FORT LEONARD WOOD— Soldiers and Young Marines gathered at the USO for a chance to meet one of their favorite celebrities Tuesday night.
R. Lee Ermey, known for several movie roles including “Full Metal Jacket”, and more recently cable television’s “Mail Call”, has been at Fort Leonard Wood shooting for a new show— “Lock N’ Load”.
The Gunny, as he’s fondly known, spent his time at the USO greeting Soldiers and speaking about what he was doing at the installation.
“It’s ‘Mail Call’ on steroids,” Ermey said of “Lock N’ Load”, which appears Friday’s on the History Channel. “Basically, it’s me driving around, playing with someone else’s toys.
“If you can’t drive it, fly it or shoot it, we blow the damn thing up,” he said. “We’ve been blowing things up all day long.”
More than entertainment, though, Ermey said he hopes the show shows people what they can do in the military and encourages them to sign up.
An 11-year member of the Marine Corps, Ermey, who fought in Vietnam before being discharged after an injury, is no stranger to the military.
Joking that he just “kept showing up for work,” Ermey shared that even though he doesn’t serve in an official capacity, he has been working with the military for more than 40 years. He’s completed four trips to Iraq and has been to Afghanistan twice, as well as Okinawa, Japan.
“It’s very necessary that we meet our retention goals, meet our training goals and keep a good rotation,” Ermey said, speaking directly about the war and how it can wear down on Soldiers.
“There’s a certain point in time when a person is going to say, ‘I’m just burnt out. I need to spend time with my family,’” he said. “It’s not a walk in the park like it used to be.”
“Lock N’ Load”, by extension, is one way of helping keep those numbers up, he said.
“The Army has realized what a great recruitment tool the show could be for them,” Ermey said.
His intentions aren’t entirely altruistic though.
“This is my way of sharing the load and stepping up to the plate,” he said. “It keeps me young.”
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FORT LEONARD WOOD— Soldiers and Young Marines gathered at the USO for a chance to meet one of their favorite celebrities Tuesday night.
R. Lee Ermey, known for several movie roles including “Full Metal Jacket”, and more recently cable television’s “Mail Call”, has been at Fort Leonard Wood shooting for a new show— “Lock N’ Load”.
The Gunny, as he’s fondly known, spent his time at the USO greeting Soldiers and speaking about what he was doing at the installation.
“It’s ‘Mail Call’ on steroids,” Ermey said of “Lock N’ Load”, which appears Friday’s on the History Channel. “Basically, it’s me driving around, playing with someone else’s toys.
“If you can’t drive it, fly it or shoot it, we blow the damn thing up,” he said. “We’ve been blowing things up all day long.”
More than entertainment, though, Ermey said he hopes the show shows people what they can do in the military and encourages them to sign up.
An 11-year member of the Marine Corps, Ermey, who fought in Vietnam before being discharged after an injury, is no stranger to the military.
Joking that he just “kept showing up for work,” Ermey shared that even though he doesn’t serve in an official capacity, he has been working with the military for more than 40 years. He’s completed four trips to Iraq and has been to Afghanistan twice, as well as Okinawa, Japan.
“It’s very necessary that we meet our retention goals, meet our training goals and keep a good rotation,” Ermey said, speaking directly about the war and how it can wear down on Soldiers.
“There’s a certain point in time when a person is going to say, ‘I’m just burnt out. I need to spend time with my family,’” he said. “It’s not a walk in the park like it used to be.”
“Lock N’ Load”, by extension, is one way of helping keep those numbers up, he said.
“The Army has realized what a great recruitment tool the show could be for them,” Ermey said.
His intentions aren’t entirely altruistic though.
“This is my way of sharing the load and stepping up to the plate,” he said. “It keeps me young.”
