The Short-Timers
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| The Short-Timers | |
| Author | Gustav Hasford |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Autobiographical, War novel |
| Publisher | Harper and Row (HB) & Bantam (PB) |
| Publication date | 1979 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 192 pp (paperback edition) |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-553-17152-6 (paperback edition) |
| Followed by | The Phantom Blooper |
The Short-Timers is a semi-autobiographical novel by former Marine Gustav Hasford about his experience in the Vietnam War. It was later adapted into the film Full Metal Jacket by Hasford, Michael Herr, and Stanley Kubrick.
The book is now out of print, but Hasford's website offers free downloads.
Contents |
[edit] Plot summary
The book is divided into three sections, written in completely different styles of prose.
"The Spirit of the Bayonet" chronicles Pvt. James T. "Joker" Davis' days in the Marine Corps boot camp, where a drill instructor (Sergeant Gerheim) breaks the men's spirit and then rebuilds them as brutal killers. Here Joker befriends Pvt. Cowboy and Pvt. Pyle, whose ineptitude and weak character ultimately makes him snap and kill Gerheim after one last act of madness. Pyle, after aiming at Joker, pulls the trigger on himself. This section is written in a very simple, savage style.
"Body Count" shows some of Joker's life as a war correspondent for the Marines. He travels to Huế with Rafter Man, his photographer, and meets up with Cowboy, a friend from boot camp, and assistant squad leader in the Lusthog Squad. During a battle, Joker is "wounded" (actually only knocked out by an RPG concussion blast) and the book goes into a psychedelic dream sequence. After his quick recovery, Joker learns that the squad leader, Crazy Earl, was KIA after apparently going insane in battle and attempting to kill an NVA machine-gun position with his Red-Ryder BB gun. Later, Joker and Rafter Man battle a sniper that killed T.H.E. Rock and the entire Hardass Squad, with the battle ending with Rafter Man's first confirmed kill and Cowboy being wounded slightly. The vignette ends with Joker "humping" to his next assignment with Rafterman, and, as a tank approaches, Rafterman panics and, while trying to get away, is run over, split in half, and then dies. The writing style in "Body Count" is more complex than that in "The Spirit of the Bayonet".
In "Grunts," Joker has been demoted to a grunt, and the entire section takes place on a mission through the jungle with Cowboy's squad, outside of Khe Sanh. They encounter another sniper here, who wounds Alice, Doc Jay, and the New Guy multiple times. After the company commander goes crazy (the only thing he says over the radio is "Only you can prevent forest fires"), Cowboy decides to pull the squad back and retreat, rather than sacrifice everyone trying to save Doc Jay, Alice, and the New Guy. Animal Mother threatens Cowboy for trying to leave, and refuses to retreat, so, after promoting Joker to squad leader, Cowboy runs in there with his pistol and shoots Alice, Doc Jay, and the New Guy in the head, but, while attempting to kill himself, the sniper shoots the gun out of his hand. Joker then realizes his duty to Cowboy and shoots him through the head.
This section is written in a more complex style than the previous two, with more time spent on Joker's inner thoughts.
[edit] "Short" vs. "lifer" vs. "poge"
Joker and his fellow Marines refer to military personnel in various ways. A "short" soldier or "short-timer" is one who intends to serve a brief tour of duty in Vietnam, usually one year. "Lifers" are distinguished not necessarily by the length of time they have served, but rather by their attitude toward the lower ranks. (Joker describes the distinction as follows: "A lifer is anybody who abuses authority he doesn't deserve to have. There are plenty of civilian lifers.") Finally, "poges" (an alternative spelling for the slang term pogue) are soldiers who fill non-combat roles; they are a favorite target of the front-line troops' derision, and vice versa.
[edit] Film, TV or theatrical adaptations
The novel was adapted into the film Full Metal Jacket by Hasford, Michael Herr, and Stanley Kubrick.
The first section of the novel, "The Spirit of the Bayonet," is very faithfully reproduced in the movie Full Metal Jacket. There are only minor differences of events, and names. The most profound difference is that, in the book, when Pvt. Pyle kills Gunny Gerheim (Hartman), Gerheim tells Pyle "I'm proud [of you]" before being killed, finally being assured that he turned him into a killer. Also, Pyle not only talks to his rifle, but also considers it his wife, and kills Gerheim because he looked at her funny.
The movie then combines certain elements of "Body Count" and "Grunts" for the second part of the movie. In Full Metal Jacket, the combat is in Hue, and they do take on a sniper, although the actual sequence more closely resembles the sniper battle in "Grunts". Dialog in the second part of the movie is also a mix of elements from "Body Count" and "Grunts".
Several important sequences are left out from the movie adaptation: a previous meeting between Joker and his squad at the movies, the slaughtering of rats at the camp by Joker and his friends as Rafter Man watches, Rafter Man's lapse of cannibalism and a part where the tank Joker and Rafter Man ride runs over a little girl and a water buffalo. A flashback revealing the origins of Rafter Man's nickname is also omitted. His real name is Lance Corporal Compton. Also Rafter Man is later run over and killed by the same tank that ran over the little girl and water buffalo. Then Joker is demoted to a grunt for wearing his peace sign button.
Additionally, some names are changed and certain characters in the book do not appear in the movie, and vice-versa. Several "lifers" (Capt. January, Mayor Lynch, General Motors) have been left out or been merged into one. Private Leonard Pratt (book), Leonard Lawrence (movie) ; Gunny Gerheim (Book), Gunny Hartman (Movie). The character of Alice (in the book) seems to have been renamed and altered slightly to Eightball (movie). Also, in the movie, T.H.E. Rock doesn't die and Crazy Earl is killed by a booby-trap. Daytona Dave, Chili Vendor and Mr. Payback are all in the movie. However in the novel Daytona Dave is described as a California surf-type while in the movie he is played by an African American. All of the three can be seen in the movie just prior to and during the Tet Offensive.
