I joined the United States Marine Corps shortly after this film was released, in January, 1958. I had heard about it over the years but never saw the film until recently.
I'm a big fan of Jack Webb and looked forward to re-living what we experienced during boot camp.
The movie was filmed at MCRD aka Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island and I don't have an experience with PI but I noticed many differences between MCRD PI and MCRD San Diego. At MCRD San Diego, except for the very few first days of arrival all of our time in boot camp we lived in Quonset huts rather than barracks. The Quonset hut is shaped like a barrel cut through from top to bottom and set flat on concrete. In our Quonset huts were steel spring bunk beds with a double locker between the bunk beds and the next bunk bed. Under were two wooden foot lockers where we kept everything that didn't go into our lockers. NOTHING was left out - other than foot gear under our beds and our rifles safely stored in the rifle rack.
Some things I noticed from the movie - the PI recruits were allowed to keep the top button of their utility jackets unbuttoned. Our utility jackets were buttoned all the way to the top and uncomfortable when it was hot. We were not allowed to open that top button until just before graduation. The other difference was they allowed the PI recruits to blouse their boots - putting elastic bands over the boot tops and tucking the utility trousers into them. Our utility trousers / boots remained straight over the boots until just before graduation.
The grinder aka parade field where we marched and learned close order drill, at PI was pretty pathetic and I saw very few platoons engaged in close order drilling in the movie. At MCRD San Diego we drilled EVERY DAY - except Saturdays and Sundays. That is also where we warmed up every morning doing calisthenics with our M1 rifles, where uniform inspections took place and where we raw recruits learned discipline. Everything our Drill Instructor taught us during boot camp was Gospel and the grinder was our home. We learned close order drill to the point we could do it in our sleep. The grinder at PI seemed kind of puny and pathetic by comparison.
While I enjoyed the movie and like Jack Webb there wasn't enough close order drill in the movie and the story line was weak. I'd like to see a new, The DI, made that showed what a real boot camp experience is like. There is NO experience in life that is equal to it.
Semper Fi
I'm a big fan of Jack Webb and looked forward to re-living what we experienced during boot camp.
The movie was filmed at MCRD aka Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island and I don't have an experience with PI but I noticed many differences between MCRD PI and MCRD San Diego. At MCRD San Diego, except for the very few first days of arrival all of our time in boot camp we lived in Quonset huts rather than barracks. The Quonset hut is shaped like a barrel cut through from top to bottom and set flat on concrete. In our Quonset huts were steel spring bunk beds with a double locker between the bunk beds and the next bunk bed. Under were two wooden foot lockers where we kept everything that didn't go into our lockers. NOTHING was left out - other than foot gear under our beds and our rifles safely stored in the rifle rack.
Some things I noticed from the movie - the PI recruits were allowed to keep the top button of their utility jackets unbuttoned. Our utility jackets were buttoned all the way to the top and uncomfortable when it was hot. We were not allowed to open that top button until just before graduation. The other difference was they allowed the PI recruits to blouse their boots - putting elastic bands over the boot tops and tucking the utility trousers into them. Our utility trousers / boots remained straight over the boots until just before graduation.
The grinder aka parade field where we marched and learned close order drill, at PI was pretty pathetic and I saw very few platoons engaged in close order drilling in the movie. At MCRD San Diego we drilled EVERY DAY - except Saturdays and Sundays. That is also where we warmed up every morning doing calisthenics with our M1 rifles, where uniform inspections took place and where we raw recruits learned discipline. Everything our Drill Instructor taught us during boot camp was Gospel and the grinder was our home. We learned close order drill to the point we could do it in our sleep. The grinder at PI seemed kind of puny and pathetic by comparison.
While I enjoyed the movie and like Jack Webb there wasn't enough close order drill in the movie and the story line was weak. I'd like to see a new, The DI, made that showed what a real boot camp experience is like. There is NO experience in life that is equal to it.
Semper Fi