I got space from Travis Air Force Base, went back to the Philippine Islands and made it a point to meet the only American casting director in the Philippines. I was off and running.
Kubrick ate it up. He loved it. He just let me go crazy.
I always love to come to Austin.
The bad news motivated the drill instructors that much more.
The best part about the movie, and everybody seems to rave about it, is the boot camp part.
Communications are better now than in my Vietnam days.
The biggest problem was the politicians knew nothing about fighting a war.
Even though I disagree with many of the changes, when I see the privates graduate at the end of the day, when they walk off that drill field at the end of the ceremony, they are still fine privates; outstanding, well motivated privates.
Without discipline, there is no Marine Corps.
I was stationed at a marine recruit depot in San Diego from 1965 to 1967.
There was a huge, tremendous amount of disabled veterans and the Veteran's Administration just wasn't geared up for it. I know for a fact that it's getting better and better.
I don't have any respect at all for the scum-bags who went to Canada to avoid the draft or to avoid doing their fair share.
Back in those days intimidation was the greatest tool the drill instructor had. Without that tool, he would not have had control.
The drill instructor must have total and complete control. Mindless obedience is what he's after.
Drill instructors worked seven days a week, fifteen to seventeen hours a day in many cases, with no time off in between platoons.
You'd be surprised how many kids and young people come to the website and send me email that they are actually going into the Marine Corp because of something that I said or did.
In order to be a good actor, I'm a firm believer that you need to bring something to the table.
It's my firm conviction that when Uncle Sam calls, by God we go, and we do the best that we can.
Playing the good guy is tough because you know as well as I do, in real life, you have to watch your P's and Q's and conduct yourself in a respectable manner if you expect to have friends.
Back in the old Corp, we weren't training those privates to infiltrate into the peacetime Marine Corp. We were training those privates to go to Vietnam.
