Gunny Hanney
*beep* bada$$
'Nuff said.
Woof.
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MovieChat Forums > The Pacific (2010) Discussion > Gunny Hanney
It has been awhile since I watched the Pacific, so I can't remember if it was mentioned in the series, but Haney was also a World War One veteran. He fought in the trenches during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive at the end of that war.
How hardcore is that to have fought on the front lines in not one, but two World Wars?
And then there are men, who fought in WW2, Korea and Vietnam.
´´This is your life and it's ending one minute at a time´´
The man who lived in my parents' house before they moved in was in WWI for the duration (almost 4 years) and then did 540+ days in WWII. He was sent home after his son went missing in Europe.
shareI have a friend who was a marine, served in the same unit as the guy who wrote generation kill. He was marine recon during the Iraqi invasion. He said Generation Kill was spot on as far as he was concerned.
Anyway, this marine was escorting two WWII vets in some ceremony. He said these guys new Gunny from the Pacific war, and said he was a killer who loved killing. He enjoyed it. They were not fans of his and said the way he was immortalized by the Marine Corp was disgusting.
Anyway, that is just what I heard.
FYI Generation Kill was written by a Rolling Stones Reporter named Evan Wright. Generation Kill was very good in my opinion, both the book and the series. I wouldnt say its spot on though because its told from one perspective, the reporters perspective. He was embedded with 1st Recon and wrote specifically what he saw but, also included a bunch of things he only heard. Some of the things he heard he got right, some of it he got wrong and some of it either needs to be read between the lines on or used in the right context. Marines are not immune scuttlebutt. Alot of the petty things said by many of the Marines in 1st Recon that were written by Wright were very much misinterpreted and or both overstated. But still a very good book and miniseries.
In 'With the Old Breed', Gunny Haney is described as being pulled off the line in Pelielu. Which is exactly what the series shows. Sledge commented that Haney was deeply effected by the losses of Marines and the general carnage of combat. Anyone who enjoys it, isnt going to break down and be affected in that way.
Having said that, for Marines in Close Combat, especially against the Japanese there simply has to somekind of enjoyment out of doing it. This series is a good example as every main character has to come to terms with the grim reality of killing. If you don't adopt an apathetic doctrine for yourself, the killing will become impossible. Just because certain Marine's killed in a calculating and efficient way doesnt mean they enjoyed it or reveled in it. They were doing their job, which was to kill the enemy. They were doing what they were trained, which was to adapt and overcome, kill before being killed. Having sympathy and fighting fair gets you dead. So if you dont understand why Marines venerate other Marines like Haney, maybe you will now.
I am the motherf&*%in Shore Patrol As^&*%#!
In 'With the Old Breed', Gunny Haney is described as being pulled off the line in Pelielu. Which is exactly what the series shows. Sledge commented that Haney was deeply effected by the losses of Marines and the general carnage of combat.
While he was probably affected in the way you mention,Gunny Hanney asked to be pulled from the front lines at Pelielu due to the intensity of the combat and his physical ability to be able to keep up and not hold back the rest of the Company that in the whole unit,probably did not have anyone else even 15 years within his own advanced (For a front line soldier) age. share
It was a powerful series to be sure and it has certainly changed my thinking of battle in the Pacific. I do plan on reading Sledge's book. I will also check back with my friend, make sure I got it his 2nd/3rd hand accounts right.
shareI do plan on reading Sledge's book.
It is a very good book. His descriptions of the battle for Okinawa are like something straight out of Hell itself. share
You definitely get the vibe that Sledge was more bemused by Haney than impressed. He describes many occasions when Haney seemed to be making a spectacle of himself. Going by the way Sledge describes him in his book, you definitely get the vibe that Sledge didn't think much of him.
shareSo if you dont understand why Marines venerate other Marines like Haney, maybe you will now.From what the previous poster said, this was not the case. They clearly didn't venerate Gunny Haney.
On the matter of being empathetic and making it impossible to kill, I can only say that veterans will each have their own perspectives on this. Some did it because they had to, others may have got some secret pleasure out of it. If Haney was not well liked by others who had to adopt an apathetic approach to killing, then perhaps they had good reason not to like him.
If Haney was someone who enjoyed killing, it's also entirely possible that he had a sort of epiphany on Okinawa - maybe caused by the accidental shooting of one of their own the night before - which resulted in him suddenly questioning his own moral position. This would cause an irreversible breakdown of character in a man like that and probably explains his emotional collapse. share
2 Marines at funeral is not the entire Marine Corps. The Marine Corps in general, that is past and present, does in fact venerate Gunny Haney. Im sure you can find Marine vets somewhere that will say bad things about Chesty Puller too, that doesn't mean the Marine Corps doesn't hold him in a Godly status. 1 off hand comment by a poster that heard something from someone that heard it from someone else amounts to *beep* IMHO. Gunny Haney is easily one of the 3 highest held Gunnery Sergeants in the Marine Corps. Name the other 2 and there might be a prize!
Everything else you are saying is third person. Look at my post....hmmm....its not third person. I am not basing my contribution to the thread on a wealth of Call of Duty experience or assumption. Thats why you don't see me making comments on boards about Day Trading or Microbiology.
If you actually watched the mini series or read the books maybe you would be up on the fact that Gunny Haney never made it to Okinawa.
You're taking a dump and they call GQ do you pinch it off or finish your business?
The Marine Corps in general, that is past and present, does in fact venerate Gunny Haney.Sez you.
What does it matter whether or not he was at Okinawa? My memory of the exact circumstances has faded. What does it matter if you write in the first person or not? I know what you're hinting at. You can't speak for all marine corps veterans who knew him any more than I can.
Your comparison with Chesty Puller doesn't hold water because we are not talking about him.
The point is; there's room for doubt. Two marines at a funeral is better than nothing. I'd be interested in following it up but it's geographically impossible. Only by investigating a diversity of opinion can you get a clear picture.
I have a feeling he was no Andrew Haldane. share
Gunny Haney is easily one of the 3 highest held Gunnery Sergeants in the Marine Corps. Name the other 2 and there might be a prize!
Not up on my Marine Corps icons as I should be but Gunny Hathcock has gotta be one of them.
I joined the Navy to see the world, only to discover the world is 2/3 water! share
Bingo! Depends on the coast too, Jarheads are Regiment Snobs to beat. West Coast I would say Haney, Basilone and Hathcock. Haney and Diamond though are probably interchangeable. Haney's antics though wire brush on the balls, Kabar to shave, that is what the nutsy among the Jarheads aspire to. Thats Grunts for you, they gravitate towards the extreme and apolitical.
You're taking a dump and they call GQ do you pinch it off or finish your business?
Where have you been man? Out to sea?
LTNS on the posts
I joined the Navy to see the world, only to discover the world is 2/3 water!
I was for a while. A combination of new restrictions on workstation useage with about a doubling of workload mean no way for me to do the dB thing. Now Im cross decking to a bird farm that is going very soon. It was a deal I made with the devil to make Senior if not this board, the next one for sure. I do this one just for the deployment then Im going to Shore Duty.
You're taking a dump and they call GQ do you pinch it off or finish your business?
Played by an Australian actor (Gary Sweet).
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