Memorial Day 2006: "Reviling the Veteran"

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Platoon: 20th Anniversary DVD

To celebrate the film's 20th anniversary, there's a new DVD edition of Oliver Stone's PLATOON due out May 30. And it comes complete with an all-new commentary by Daddy D.A. himself. For those who don't know, Capt. Dale Dye is not only the preeminent military technical adviser in Hollywood, he's also a hardcore Gus Hasford devotee, going back to their days together in the 1st Marine Division ISO Snuffies. Considering Capt. Dye's commentary on the previous PLATOON DVD is still one of my all-time favorite commentary tracks, I'm anxious to hear what he has to say for this 20th Anniversary Edition.

On a side note, congrats to Capt. Dye and his new bride, Julia, on their recent nuptials. Here's wishing them both a lifetime of cold LZs.

Copies available at Amazon
Capt. Dye's official website --WarriorsInc.com

Full Metal Jacket Diary

Even though it first came out back in October 2005, you still may have missed the boat on this one. FULL METAL JACKET DIARY collects actor Matthew Modine's thoughts, observations and personal photos from his time spent playing Private Joker. Sadly, it doesn't mention much at all about Gus Hasford, but it's still a must for any Full Metal Jacket fan. This first printing is a limited, numbered edition with a special metallic cover.

Copies available at Amazon
Reviews collected at MatthewModine.com

Semper Gus

It was seven years ago that I first created a website devoted to my late cousin, Gustav Hasford. In that time the site has grown from almost nothing to a huge collection of stories, interviews, photos and even the complete texts of his first two out-of-print novels. I've received emails from his fans all over the world. I've met his friends and fellow Marine combat correspondents. And I've learned a lot more about my cousin than I ever knew when he was alive. Unfortunately, I haven't had as much time lately to devote to the site, due to my own fledging writing career and the recent birth of my son. Yet even though parts of the site could use a real overhaul and update, it's still your one stop shopping source for all things Gus related, and I'll always do what I can to keep it that way. Beyond that, one of my goals in life remains the writing of a full-fledged Gus Hasford biography. Stay tuned on that one.

To kick off this new blog, I'll pass along the most recent fan letter I received, this one courtesy of the newest generation of Gus fan:

Dear Gustav (or whoever this is being sent to),
I have recently seen the movie Full Metal Jacket and i loved it. For school we are supposed to be reading a book and doing talks about it, and I couldn't think of a better book to do it on. Once I found out that Full Metal Jacket was based on The Short Timers, I wanted to instantly acquire the book and read it. Sadly, your book is out of print and I wasn't really into reading about that kind of stuff when I was a small child. I have gone to major extents to find a copy of this book, but sadly, I'm not really allowed to spend over $100 on it through Ebay. If you know of anyone who has a version of this book and will sell it or if there is some place I could find it, it would be a really cool thing of you. I greatly appreciate you even reading this E-mail, it means a lot to me. Thanks a mil,
Nick

Dear Mr. Aaron,
First off, thanks for replying. Secondly, I know that you will probably think the fact that I want this book at my age ( 13 btw ), is absurd. Actually, I'm quite mature for my age and enjoy reading books like this. Just to clear up the fact that I'm too young, even though I probably am. As for acquiring the book, I've been checking Ebay daily and there's, sadly, nothing. I hate being a nag but do you know any antique book stores or online sites, I'm in Chicago. Also, do you know why they pulled the plug on this book and stopped producing it? Greatly Appreciated!
Peace, Nick

For the record, I did help the kid find a copy of Shorty. I hope his mother approves.