Love reading the Sgt. Grit Newsletter, I have a contribution some may find interesting.
In the summer of 1986 Clint Eastwood was directing and starring in ‘Heartbreak Ridge’ as GySgt Thomas Highway. It’s a bit hokey with lots of inaccuracies but still contains enough to hold the attention of most Marines. Highway’s recon unit is supposedly based out of Camp Lejeune but in fact the movie was filmed at Camp Pendleton and MCAS El Toro only one month before I reported to VMGR-352 / MAG-11 / 3rd MAW (my last duty station before leaving active duty). Clint had even signed the overhead control panel with a Sharpie on the flight deck of tail # 019, a KC-130F. (The KC-130 is a rugged, reliable, versatile, awesome aircraft, been flying now more than 50 years)
Clint stands tall in cammies here. Second from right is my boss GySgt Peterson, Flight Crew and NCOIC of Electric Shop, and far right is my buddy Sgt Ken (last name withheld) who was a Loadmaster. Interestingly, I work with Ken now, but we did not know each other then though our duty in 352 overlapped by several months. Lots of the extras at the end of the movie were 352 Marines and you can clearly see the squadron CO, LtCol Ritchie.
(SSGT) Scott E. Bawinkel
USMC 1981 – 1990
Fox River Grove, IL
At that time I was in 1/7 based at the time at camp San Mateo on Camp Pendleton. I was there when they used the 3/9 CP that at the time was mostly vacant due to them being at 29 stumps I believe. The grinder was full of trucks and busses. I was headed to the pool to hopefully upgrade my swim qual and saw him standing on the balcony of one of the exterior stairwells. He did stand tall at the railing.
Would have liked to shake his hand back then.
I agree it is a rather hokie flick but, I like that I can see some of my own history on the screen.
D.I.
Kenosha, Wi.
Yep cool story of your time with filming of Heartbreak Ridge.
Cool Pic. Thanks for sharing.
Nice story… it was cool seeing the Squadron on the big screen. We were still MAG-13 back then…. I was part of VMGR 352 part of the power plant shop at H&MS-13. I left the Corps in Nov 86.
I was stationed at MCAS El Toro for most of ;71-’74. 3rd MAW, MAG 11, VMFA-531, ordnance shop. Truly a great duty station. 531 disbanded in the late ’70’s and then El Toro was sold in the early ’90’s.
Many a great time while there and met some truly great friends and Marines.
Semper Fidelis
Mike Kerick
Pottsville, PA
I also wanted to mention that I flew on C-130’s many a times for deployments to Fallon, NV, Yuma, AZ, and San Clemente Island off the coast of southern California.
That surely was a rugged and durable aircraft. I can still remember how it would shutter and shake as it powered up for take off.
Stationed at ElToro ’75-’79…with 311 Tomcats…recognized El Toro when Gunny Highway landed…our favorite movie and never get tired of watching it.
I was assigned to TFO at Los Pugas. I was assigned to impact area control at both LONGRIFLE and CRESTLINE towers. During the drop into the bear pit we talked to a civilian aircraft who inturn talked to the drop aircraft. The bar in the movie is actually the SHALLOWS INN in San Clemente. Several years later I got out and was hired by the San Diego Police Department. One of my academy mates was one of the extras in Gy/Sgt Highways plt.
I was at C-pool H&HS ElToro right next to the flight line. Thanks for the memories
Great story; Clint is one Hollywood actor I actually respect. Genuine, humble and a patriot.
I was a young corporal in 1986, stationed @ San Mateo, Home of the 7th Regiment at Camp Pendleton when Clint Eastwood graciously stood for hours meeting thousands of Marines. I’m only sorry @ the time, I didn’t capture the moment with a photo.
MCAS El Toro was my first duty station, then someone decided I was needed in Vietnam.
Is this Croe?
The jailer in the scene where Clint Eastwood was in jail was retired Lt Col Larry Brinkman, USMC, (RIP) who was at that time a warden in the CA prison system. Before Larry was an officer, he was a Staff Sgt. in my company, Hotel, 2/9, in Vietnam in 1967.
Were you with H 2/9 in late May 1967? Operation Hickory If so who was the little Sgt. that threw all the grenades to cover us when getting the wounded. I always wonder if he got a medal for it, but figure he didn’t. Do you remember Eccoes and Awfully a M-60 team. Spelled their names as best I could. Murray 1371
I was there in May 1967, but I don’t recall what you mention. I was 2nd Lt. 1st Platoon Cdr. and SSgt Brinkman was 3rd Platoon Sgt. Nice to know some of us are still around.
Semper Fi
Bob, 19May1967 1330 Few days into Operation Hickory, 7 KIA 12 WIA 2 Tanks (NoBalls Mother Fucker and Soul Sauce a Flame Tank) Both hit put out. I know we know some of the same guys. We were in the Mountains on a Different operation for weeks before. I was Eng attached. Murray 1371
Murray, as luck would have it, on 5/19/1967 I was on 2 days light duty in the rear (Dong Ha). We had just come in from a long time in the bush, and my feet were so swollen from jungle rot that I couldn’t get my boots on. I remember the date because one of the tank commanders who was killed that day 2nd Lt. Don Schafer, a friend of mine who was in my Basic School class. I had to go to Dong Ha graves registration to identify his body.
This is where we were when we were kids.
Semper Fi.
I was station as a guard at the prison when they filmed the movie, Lt Col Brinkman was my CO at that time. Sorry to hear of he’s passing.
As I recall, I ran into Larry again in 1968 when he was in Warrant Officer OCS at Quantico and I was on the staff there. I also went to his funeral in about 2007 at Arlington.
The Marine Corps bar in the movie that he liked to go to was within walking distance from my house in Vista California. The place pretty much looked like it did in the movie all the time anyway and they only had to make a couple of changes to accommodate the movie scenes filming.
Great story you Hollywood Marines, boot at the Island 69’ tour of Southeast Asia. Keep up the good stories…Semper Fi
Love all this double-timing down memory lane. The barracks shots, the formation cadence scene and the extras in the running scenes were all from Talega Area, 1st Recon Bn. down the road from 5th Mar.Reg. My team mate’s got a kick out of running down the fire breaks with the actors. They exclaimed “you guys run down this” ? Of course Recon Marines answered “8 miles, 4 times a day” ?!?!? Ooo-Rahh Brothers !
Mr. Eastwood has always shown great respect for the Marine Corps and the military. I remember when I was a mountain warfare instructor back in the early 80’s when he showed up at Leavitt Lodge. The units had finished up the training for the day and we, the instructors, were walking over to the lodge. Mr. Eastwood had been watching us train. As we approached the lodge, he spoke to us and started talking about the training. I think it was Sgt. Madder who ask for his autograph.; to which he replied that he would not sign an autograph but he would have a beer with us. Just what every Marine wants to hear! LOL
So we all, the instructors and Mr. Eastwood, crammed into the Leavitt Lodge around the bar and the stone fireplace; and he bought the first round for us all. While Dean and Mary, the owners of the lodge, handed out our drinks, we talked about the training and he talked about his service. We had a group picture taken taken outside the lodge. I don’t know who ended up with it? Maybe someone will read this and post it.
And if Mr. Eastwood happens to read this, then he’ll know that his kindness has never been forgotten and there are Marine’s out there that still lift a mug up for him and his health. Semper Fi
I was a GYSgt Drill Instructor at MCRD San Diego when it was filmed. I spent a lot of my time at Camp Pendleton over the years and of course watched the movie when it came out. It was fun to recognize a lot of the background in the movie.
As a side note, while on the drill field I met R. Lee Ermey (Full Metal Jacket). I was the Bn. Drill Master and one day after graduation practice I was standing at the top of the steps of the theater. The Depot SgtMaj was giving him a tour of the base and before they entered the theater he came up and introduced himself. He was a big guy, may he Rest In Peace.
I was at H&S Company, 2nd Recon Bn, Camp LeJeune between May 1972 – October 1974. The only Quonset Hut in our Battalion area was the supply section, which I was part of. The PX/Enlisted club was a block building, and everything else were wooden building. The road coming into the battalion was a hard top, but once you crossed the line, watch out for the pot holes in the sand/rock base.
East of the barracks was the road, sand domes and then the ocean. From our builders to the ocean was 50 yard. We lost a couple of Marines jumping out of a chopper one day in that ocean.
Our motor pool was quarter mile south of the battalion area.
The movie was very good, but nothing like what it was like at LeJeune.
I was stationed at MCAS (H) Tustin back in 86 when the call came out for Marines in uniform, especially with dress blues to report to El Toro at such and such day and time to be an extra in a movie, that was it, no, hey Clint Eastwood is making a movie, as such we just blew it off because in SoCal this kind of thing wasn’t unheard of. It would have been fun because it was a pretty good movie even with the part about an entire Recon platoon being sh*tbirds and so many not knowing that their new Gunny was an MoH recipient, that news would have flown through even the lowliest of L/Cpls mafia at record speed.
I served from Jan 1, 1978-July 5th 1982 at MCAS El Toro with VMA(aw)121.(A-6E Intruder) as a plane captain.
Can’t believe that base is gone!
I was assigned to VMGR 352 Avionics shop in 86/87. GYSGT Patterson (in the pic) was also my boss. Many extras from our unit were used for the final scene at our hanger. Many pilots and the SGTMAJ had great head shots as well as the color guard which were all Marines from the Avionics shop. One other note, I believe the bureau number of the aircraft filmed flying in the air was completely different than the one waxed and shined for the scene of Marines landing. A couple months after this filming I went on Embassy Duty, best part of my 8 years in the Corps, serving in Madrid, Spain and Lagos, Nigeria.
Semper Fi!
(SGT) Dwayne Vanatta
Gysgt Patterson! Not Peterson, my mistake, thanks Dwayne for the correction.
No problem Scott, we must have just missed each other. Thanks for your article, it brought back some good memories.
I was stationed at El Toro 1958-1960 I was a check crew leader for VMF 334 Mag 33
I remember when they were filming this movie. I was attached to VMFP-3, considering it was the only place in the Marine Corps with my MOS.
Sgt Shaw 81-93
Turbo
Small world. I was at MCRD 10/86-12/86, field training at Pendleton. Then I was at Pendleton until 4/87 for infantry school. One of the instructors in infantry school was a technical advisor for Heartbreak Ridge.
I was an MP and provided security for the movie set at camp pendleton during certain scene shoots. It was great. Some of my fellow MPs even got checks from the movie company for being exteas.
As to Capt, Perdue’s recollection of the Marine bar. I always wondered where that was. I thought it was outside the back gate of Camp Pendleton. Thanks for clearing that up. I was TAD from 11th Marines to TFO at the time.. I liked the move but as stated by alot of people it was alittle hokey. I especially disliked how a Medal of Honor recipient (Highway) was treated buy the Maj in the movie. I hope that would never really happen.
Great picture. With VMGR-352 at MCAS El Toro March 1968-September 1969 Operations Section. NCOIC GySgt Sotelo, Sgt Valesquez, Sgt Warner, Cpl O’Malley. CO Colonel W L Beach, XO LtCil E J Rigby. Great times, great bunch of Marines. Super pilots and crews.
I was stationed at Camp Pendelton when the movie was filmed. Me and a couple Marines were walking on the side of the main road when the Generals Staff car was driving by slowly,,I yelled Aten Hut and we stopped and saluted. One of the windows was partially down and I am like ” Holy S*#,t! We just saluted Clint Eastwood!
There’s a distinct sound an F4-Fantom with afterburners make. The constant t/offs and landings at MCAS El Toro are just a memory now! Very nostalgic to me. TME 132 MCAS Tustin. LTA OOOHRA!
I always liked the movie because Gy.Highway was a hard- charger.On that note ,I’ve been to all 3 Division’s so I knew it was Camp Pendleton. Any MARINE probably would have recognized it as well if they had been there.Certainly wasn’t Camp Lejeune. Lmao
So right no one in there right mind could ever make the mistake of Camp Pendleton being Camp Lejeune, God Bless the Corps Semper Fi
Stationed 1St RTBn MCRD San Diego in 1970 when they made the hollywood movie about a Di and a hippie called, “Tribes”. Darren McGavin played the DI and he asked our battalion gunny for suggestions on how to play a Good DI, without hesitation our Gunny told him to get a f…ken haircut, I thought the SgtMaj would crap a load. One of the great memories of great years in the Corps (68-76)
Semper Fi Jarheads
I was a GYSGT at VMGR352 during the time of filming Heartbreak Ridge. My wife and daughter were extras in the movie as were most of the squadron families. The KC 130 R was the aircraft used in the movie. The picture with Clint was one of many taken during his short visit. LTCOL Richie was not in the picture posted. It was a great time for the squadron personnel.