Major Keith Hudson, 3rd Brigade Combat Team operations sergeant major, didn't have to add any missions to the training schedule in order for the crew to get the footage they needed. It is always a breath of fresh air to come hang out with the guys for a day or two."įor Ermey's trip to Fort Campbell, Sgt. I wouldn't be doing what I do if I didn't.
The opportunity to spend time with Soldiers is something he enjoys. He visited with troops during a trip to Iraq. This was not Ermey's first visit with the Screaming Eagles. "It worked out real well because we were able to come here to Fort Campbell and kill two birds with one stone," said Ermey. He completed a tandem jump out of one of 6th Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment's CH-47F Chinook helicopters with members of the 101st Airborne Division Parachute Demonstration Team and took part in a range with 3rd Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment. He came to the 101st Airborne Division to film segments for "Lock and Load" on helicopters and artillery. It's a one hour show and comes out in July."Įrmey served 11 years in the Marine Corps before being medically discharged and taking up acting.
"It is basically 'Mail Call' on steroids. "For those folks who have already seen 'Mail Call,' which has been on for five years pretty much, and it was the highest rated show on the History Channel for a while, we've replaced that with 'Lock and Load,'" said Ermey. Hartman in "Full Metal Jacket" and as the host of "Mail Call," came to Fort Campbell, Ky., Wednesday to film segments for his new show "Lock and Load." Lee Ermey, best known for his role as the drill instructor Gunnery Sgt. "You will not like me, but the more you hate me, the more you will learn," barked Gunnery Sgt. Lee Ermey stands in front of a CH-47F Chinook helicopter for a segment of his show, "Lock and Load." Ermey, best known for his role as a drill instructor in "Full Metal Jacket" and the host of "Mail Call" came to Fort Campbell to film segments for. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL 2 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Ermey, best known for his role as a drill instructor in "Full Metal Jacket" and host of "M. Lee Ermey for a tandem jump out of a CH-47F Chinook helicopter. 1st Class Larry Jarrett, 101st Airborne Division Parachute Demonstration Team, prepares R. Hope closed the broadcast, stating “While some high school letters are worn on sweaters, your letters are next to our hearts.Sgt. His costars were Lena Horne, who sang “Just One of Those Things,” bandleader Les Brown, and actress Rosalind Russell. Command Performance used traveling audio engineers to make listeners’ dreams come true.īob Hope was emcee of the show numerous times, and his July 7, 1942, broadcast was added to the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress in 2005. Sometimes the requests were intensely personal, including one from a soldier who wanted to hear the bark of his dog back home. The steak was presented on stage by armed guards to emphasize the point that this was precious rationed beef. In another 1943 broadcast, which was filmed, Lana Turner complied with a request by frying a steak on stage. On an October 1943 broadcast emceed by Hope, actress Carole Landis was asked to sigh into the microphone. The requests were often musical ones like, “Can Judy Garland sing ‘Over the Rainbow?’” But sometimes they were very creative requests. Radio producer Louis Cowan conceived of the show’s format considering that large numbers of American in uniform would appreciate giving commands instead of receiving orders.
The show functioned largely as a precursor to the call-in show, soliciting and honoring requests from troops. Originally recorded in New York, Command Performance later moved to Hollywood, where it was prerecorded in front of a live audience for later shortwave broadcast. The first weekly half-hour show was broadcast on March 1, 1942.