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Mel
Gibson and the Gang Go to Boot Camp
For
Mel Gibson, veteran of war films like "Gallipoli," "Braveheart"
and "The Patriot," toting a weapon, be it battle-axe, rifle,
or machine gun, is practically old hat.
But
that doesn't mean he didn't take the training for "We Were Soldiers"
seriously. Randall Wallace, the movie's director, insisted that his actors
gather in Fort Benning, Georgia and put themselves utterly at the mercy
of some real live Army Rangers.
While
Gibson, who plays Lt. Col. Hal Moore, insists that their training was
"the celebrity wimp boot camp," and not the heavy-duty butt
kicking the real Rangers undergo, the stars did their share of 5 a.m.
runs, calisthenics, and obstacle courses. They made the Bachelor Officers'
Quarters their home for two weeks, got acquainted with real Vietnam-era
weapons, and ducked live fire, all to give the actors the chance to get
into the heads of their real-life counterparts and make the battle scenes
as authentic as possible.
So
what kind of soldier does Mel think he would be? "Probably the one
you see running away," he jokes. "Who knows, man, I don't want
to find out. I think what happens is that if you learn and drill and you
know all the basics then things become automatic. Hopefully that kind
of process would happen to me."
 From
Sunup to Sundown: Sample Boot Camp Regimen
Former
Army Ranger Jason Powell served as technical advisor for the movie. He
led the actors, including Mel Gibson, Sam Elliott, Barry Pepper, Greg
Kinnear, and Jsu Garcia, through two weeks of boot camp designed especially
to emphasize skills needed for the filming. Powell says, "the director
told me, 'do whatever you need to do to accomplish your mission-that's
to make these guys look like soldiers in two weeks.'"
| Day
1: |
| 0445 |
Wake
up call. The recruits have 15 minutes to strip their beds, throw on
their uniforms and boots and be out on the road in formation. |
| 0500 |
Ten-mile
road march from the barracks to the M-16 firing range. The recruits
wear weighted rucksacks and brand-new boots. By the end of the two
weeks, some of the actors were nursing broken, bloody blisters, says
Powell. |
| 0730 |
Chow. The recruits are treated to an MRE-the Army's ready-made vacuum-packed
meals of spaghetti or crackers and jelly. Then they practice shooting
live rounds at targets. Although the actors will be shooting blanks
while filming, Powell knows his trainees will pay a whole lot more
attention if they practice with live ammunition. For lunch: another
MRE, between rounds. |
| 1400 |
Walk to the M-60 range. If an actor's gun jams during filming, Powell
wants him to know what to do. So they learn to clean and fix a jammed
weapon, and break down the M-60 and put it back together. |
| 1700 |
Board bus back to barracks for 3 hours of classroom time. Subject:
Army etiquette and customs. Topics: how to salute, rank structure,
and formation movements. |
| 2000 |
End of day. The recruits, relieved not to be eating another MRE, head
into town for a hot meal, and a couple of beers at the local bar.
But they've got to be back at 2400 for lights out. Was disciplinary
action ever necessary? "Well, I'm not going to name any names,"
says Powell, "but one night a couple of the guys stayed out real
late. The next morning they showed up unshaven with their uniforms
looking like crap. I gave them a pretty good butt-chewing, and needless
to say, it never happened again." |
| Day
2: |
| 0445 |
Wake up call. |
| 0500 |
Three-mile run in formation. Powell leads the group and sets the pace
at an 8.5 minute mile. He's cutting them some slack; real recruits
start out at a 7.5 minute mile. The recruits sing cadences in time
to their steps: Powell calls out a chant, and the men reply. |
| 0530 |
Calisthenics.
Pyramid training: First, a set of 15 push-ups, then a set of 14, then
13, and so on. Repeat with sit-ups.
Timed training: First, 1 min. and 30 seconds of push-ups, then 1 minute,
then 30 seconds. Repeat with sit-ups.
10 Pull-ups |
| 0600 |
Shower
and change into uniforms. |
| 0700 |
Chow at dining facility. |
| 0730 |
Bus to Army Ranger School obstacle course. The recruits scale walls,
run across planks to learn balance, and crawl under barbed wire through
mucky water. |
| 1200 |
Lunch break. |
| 1230 |
Land navigation exercises. The recruits learn to find their way through
the woods, using maps, compasses and landmarks. They practice techniques
in buddy teams. |
| 1530 |
Battle first aid class. When a soldier gets shot during filming, Powell
wants his men to react realistically. They learn to apply pressure
bandages to deal with, for example, a sucking chest wound. |
| 1700 |
Bus back to Ft. Benning barracks for chow and three more hours of
classroom time. Subject: Army history. |
| 2000 |
End of Day. Just 12 more to go… |
--Laura
Freschi, Military.com
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