# What on earth is the deal with this guy's face in the film "Full Metal Jacket?" **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 14, 2008, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-on-earth-is-the-deal-with-this-guys-face-in-the-film-full-metal-jacket/456461 "2008-07-14T17:23:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2008, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-on-earth-is-the-deal-with-this-guys-face-in-the-film-full-metal-jacket/456461/1 "2008-07-14T17:23:50Z")
OK, I was watching _Full Metal Jacket._ There’s this great little segment after Cowboy’s squad secures the path into the city of Hue and all the support guys and helicopters and tanks start rolling in. There’s a montage of all the guys posing for the photojournalist’s cameras as the song “The Bird Is The Word” is playing. You can watch the clip [here.](http://youtube.com/watch?v=O8vHrq39JCI) At one point - just as the guitars stop for a moment and the singer slowly mutters “suuuurrrffiiin’ biiiiiird” - you can see a Marine walk by just for one second, and wave at the camera. There is something particularly strange about this guy’s appearance. His face, and the skin on his hands, seems to be a very pale white, much paler than usual, and his facial features seem indistinct and skull-like. He almost looks as if his face and hands are completely covered in chalk dust or flour or something. I created an image - [here](https://oncourse.iu.edu/access/content/user/akentisa/Filemanager_Public_Files/fmj.jpg) - where you can see the guy. In that video clip, he appears at 1:18. What is up with this guy? Is he an Albino? Is he covered in white dust? Is he wrapped up in bandages or something? I haven’t seen a single word about this odd-looking Marine on the IMDB forums for this film. ---
**Author:** ![Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt.Ridley_s_Shooting_Party)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2008, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-on-earth-is-the-deal-with-this-guys-face-in-the-film-full-metal-jacket/456461/2 "2008-07-14T17:36:02Z")
It looks like he has gloves on. Look at the hand holding his rifle, there’s a slight contrast change. I don’t know what’s wrong with his face—perhaps a scarf or something wrapped around his mouth keeping dust away. ---
**Author:** ![Iggins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Iggins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iggins)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2008, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-on-earth-is-the-deal-with-this-guys-face-in-the-film-full-metal-jacket/456461/3 "2008-07-14T18:00:25Z")
He looks like a mummy to me. Maybe an injured Marine in bandages? ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2008, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-on-earth-is-the-deal-with-this-guys-face-in-the-film-full-metal-jacket/456461/4 "2008-07-14T18:25:27Z")
Creepy. Looks like bandages to me, including bandages on his hands. But, I would think that if they’d gone to the trouble of bandaging up one of the extras, they’d have him on screen for more than a second. (Although maybe the plan was to have him do more, but they later changed their minds?) ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2008, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-on-earth-is-the-deal-with-this-guys-face-in-the-film-full-metal-jacket/456461/5 "2008-07-14T18:26:38Z")
Just another one of the odd things one might have encountered in Vietnam – a marine in bandages, just carrying on to the next engagement… ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2008, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-on-earth-is-the-deal-with-this-guys-face-in-the-film-full-metal-jacket/456461/6 "2008-07-14T18:31:41Z")
He’s wrapped in bandages. It keeps dust out. Especially popular with tank gunners, who ride down dusty roads with their heads out of the turret. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2008, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-on-earth-is-the-deal-with-this-guys-face-in-the-film-full-metal-jacket/456461/7 "2008-07-14T22:23:41Z")
My first thought was a stuntman’s fireproof suit. Is there a scene in the movie with a burning guy running around? ---
**Author:** ![Can\_Handle\_the\_Truth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Can\_Handle\_the\_Truth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Can_Handle_the_Truth)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2008, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-on-earth-is-the-deal-with-this-guys-face-in-the-film-full-metal-jacket/456461/8 "2008-07-15T03:55:07Z")
Watch the clip again. The guy is following several stretchers headed for a medevac chopper. He’s walking wounded and about to be evacuated. I count seven stretchers, then the guy, then two more stretchers behind him. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2008, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-on-earth-is-the-deal-with-this-guys-face-in-the-film-full-metal-jacket/456461/9 "2008-07-15T03:56:12Z")
No, there’s nobody on fire in the movie that I can recall. Maybe the Marine was from [Myanmar?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=475584) ---
**Author:** ![Sabin520](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d26b3c/32.png) [@Sabin520](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sabin520)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2018, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-on-earth-is-the-deal-with-this-guys-face-in-the-film-full-metal-jacket/456461/10 "2018-04-24T18:37:20Z")
[![](https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/scn1qdqe48lwu84/20180424_110931.jpg?dl=0) ](https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/scn1qdqe48lwu84/20180424_110931.jpg?dl=0) ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2018, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-on-earth-is-the-deal-with-this-guys-face-in-the-film-full-metal-jacket/456461/11 "2018-04-24T18:45:30Z")
He’s not a zombie: [The bandages are clear in this clip.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQEDojPZ7YI&list=RDKQEDojPZ7YI) ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2018, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-on-earth-is-the-deal-with-this-guys-face-in-the-film-full-metal-jacket/456461/12 "2018-04-24T18:50:50Z")
OP’s image link goes to Indiana University website. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2018, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-on-earth-is-the-deal-with-this-guys-face-in-the-film-full-metal-jacket/456461/13 "2018-04-24T18:51:50Z")
OP is also 10 years old. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2018, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-on-earth-is-the-deal-with-this-guys-face-in-the-film-full-metal-jacket/456461/14 "2018-04-24T18:53:23Z")
Links from ten years ago often don’t work. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2018, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-on-earth-is-the-deal-with-this-guys-face-in-the-film-full-metal-jacket/456461/15 "2018-04-24T18:57:35Z")
He’s not a zombie\*: [The bandages are clear in this clip.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQEDojPZ7YI&list=RDKQEDojPZ7YI) \*That’s our little way of saying “This is a really old thread, so please don’t be offended if the original poster doesn’t return and respond to you.” ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2018, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-on-earth-is-the-deal-with-this-guys-face-in-the-film-full-metal-jacket/456461/16 "2018-04-24T18:57:52Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > OP is also 10 years old. Hey, ol’ **Argent** was pretty childish at times, but I think that was uncalled for. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2018, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-on-earth-is-the-deal-with-this-guys-face-in-the-film-full-metal-jacket/456461/17 "2018-04-24T20:27:59Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > OP is also 10 years old. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2018, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-on-earth-is-the-deal-with-this-guys-face-in-the-film-full-metal-jacket/456461/18 "2018-04-25T14:29:47Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > Hey, ol’ **Argent** was pretty childish at times, but I think that was uncalled for. But impressive if true, since that means that **Argent** was a newborn baby at time of original posting. Quite precocious. BTW, since we’re talking about bandages, I have to insist that the correct necromantic manifestation for this thread isn’t zombie. It’s obviously mummy. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2018, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-on-earth-is-the-deal-with-this-guys-face-in-the-film-full-metal-jacket/456461/19 "2018-04-25T19:37:40Z")
Well, just about time to wrap this up… ---
**Author:** ![Cabin\_Fever\_1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cabin_fever_1/32/2908_2.png) [@Cabin\_Fever\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cabin_Fever_1)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2018, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-on-earth-is-the-deal-with-this-guys-face-in-the-film-full-metal-jacket/456461/20 "2018-04-25T20:23:04Z")
> [@Philster](#): > > Just another one of the odd things one might have encountered in Vietnam – a marine in bandages, just carrying on to the next engagement… Kind of this. Can’t remember the scene in the movie, but yes. War - and getting shot at was not very pretty and a MediVac helo was often hours away and god help you if you weren’t in the LZ at the right time. You had to just march on. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-on-earth-is-the-deal-with-this-guys-face-in-the-film-full-metal-jacket/456461.md?page=2)