Marine icon, R. Lee Ermey, dies at 74

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  • R. Lee Ermey, known to most fans simply as the ÒThe GunnyÓ was host of The Sportman ChannelÕs series ÒSaving Private K-9.Ó (Photo courtesy Sportsman Channel.)
  • Actor R. Lee Ermey, portraying “Gunnery Sgt. Hartman,” yells at new Marine recruits in this scene from the 1987 movie “Full Metal Jacket” directed by Stanley Kubrick. Army died Sunday, April 15, 2018. He was 74. (AP Photo)
  • Gunnery Sgt. R. Lee Ermey, on the set of Full Metal Jacket playing the sadistic drill instructor Gunnery Sgt. Hartman. (Photo courtesy R. Lee Ermey’s agent Bill Rogin)
  • Retired Gunnery Sgt. R. Lee Ermey visits with Sailors and Marines aboard the multi-purpose amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima. Iwo Jima is deployed as part of the Iwo Jima Expeditionary Strike Group supporting maritime security operations in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility. (MCSN Chad R. Erdmann/Navy)
  • R. Lee Ermey as Sheriff Hoyt in “Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning. (Photo courtesy New Line Cinema)
  • R. Lee Ermey bends down to talk with Bryant Teat, 4 of Pell City Alabama who wore full military camo to the event, Saturday, Feb. 11, 2012 in Hoover, Ala.. Movie and TV actor R. Lee Ermey is visiting Hoover Tactical Firearms for a two day meet and greet Friday and Saturday February 10-11, 2012. Ermey , a retired U.S. Marine Corps staff sergeant is best known for his role as gunnery sergeant Hartmant in the movie Full Metal Jacket. He was also the host of two History channel TV shows “Mail Call and Lock N Load”. . (AP Photo/The Birmingham News, Joe Songer)
  • Gunnery Sgt. R. Lee Ermey, as a young Marine in the 1960s. He was medically retired after injuries sustained in Vietnam and went on to launch his acting career by playing Gunnery Sgt. Hartman, the sadistic drill instructor in Stanley Kubrick’s classic movie Full Metal Jacket. (Photo courtesy R. Lee Ermey’s agent Bill Rogin)
  • Actor and Marine Corps icon Gunnery Sgt. R. Lee Ermey gives an “Oorah” over the ship’s 1MC to Marines and Sailors aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima. Ermey visited the USS Iwo Jima as a Moral, Welfare and Recreation event for deployed troops during the holiday season. (Cpl. Patrick M. Johnson-Campbell/Marines)
  • Retired Gunnery Sgt. R. Lee Ermey visits with Sailors and Marines aboard the multi-purpose amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima. Iwo Jima is deployed as part of the Iwo Jima Expeditionary Strike Group supporting maritime security operations in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility. (MCSN Chad R. Erdmann/Navy)
  • Caption: R. Lee Ermey, known to most fans simply as the ÒThe GunnyÓ was host of The Sportman ChannelÕs series ÒSaving Private K-9″ back in 2014. (Photo courtesy Sportsman Channel.)
  • Actor and Marine Corps icon Gunnery Sgt. R. Lee Ermey hands Cpl. Trevor J. Blackburn, assigned to Battalion Landing Team 2/6, 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, a small American flag aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima. The flag was sent from residents of Elnora, Ind., as a token of thanks after the Marines and Sailors from the 26th MEU helped reinforce the town’s levees during a flood earlier this year. Ermey visited the USS Iwo Jima as a Moral, Welfare and Recreation event for deployed troops during the holiday season. (Cpl. Patrick M. Johnson-Campbell/Marine)
  • R. Lee Ermey often plays the role of Marine drill instructor which he made famous in Full Metal Jacket.
  • Retired Marine Gunnery Sgt. R. Lee Ermey takes a break for a smoke outside New River Air Station’s Staff NCO club, Monday, May 15, 2006, in Jacksonville, N.C. When people meet Ermey, the first thing they realize is his show-stopping turn as a Marine Corps drill instructor in the movie “Full Metal Jacket” wasn’t an act. His military show on the History Channel, “Mail Call,” has come to New River to tape a segment on the MV-22 Osprey. Between takes, Ermey is spending some time eating chow and chatting with Marines. (AP Photo/The Daily News, Randy Davey)
  • A public appearance by Gunnery Sgt. R. Lee Ermey, retired Marine who played the iconic Gunnery Sgt. Hartman, the sadistic drill instructor in Stanley Kubrick’s classic movie Full Metal Jacket. (Photo courtesy R. Lee Ermey’s agent Bill Rogin)