starlionblue
Recovering Disney addict but still failing
- Joined
- Mar 19, 2006
If you've seen the Matthew Broderick comedy "Biloxi Blues," you'll know what I'm talking about. I've heard soo many stories about recruits who had a brutal drill sergeant like R. Lee Ermey aka Sgt. Hartman in "Full Metal Jacket."
For those who can't remember, in "Biloxi Blues," Sgt. Toomey, played brilliantly by Christopher Walken, was quite unconventional to say the least. He was always soft-spoken and forced the soldiers to depend on each other. His idea of punishing someone else for a recruit's misdeeds may not have been brilliant but here's something interesting: a loooong time ago, I had a brief conversation with a vet (we'll call him Mr. Reynolds) who now is a karate instructor. I mentioned my favorite Matthew Broderick film was "Biloxi Blues." Mr. Reynolds' eyes lit up. He then recounted his time in basic training and said he had a drill sergeant just like Sgt. Toomey. The guy never hit his recruits and never yelled at them. Oddly, lack of discipline was never a problem with his platoon but a couple of months into basic training, a few snapped and tried to beat him up. He escaped unscathed but was a different person from that point on. Mr. Reynolds never saw "Sgt. Toomey" again and always remarked that he was a good drill sergeant although his teaching methods were unusual. I believe that the guys who tried to attack him might have wanted a plain old, foul-mouthed instructor like Sgt. Hartman!
Have any Disers in the military ever had a real-life Sgt. Toomey? What did you or the others think of him? Did you respect him as a drill sergeant or did you wonder if it would be better to be stuck with a plain old drill sergeant? I'd love to hear your stories and experiences.
PS: to all who are serving anywhere in the world, my thoughts and prayers are with you. Thank you for your sacrifices. I am forever grateful.
For those who can't remember, in "Biloxi Blues," Sgt. Toomey, played brilliantly by Christopher Walken, was quite unconventional to say the least. He was always soft-spoken and forced the soldiers to depend on each other. His idea of punishing someone else for a recruit's misdeeds may not have been brilliant but here's something interesting: a loooong time ago, I had a brief conversation with a vet (we'll call him Mr. Reynolds) who now is a karate instructor. I mentioned my favorite Matthew Broderick film was "Biloxi Blues." Mr. Reynolds' eyes lit up. He then recounted his time in basic training and said he had a drill sergeant just like Sgt. Toomey. The guy never hit his recruits and never yelled at them. Oddly, lack of discipline was never a problem with his platoon but a couple of months into basic training, a few snapped and tried to beat him up. He escaped unscathed but was a different person from that point on. Mr. Reynolds never saw "Sgt. Toomey" again and always remarked that he was a good drill sergeant although his teaching methods were unusual. I believe that the guys who tried to attack him might have wanted a plain old, foul-mouthed instructor like Sgt. Hartman!
Have any Disers in the military ever had a real-life Sgt. Toomey? What did you or the others think of him? Did you respect him as a drill sergeant or did you wonder if it would be better to be stuck with a plain old drill sergeant? I'd love to hear your stories and experiences.
PS: to all who are serving anywhere in the world, my thoughts and prayers are with you. Thank you for your sacrifices. I am forever grateful.
