mail call

Mail Call was a television program appearing on the History Channel and hosted by R. Lee Ermey, a retired United States Marine Corps Staff Sergeant, (given the honorary rank of Gunnery Sergeant in May 2002). The show debuted on August 4, 2002 as part of the 'Fighting Fridays' lineup. Most episodes were 30 minutes, but 2007 through the show's end in 2009 some episodes were 60 minutes.

During each episode, Ermey read and answered questions submitted by viewers regarding weapons and equipment used by all branches of the U.S. military now or in the past, as well as by other armed forces in history. Ermey often took his viewers on location to military training areas to film demonstrations. When not on location, Ermey broadcasted from a set resembling a military outpost, including a tent, a Jeep, and various other pieces of military gear which have changed throughout the series.

Comic relief was provided as Ermey inflicted DI-style verbal abuse on his viewers or tested the effects of various weapons on watermelons (the host's "sworn enemy") and paint cans, as well as occasional appearances of "Mini-Lee", an action figure styled in Ermey's likeness, often seen berating a luckless G.I. Joe figurine. His demeanor as host was similar to the character "Gunnery Sergeant Hartman" portrayed by Ermey in the Stanley Kubrick film Full Metal Jacket, though this attitude was shown only towards his viewers (e.g., insisting that his viewers return after a commercial break) and not the military special guests. Older viewers might have compared him to Sergeant Vincent Carter, a character in the Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. television program.

"Mail Call" also was the name of a popular World War II-era radio program. It was created by the Armed Forces Radio Service and debuted August 11, 1942. It featured celebrities of the day and was meant as entertainment for American overseas forces. In both cases, the title "Mail Call" is drawn from the military practice of the same name where soldiers assemble to receive mail from a designated person, who will call each soldier's name in turn to pick up their mail.

The program had had several DVD video releases, including episodes from seasons one through seven, as well as a blooper video called Mail Call: S.N.A.F.U..

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