Retired Marine Staff Sgt. R. Lee Ermey, known for his roles in such Hollywood hits as “Full Metal Jacket” and as the host of History Channel's "Mail Call," will be laid to rest with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery at 10 a.m. Jan. 18, according to the cemetery’s web site.
Here are 5 things you might not have known about this well-known badass:
1. Ermey was in Peter Jackson's "The Frighteners"?
He also had roles in these four other shows and movies.
2. Ermey had a rough transition out of the military into the civilian world — just like a lot of us.
"After medical retirement from the Corps, I didn’t know what to do, so I bought a run-down bar and whorehouse in Okinawa," Ermey said in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. Eventually, as we all know, he found his way to acting.
He was given a role in his first film, "Apocalypse Now," while a student at the University of Manila in the Philippines and went on to become a popular reality TV star, appearing in such shows as Lock n’ Load with R. Lee Ermey and Gunny Time.
3. Ermey once sat down with Connecting Vets' own Chas Henry and recorded a moving rendition of the Prayer for Marines
"On September 22, 1988, not long after the release of the film Full Metal Jacket, I sat down in a Los Angeles recording studio with actor R. Lee Ermey," Chas wrote. "Lee had graciously agreed to record voiceover elements that could be used in videos I was producing for Marine Corps birthday celebrations."
"After seeing news of Lee's death April 15, I headed down to my basement, rummaged through dusty boxes of old film and tapes, and found this:
4. Ermey wasn't supposed to be in "Full Metal Jacket"
Ermey was the technical advisor for the film, helping to interview and cast other actors.
5. Ermey joined the Marines to avoid jail time
Ermey was born in Emporia, Kansas March 24, 1944, and moved with his family to Zillah, Washington when he was 14. He was arrested twice for criminal mischief by the time he was 17. Following his second arrest, a judge gave him a choice: Go to the jail or enter the service.
Ermey chose the Marines. He served as a drill sergeant and spent 14 months in Vietnam before being medically discharged as a staff sergeant in 1972 due to multiple injuries. Ermey was honorably promoted to gunnery sergeant by then Commandant James Jones in 2002.