Mail Call(2002)
Documentary
First Air Date: 2002-08-04
Average Runtime: 30m
Rating: 7.2
Votes: 5
Seasons: 8
Episodes: 105
Mail Call was a television program that appeared on the History Channel and hosted by R. Lee Ermey, a retired United States Marine Corps Staff Sergeant,. The show debuted on August 4, 2002 as part of the 'Fighting Fridays' lineup. Most episodes were 30 minutes, but from 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 broadcast from a set resembling a military outpost, including a tent, a Jeep, and various other pieces of military gear which changed throughout the series. At times, he would also have a bulldog - usually symbolic of Marines, especially drill instructors - on his show as well. Comic relief was provided as Ermey inflicted DI-style verbal abuse on his viewers or tests the effects of various weapons on watermelons 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 and not the military special guests. Older viewers might compare him to Sergeant Vincent Carter, a character in the Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. television program.
Available on
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HistorySeasons & Episodes
Season 1
Episodes: 13E01
Tank; Gatling Gun; Samurai Sword
Air Date: 2002-08-04
Steering a World War II tank; Gatling gun's speed; power of the samurai sword.
E02
Knight's Armor; WWI Backpack; Landmine
Air Date: 2002-08-11
Parts of 15th-century armor; World War I infantry backpack; ingredients of a land mine.
E03
Flak Vest; Medieval Crossbow; WWI Pilots
Air Date: 2002-08-18
Body armor; accuracy of a medieval crossbow; how World War I pilots shot through their propellers.
E04
Civil War Cannoneers; Night Vision; Clearing a Minefield
Air Date: 2002-08-25
Aiming Civil War artillery pieces; how night-vision technology works; how to clear a minefield.
E05
Landing Craft, Air Cushion Hovercraft (LCAC); U.S. Cavalry Saddles; Gas Masks
Air Date: 2002-09-01
Operating the LCAC; cavalry saddles used in the Old West; how gas masks work.
E06
Mortar; WWII GIs' Personal Items; Native-American Arrows
Air Date: 2002-09-08
Maneuverable artillery; musket; Navy airships; precision flying team; pirates; depth charges
E07
Re-Fueling a Fighter Jet; Naval Signal Flags; GI Chow
Air Date: 2002-09-15
How to refuel a fighter jet in mid-air; how ships send messages using signal flags; what soldiers eat.
E08
Revolutionary WarMusket; Jousting; Foxholes
Air Date: 2002-09-22
How fast a Revolutionary War soldier could fire a musket; jousting; how to dig a foxhole.
E09
The Pilum; WWII Radios; First Rockets
Air Date: 2002-09-29
The ancient Roman pilum is designed to penetrate armor; World War II army radios; how rockets were first used on the ...
E10
Ninja Weapons; Flamethrower; Military Dogs
Air Date: 2002-10-05
The weapons of the Japanese Ninja; how flamethrowers work; what military dogs do.
E11
Grenades; Dog Tags; Dinner in a Pouch
Air Date: 2002-10-07
No episode overview available.
E12
The Jeep; HIMARS; Hurricanes
Air Date: 2002-10-21
No episode overview available.
E13
Future Gear; Marine Camouflage; Army's New Armored Vehicle
Air Date: 2002-10-28
Possible gear for troops on tomorrow's battlefields; Marines design their new camouflage pattern; the Stryker.
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