I think I learned something more about that history of mine, ... There's a, you know, young kid who had been changed by the Marine Corps but could also retain some of his humanity, some of his personality, and that was confirmed for me.

I never saw it as a political book, ... I wanted to open up a world that people might not know anything about. It's up to the people who go to this movie to decide how they feel about it, just like it's their job as Americans to decide how they feel about the war. We're asking the viewer to take responsibility for how they feel.

War is always seductive, ... 'Full Metal Jacket' didn't make me want to join the Marines. I already had fallen in love with the idea of combat. I think whether somebody feels that about our movie is subjective. It depends on the viewer. I got letters from people who said 'I was thinking about joining up and I read your book and now I can't wait' and I got letters from people who said 'I was thinking about joining up and I read your book and now I'm going to go to college.'

He taught me how to read as a writer,

He was quoting me, to me, and he could name a scene and a page number. He convinced me that he knew the story and that he cared for the story and that he cared for me and the other men who had served with me,

I was a guy, sitting alone in a room in Portland, just wanting to tell people what it's like to be in a war, even if it lasts just four days. Especially if it lasts just four days.