonia. He was 74.

Before he got into the acting business, he actually served as a Marine. I pulled the following from his wikipedia page.

U.S. Marine Corps

In 1961, at age 17, Ermey enlisted in the United States Marine Corps and went through recruit training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego in San Diego, California. For his first few years, he served in the aviation support field before becoming a drill instructor in India Company, 3rd Recruit Training Battalion, at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, where he was assigned from 1965 to 1967.

Ermey then served in Marine Wing Support Group 17 at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Okinawa, Japan. In 1968, he was ordered to Vietnam with MWSG-17, and spent 14 months in country. The remainder of his service was on Okinawa where he was advanced to staff sergeant (E-6). He was medically discharged in 1972 because of several injuries incurred during his service. On May 17, 2002, he received an honorary promotion to gunnery sergeant (E-7) by the Commandant of the Marine Corps, General James L. Jones.

Not only did I love him in "Full Metal Jacket", another little known movie he was in that I enjoyed was called "The Siege of Firebase Gloria". Lastly he was well known on History Channel show entitled Lock N' Load with R. Lee Ermey, which discussed the history of various weapons used by militaries of today.

He will be missed. Rest in peace Gunney.