Word: drilling
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...first half of the movie portrays the transformation of a group of new recruits--the stars of the show--from civilians into fearless killers, guided by a dictatorial drill sergeant...
Under his ruthless direction, the recruits learn to overcome feelings of compassion and to make their rifles their greatest friend. They are trained so that one day they will learn to shoot as well as Lee Harvey Oswald on Texas mass murderer Charles Higgins, both of whom the drill sergeant believes were part of the great brotherhood of Marines...
Some of the students could probably break the ice at a meeting of Marine Corps drill instructors...
Gone from the modern training lexicon are the physical brutality and psychological abuse that once made camps like Parris Island, S.C., seem the American counterpart of Devil's Island. Boot camp is still rigorous, and some drills involve live ammunition; 37 enlistees have died during training at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego since 1970. But Marine regulations adopted in 1976 forbid drill instructors from touching recruits except to correct their position during instruction or to prevent injury. Punitive push- ups are now limited to just five minutes, with a 30-second break midway. Mental harassment is frowned...
...supposed to run no farther than five miles, and jogging routes are lined with emergency telephones and water hoses. Regulations require that ambulances be present during all activities involving "heights or fights." As three platoons of recruits in San Diego waited to begin close- combat training last week, a drill instructor complained, "We can't start without an ambulance present...