Retired Marine-turned-Hollywood star will be at air show

R. Lee Ermey, a retired Marine gunnery sergeant who went on to Hollywood fame as an actor, will be on hand to greet spectators at the Marine Corps Air Station on Saturday for the Yuma Air Show.

Ermey will be at the Marine For Life program booth during the air show, which will begin with the gate opening at 8 a.m.

The Emporia, Kan., native is best known for his role in the 1987 Stanley Kubrick war film, "Full Metal Jacket," in which he portrayed Gunnery Sgt. Hartman, a hard-charging Parris Island drill instructor in charge of training the film's protagonist, Private Joker.

He also has appeared in such films as "Mississippi Burning," "Seven," "Dead Man Walking" and "Toy Story."

The 64-year-old currently hosts "Mail Call," a documentary program on the History Channel in which Ermey answers viewers' questions about military weapons and equipment, past and present.

Marine For Life is a transition-assistance program for Marines and their families to get settled in their community after leaving active duty. The program taps into the network of Marine veterans and Marine-friendly businesses, organizations and individuals that are willing to lend a hand to Marines.

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This story previously appeared in The Desert Warrior, the newspaper of the Marine Corps Air Station.