After reading "The Short Timers" and viewing Full Metal Jacket....

[Trevor]

.... I was wondering if the brutality of the boot camp training depicted in Gustav Hasford's book and Stanley Kubrick's film is in any way real compared to the training that real life Marine recruits go through?

[meQal]

I have a friend of mine who was a Marine Corps Drill Instructor and is also a vetran of Viet Nam. I asked him a similar question after seeing Full Metal Jacket and his answer was, "Yes we were told to be that abrasive, brutal, and harsh as a D.I. to recruits." He also informed me the parts that were BS in Full Metal Jacket.  those being according to him, the fact the character called "Private Pyle" was able to get live ammo into the barracks and the second being the entire Battle of Huế scenes. He said that the first would never of happen cause there is a count on the ammo at all times. The second he claims was total BS cause he was one of the first Marines into the City of Huế. Claim the battle unfolded a lot differently on the ground that was depicted in the film.

[The Burgomaster]

.... I was wondering if the brutality of the boot camp training depicted in Gustav Hasford's book and Stanley Kubrick's film is in any way real compared to the training that real life Marine recruits go through?

I went through Fort Dix Army (not Marine, unfortunately) boot camp in 1982.  In my opinion, FULL METAL JACKET and THE BOYS IN COMPANY C have the most realistic basic training scenes of any movie I have seen.

[CheezeFlixz]

As a former Marine I can tell you that when I was in the Corps, Full Metal Jacket is the closest thing to REAL boot camp ever put to film. R Lee Ermey is a former Marine and former Drill Instructor too. When I was in boot camp ***cough*** 29 year ago it was f****** brutal. 

harsh as a D.I.

NEVER, NEVER say D.I. in the Marine Corps it's Drill Instructor ... you want abuse, call a Drill Instructor a D.I.

[trekgeezer]

Modern bootcamp isn't anything like what was portrayed in FMJ.  Although, for the time period the story was set in, it is probably very realistic.

[Fausto]

Modern bootcamp isn't anything like what was portrayed in FMJ.  Although, for the time period the story was set in, it is probably very realistic.

So...better? Worse?

[BTM]

As a former Marine I can tell you that when I was in the Corps, Full Metal Jacket is the closest thing to REAL boot camp ever put to film. R Lee Ermey is a former Marine and former Drill Instructor too. When I was in boot camp ***cough*** 29 year ago it was f****** brutal. 

harsh as a D.I.

NEVER, NEVER say D.I. in the Marine Corps it's Drill Instructor ... you want abuse, call a Drill Instructor a D.I.

I have to ask, what's the deal with the grabbing the crotch thing?  I've heard it was so that they never refer to their rifle as a "gun" but you'd think a simple memo would drive the point home...

:)

[Andrew]

I am currently aboard Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, though I went through boot camp in 1991 at Parris Island.

Recruits are still subjected to what many would consider harsh verbal corrections and challenges, and they are put through many physical tests that will run them through fear, anxiety, and definitely exhaustion to the point of failure.  When I went through in 1991, what anybody would consider verbal abuse was there.  I was only hit once, and I know that was something that was already being cracked down on by 1991.  Call that an aberration.

Having spoken with many Marine veterans, the environment that the men encountered at boot camp in "Full Metal Jacket" is realistic for the time period.  They were screamed at, insulted, and struck.  We only see the recruits struck a few times (I would imagine the scenes we see are meant to be the major points during boot camp), and that matches up with what I have been told by the old men - even taking into account that stories get larger over time.

It would be difficult for a recruit to sneak live ammunition off the rifle range, but not impossible.  These days it is much harder, because recruits are swept down with a metal detecting wand when they move off the range.

[CheezeFlixz]

I went to Parris Island in 1980 and being slapped was common, having C-Rat cans thrown at you not uncommon, being hit with a rifle butt was seen. And there was no damn "Time Out" card or what ever that candy ass thing is that says, Stop your hurting my feeling."
I still have a nice scar on the back of my head from catching a C-rat can with it, but there are many that do.

Yeah sneaking a round off the range would have been tough, with I was in you had to keep count of everything, if you got 50 rounds, you'd better have 50 shells when you were done on the range. 

[BTM]

I went to Parris Island in 1980 and being slapped was common, having C-Rat cans thrown at you not uncommon, being hit with a rifle butt was seen. And there was no damn "Time Out" card or what ever that candy ass thing is that says, Stop your hurting my feeling."

Actually, that's a myth.. according to what I've read, the Navy did that briefly as an experiment, but it's been discontinued. http://www.snopes.com/military/stress.asp

[Ash]

I was only hit once, and I know that was something that was already being cracked down on by 1991.  Call that an aberration.

What did you get hit for?  Where did you get hit?

[CheezeFlixz]

I went to Parris Island in 1980 and being slapped was common, having C-Rat cans thrown at you not uncommon, being hit with a rifle butt was seen. And there was no damn "Time Out" card or what ever that candy ass thing is that says, Stop your hurting my feeling."

Actually, that's a myth.. according to what I've read, the Navy did that briefly as an experiment, but it's been discontinued. http://www.snopes.com/military/stress.asp

Well that's good I remember hearing about it years ago and thinking what the hell are they going to do on the battle field, hold up a time out card when the bullets get to close?
Stop it! Timeout! your shooting to close to me.

Oh boot camp story there was this kid next to me on PI my bootcamp number was 43 and he was 44 and we where doing rifle drill and he shouldered the wrong side all the time, you know right shoulder arms and he went left. SSgt Cline the Senior Drill Instructor kept smacking on the side of his head just like in FMJ asking him which side was which and the kid p**sed all over himself and from the day forward in boot camp when he got yelled at he'd p**s himself and then he had to clean it up with his underwear.
He just disappeared one day and  I never knew when happened to him I know he didn't graduate with us I think he was recycled.

[Andrew]

I was only hit once, and I know that was something that was already being cracked down on by 1991.  Call that an aberration.

What did you get hit for?  Where did you get hit?

I do not remember the cause, but it was a few of us, and a punch in the stomach.