R. LEE ERMEY

Communications are better now than in my Vietnam days.

I was stationed at a marine recruit depot in San Diego from 1965 to 1967.

Drill instructors worked seven days a week, fifteen to seventeen hours a day in many cases, with no time off in between platoons.

Kubrick's films have life - they just never die.

In order to be a good actor, I'm a firm believer that you need to bring something to the table.

Everybody respects the Vietnam Veterans of America.

The best part about the movie, and everybody seems to rave about it, is the boot camp part.

For me, it's an honor for the military to ask me to go to Iraq, Afghanistan, or GITMO. I'm happy to go.

It's my firm conviction that when Uncle Sam calls, by God we go, and we do the best that we can.

There's a lot of whiners in every crowd.

I've never had to spend any time in the VA hospital, so I really can't speak for those guys.

The biggest problem was the politicians knew nothing about fighting a war.

I honestly do feel that I am a role model for young people.

I always love to come to Austin.

I'm never, like I say, I'm never happy, I'm never satisfied, it's never good enough.

There have been a lot of changes in recruit training in the past twenty years.

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.

I try to get over to Iraq and Afghanistan as much as I can.

The drill instructor must have total and complete control. Mindless obedience is what he's after.

I go the VA Hospital when I have a problem and the doctor jumps on me.

We had times in '66 and '67 when we would pick up a platoon of privates out of the receiving barracks the week before we even graduated the platoon that we were on!

I spend a lot of time with my characters.

Back in those days intimidation was the greatest tool the drill instructor had. Without that tool, he would not have had control.

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.

I got to write most of everything I said.