Vietnam can kill me, but it can't make me care.
—Tagline
Gunnery Sergeant Hartman: I am Gunnery Sergeant Hartman, your senior drill instructor. From now on you will speak only when spoken to, and the first and last words out of your filthy sewers will be "Sir". Do you maggots understand that?
Recruits: Sir, yes sir!
Gunnery Sergeant Hartman: Bullshit, I can't hear you! Sound off like you got a pair!
Recruits: SIR, YES SIR!
Gunnery Sergeant Hartman: If you ladies leave my island, if you survive recruit training, you will be a weapon. You will be a minister of death praying for war. But until that day, you are pukes. You are the lowest form of life on Earth. You are not even human fucking beings! You are nothing but unorganized grab-asstic pieces of amphibian shit! Because I am hard, you will not like me. But the more you hate me, the more you will learn. I am hard but I am fair. There is no racial bigotry here. I do not look down on niggers, kikes, wops or greasers. Here you are all equally worthless. And my orders are to weed out all non-hackers who do not pack the gear to serve in my beloved Corps. Do you maggots understand that?
Recruits: Sir, yes sir!
Gunnery Sergeant Hartman: Bullshit, I can't hear you!
Recruits: SIR, YES SIR!
— Gunnery Sergeant Hartman's Establishing Character Moment
"I wanted to see exotic Vietnam... the crown jewel of Southeast Asia. I wanted to meet interesting and stimulating people of an ancient culture... and kill them. I wanted to be the first kid on my block to get a confirmed kill."
—Sgt. Joker
"Is that you, John Wayne — is this me?"
— Joker
Door Gunner: Git some! Git some! Git some! Yeah, yeah, yeah! Anyone who runs is a VC. Anyone who stands still is a well-disciplined VC! You should do a story about me sometime!
Private Joker: Why should we do a story about you?
Door Gunner: 'Cause I'm so fucking good! That ain't no shit either! I done got me 157 Gooks killed and fifty water buffalo too! They were all certified.
Private Joker: Any women or children?
Door Gunner: Sometimes!
Door Gunner: Easy, you just don't lead 'em so much! Ain't war hell?
"What is your major malfunction, numbnuts? Didn't mommy and daddy show you enough attention when you were a child?"
— Hartman's last words
"Charlie has hit every major military target in Vietnam, and hit 'em hard. In Saigon, the United States Embassy has been overrun by suicide squads. Khe Sahn is standing by to be overrun. We also have reports that a division of N.V.A. has occupied all of the city of Hue south of the Perfume River. In strategic terms, Charlie's cut the country in half...the civilian press are about to wet their pants and we've heard even Cronkite's going to say the war is now unwinnable. In other words: It's a huge shit sandwich, and we're all gonna have to take a bite."
— Lt. Locker debriefing the impending attack on Khe Sanh.