Before we finished our conversation, I had to relay to him what effect he had had n my early career. I told him that I had taken my then-girlfriend and now-wife to see the movie two weeks before I shipped out to boot camp.

"I am not ashamed to admit that you scare the hell out of me. Carrie and I sat frozen as you relentlessly exploded all over those guys," I told him. He cracked a smile, probably used to hearing such stories about his portrayal.

I told him that even though the movie scared me, I thought that there was some scripting going on and that no one could so consistently and without hesitation come up with the one-liners he delivered in the movie. I did not think it possible that someone could be that quick with insults and play off the mistakes made by another. I was wrong. Desperately wrong. Catastrophically wrong!

When I got to boot camp I discovered that somehow, all drill instructors have the ability to verbally explode without once tripping over their own words. At top speed and with force unknown to the average teenager, drill instructors can and do verbally assault you with wit and imagination that mere mortals can only watch in awe over.

I also told Lee that Carrie and I made another visit to the theater three months later to watch the movie a second time. The rest of the moviegoers must have thought that I was nuts because I laughed throughout most of the first half because the scenarios were so familiar and so well-presented that I had to laugh. After just going through three months of hell, to see it on the screen portrayed to such perfection, I was overjoyed that there was something that came close to portraying what I had just gone through. Oh yeah, and I guess the fact that it was over for me also had its joyous rewards.

After explaining to Lee just how wonderful a job I thought he did, he got a big smile on his face and said, "Well Jason, you will be glad to know that Gunnery Sergeant Hartman has been resurrected for a new movie. I do not want to give away the plot but if you watch The Frighteners, you will see a familiar face." I never got around to watching that movie (I know, this might disqualify me as his biggest fan) but I look forward to watching it for just that scene.

In The Beginning...
The Fear Was Real
He Even Scared Me
Who Were Those Privates, Anyway?
Sleeping With the Smokey
What Have You Done To Me?
All Good Things Must Come to An End