Mail Call

R. Lee Ermey, the sergeant in Full Metal Jacket, answers mail about what the armed forces were, and really are, like. He steers a WWII M5A1 tank and explores the Gatling Gun and samurai swords.

What are the different pieces of a Knight's armor? What's in a WWI backpack? What's inside a Landmine?

Can a bullet can penetrate body armor? How accurate was a medieval crossbow? How did WWI pilots shoot through their propellers?

How did Civil War Cannoneers aim their artillery pieces? Exactly how does night vision technology work? How do you clear a minefield?

How do you operate a Landing Craft, Air Cushion (LCAC) hovercraft? What kind of saddles did the Cavalry use in the Old West? How do Gas Masks work?

How do you re-fuel a fighter jet in mid-air? How do ships send messages using signal flags? What did soldiers eat on the battlefield?

How fast could a Revolutionary War soldier fire a musket? What's the deal with Jousting? How do you dig a foxhole?

What is the secret weapon of the Romans? What kind of radios did they use in WWII? What kind of rockets were first used in combat? Just how did rockets first make their way onto the battlefield?

Roman warfare was relentless, but what was their secret weapon? What kind of radios did the military use in WWII? While rockets can cover great distances with extreme accuracy, how were they first used in combat?

What are the weapons of the Ninjas? How does a flamethrower work? Two hundred and fifty dogs a year enter active duty as military war dogs. What do they dö

How do grenades work? What is a Low Altitude Parachute Extraction System (LAPES) Drop? What's the purpose of dog tags? Why did the German WWI helmet have a spike? What do American soldiers eat in the field today?

Host R. Lee Ermey learns all about the Jeep, the rocket launcher called HIMARS and how and why the military hunts down hurricanes.

Ermey looks at possible gear for GIs on tomorrow's battlefields; how the Marines designed their new camo pattern; and examines the Army's new armored vehicle, the Stryker.