COLLECTION · Series · 2002
Mail Call
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.
Source: TMDB
* 7.2 (5)Documentary
Studios
History
Runtime
30 min/ep
Release
04/08/2002
Score
7.2 / 10 (5)
Where to watch
HISTORY Vault Apple TV Channel
HISTORY Vault Amazon ChannelWith ads
HistorySeasons and episodes
Specials
5 episodes
Episode 1. SNAFU (Xtra-Salty Version)
30 min
No synopsis
Episode 2. Gunny's Deal of the Day
30 min
Mail Call The Best of Season 2 Xtra Gunny's Deal of the Day
Episode 3. D-Day Special
45 min
D-Day Special
Episode 4. A Very Ermey Christmas
2003-12-21 · 46 min
A look at how soldiers have spent the holidays, especially during times of war.
Episode 5. VJ Day Special
2005-08-14 · 70 min
From the deck of the USS Intrepid in New York City, host R. Lee Ermey gives viewers the scoop on the war that the US waged across the Pacific in WWII, culminating with the Japanese surrender and American celebration of VJ Day on August…
Season 1
13 episodes · 2002
Episode 1. Tank; Gatling Gun; Samurai Sword
2002-08-04 · 30 min
Steering a World War II tank; Gatling gun's speed; power of the samurai sword.
Episode 2. Knight's Armor; WWI Backpack; Landmine
2002-08-11 · 30 min
Parts of 15th-century armor; World War I infantry backpack; ingredients of a land mine.
Episode 3. Flak Vest; Medieval Crossbow; WWI Pilots
2002-08-18 · 30 min
Body armor; accuracy of a medieval crossbow; how World War I pilots shot through their propellers.
Episode 4. Civil War Cannoneers; Night Vision; Clearing a Minefield
2002-08-25 · 30 min
Aiming Civil War artillery pieces; how night-vision technology works; how to clear a minefield.
Episode 5. Landing Craft, Air Cushion Hovercraft (LCAC); U.S. Cavalry Saddles; Gas Masks
2002-09-01 · 30 min
Operating the LCAC; cavalry saddles used in the Old West; how gas masks work.
Episode 6. Mortar; WWII GIs' Personal Items; Native-American Arrows
2002-09-08 · 23 min
Maneuverable artillery; musket; Navy airships; precision flying team; pirates; depth charges
Episode 7. Re-Fueling a Fighter Jet; Naval Signal Flags; GI Chow
2002-09-15 · 22 min
How to refuel a fighter jet in mid-air; how ships send messages using signal flags; what soldiers eat.
Episode 8. Revolutionary WarMusket; Jousting; Foxholes
2002-09-22 · 30 min
How fast a Revolutionary War soldier could fire a musket; jousting; how to dig a foxhole.
Episode 9. The Pilum; WWII Radios; First Rockets
2002-09-29 · 30 min
The ancient Roman pilum is designed to penetrate armor; World War II army radios; how rockets were first used on the battlefield.
Episode 10. Ninja Weapons; Flamethrower; Military Dogs
2002-10-05 · 30 min
The weapons of the Japanese Ninja; how flamethrowers work; what military dogs do.
Episode 11. Grenades; Dog Tags; Dinner in a Pouch
2002-10-07 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 12. The Jeep; HIMARS; Hurricanes
2002-10-21 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 13. Future Gear; Marine Camouflage; Army's New Armored Vehicle
2002-10-28 · 30 min
Possible gear for troops on tomorrow's battlefields; Marines design their new camouflage pattern; the Stryker.
Season 2
13 episodes · 2002
Episode 1. Grenade Launchers; Grape Shot; Shrapnel; D-Day Paratrooper Gear; Jet Packs
2002-12-15 · 30 min
Learn how grenade launchers work; how a .30 caliber machine gun compares to a .50 cal; watch Ermey behind the wheel of a Flyer 21; and discover the origin of the word shrapnel.
Episode 2. Civil War Rifles; 1st Missile Sub; Navy Divers' Gear; Field Strip; Bowie Knife
2002-12-22 · 30 min
American Civil War rifles from both sides; the first missile fired from the deck of a sub; deep-sea and crush-proof suits; breaking down a weapon; the Bowie knife; the evolution of a hedgechopper.
Episode 3. AVLB; Fulton Recovery System; Pilot Survival Kit; Trireme; Battleship Guns; Grapeshot
2002-12-29 · 30 min
The Armored Vehicle Launched Bridge; the Fulton Recovery System; a pilot's survival kit; the ancient Greek warship Trireme; battleship guns; grapeshot.
Episode 4. Marine Weapons Training; Greek Phalanx; MiG-29; Hellcat Tank Destroyer
2003-01-19 · 30 min
Simulated marksmanship training; fastest front-line combat jet and World War II tank; Greeks of ancient times use the phalanx; Civil War cavalry gear; dazzle paint.
Episode 5. Trebuchet; Troop Headcounts; BAR; Smart Bombs; Modern Parachutes; Boomerangs
2003-01-26 · 30 min
Medieval catapults; platoons, companies and divisions; the Browning automatic rifle; smart bombs; parachutes; the weapon version of the boomerang.
Episode 6. LAV; Landing Craft; Doughboy; OPFOR; Chain Mail; Military Salute
2003-02-02 · 30 min
Light Armored Vehicle; landing craft; World War I Doughboys; training troops; medieval chain mail; the military salute.
Episode 7. Deuce & a Half; Vietnam Gun Truck; World War II Household Fat; Missile Silos; C-17 Loadmaster; Scottish Kilts
2003-02-09 · 30 min
Vietnam gun truck; World War II household fat; missile silos; C-17 Loadmaster; Scottish kilts.
Episode 8. Self-Propelled Artillery; Matchlock Musket; Airships; Blue Angels;Pirate Weapons
2003-03-02 · 30 min
full title: Self-Propelled Artillery; Matchlock Musket; Airships; Blue Angels; Pirate Weapons; Depth Charges --------- Maneuverable artillery; musket; Navy airships; precision flying team; pirates; depth charges
Episode 9. Anti-Tank Rocket; Bazooka; HQ Tour; Tactical Operations Center; Downed Pilots
2003-03-09 · 30 min
The bazooka's replacement; mobile command post; Air Force Pararescuemen; 21-gun salute.
Episode 10. Medieval Weapons; Lewis Gun; Carrier Pigeons; Gliders in Combat; Anti-Tank
2003-03-15 · 30 min
Medieval weapons; World War I Lewis gun; carrier pigeons; gliders; anti-tank missile; ejection seats.
Episode 11. Amphibious Assault Vehicle; Jeep; Medieval Battering Ram; Urban Warfare; Ball Tu
2003-03-23 · 30 min
Marines' 26-ton AAV stays afloat; jeeps; battering rams; urban warfare; World War II bombers; pictures on World War II airplanes.
Episode 12. Unmanned Aircraft; Bogey; 1st Combat Helicopter; Forward Observers
2003-04-06 · 30 min
Experimental planes; unidentified aircraft; first combat helicopter; directing artillery fire; commando knife.
Episode 13. Newest Coast Guard Ship; Carrier Battle Group; Tanks; Sherman Tank; XM-29 Rifle
2003-04-12 · 30 min
Motor lifeboat; carrier battle group; Sherman tanks; futuristic rifle; voice mail.
Season 3
14 episodes · 2003
Episode 1. Live from the Gulf
2003-07-06 · 30 min
This episode was live in Kuwait. Gunnery Sgt. Ermey talked to the troops and answered questions.
Episode 2. Super Stallion Helicopter; Flying Banana; Navy Hazing; Seabees; GI Jargon; Tank Ammo
2003-07-13 · 30 min
Helicopters; hazing ritual; building runways in the Pacific; the G-2; battle tank
Episode 3. M-1 Garand Rifle; First Assault Rifle; JATO; Golden Knights Parachute Team; Barr
2003-07-20 · 30 min
Rifles; jet-assisted take-off; freefall parachute team; barrage balloons; military jargon.
Episode 4. Rocket-Assisted Projectile; WWII German Gustav; Tent Tech; Pup Tent; Tomahawk;
2003-07-27 · 30 min
Rocket-propelled artillery; artillery gun that fires the largest caliber shell; tents; tomahawks; slings.
Episode 5. M-16; Viet Cong Booby Traps; Super-Secret Ravens; Wild Weasels; Vietnam River Patrol Boats; Green Berets
2003-08-10 · 30 min
Military rifles in Vietnam; booby traps; the Ravens; the Wild Weasels; river-patrol boats; the Green Berets.
Episode 6. Marine Sniper Rifle; BlowGun; Mulberry Harbor; French Resistance; Frontline Medi
2003-08-17 · 30 min
Rifle; blowgun; floating concrete caissons bridge the English Channel; weapons of the French resistance; improvements in front-line medical care; origins of the word "berserk."
Episode 7. Marine Sniper School; Hand Signals; Ho Chi Minh Trail; Motorcycles; Loading Palettes; C-119
2003-08-31 · 30 min
Snipers; hand signals; Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh Trail; motorcycles; tanks; the C-119 Flying Boxcar.
Episode 8. Armored Scout Car; Water-Cooled Machine Gun; Fart Sack; Shuteye; Nazi U-Boats; Stealth Ship
2003-09-07 · 30 min
Armored scout cars; water-cooled machine guns; sleeping bag; sleeping on the battlefield; German U-boats; Navy ship invisible to radar.
Episode 9. Claymore Mine; 1st U.S. Nuclear Sub; Resupply at Sea; Patriot Air Defense Missile; Jody Songs
2003-09-14 · 30 min
Anti-personnel mine; 16th-century Scottish sword; early nuclear-powered submarine; how naval vessels resupply at sea; the Patriot missile; cadence songs.
Episode 10. WWII Half Track; Arctic Vehicles; Weird Weapons; Navy Hydrofoils; Combat Controllers; Gunnery Sergeant
2003-10-05 · 30 min
World War II M2A2 half-track; Snow Train; strange weapons used by the Allies in World War II; Navy hydrofoils; Air Force combat controllers; Marine Corps gunnery sergeants.
Episode 11. Military Pilot Training; Flak; Doolittle Raid; One-Man Submarine; Military Radios
2003-10-12 · 30 min
Training of military pilots; flak; the Doolittle Raid; Sleeping Beauty submarine; radios; foxhole radio.
Episode 12. F-15 Eagle; Flying Platform; Atomic Annie; Army Missiles; Tommy Gun v. Burp Gun; Measuring Bullets
2003-10-19 · 30 min
F-15 Eagle; single-man vertical flight machine; howitzer firing both conventional and nuclear warheads; Army-controlled missile programs; submachine guns; measuring bullets.
Episode 13. Avenger; Stinger & Red-Eye Missiles; Military Firefighter & Smokejumper; Kiowa Helicopter; Kilroy
2003-10-26 · 30 min
Avenger Air Defense System; Stinger and Red Eye missiles; military firefighters; the Triple Nickels; Kiowa scout helicopter; "Kilroy Was Here."
Episode 14. Cobra Attack Helicopter; Sidewinder Missile; C-54 Skymaster; MPs; Flintlock Pistol
2003-11-02 · 30 min
Attack helicopter; AIM Sidewinders; transport plane; military police; flintlock pistols.
Season 4
13 episodes · 2004
Episode 1. Golden Knights; U.S. Air Force; Flying Tigers; Blood Chit; AC-130U Spooky Gunsh
2004-01-11 · 30 min
Lee jumps with the Golden Knights; history of the U.S. Air Force; Flying Tigers; blood chit; AC-130U Spooky gunship; P-61 Black Widow.
Episode 2. Blimp; Miitary Shotguns; Navy Graveyard; Poop Deck
2004-01-18 · 30 min
Blimp; aerial reconnaissance during the U.S. Civil War; military shot guns; grapeshot revolver; Navy Graveyard; G.I. jargon: "poop."
Episode 3. Guided Missile Destroyer; WWI Aircraft & Aces; Marine Corps FAST Teams
2004-01-25 · 30 min
Guided Missile Destroyer; World War I aircraft and aces; Marine Corps FAST Teams.
Episode 4. Grease Gun; Sten Gun; E-3 Sentry AWACS; J-Stars; Vietnam Fire Support Bases; Charlie
2004-02-08 · 30 min
Submachine guns; high-tech aerial command and control centers; fire support bases; slang term "Charlie."
Episode 5. Medieval Madness; National Technical Systems; Fabulous Flops; P-51 Mustang; A-2 Flight Jacket
2004-02-15 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 6. Heavy Support Vehicles
2004-02-22 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 7. Army Air Ambulance; 1st Special Service Force; Johnson Rifle; MiG-15 vs. F-86
2004-03-07 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 8. Fastest Army Vehicle; Uncle Sam; Tank Destroyers; Anti-Tank Rifle; Dive Bomber
2004-03-28 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 9. Navy SEALs; Frogmen; Kettering Bug; A-10 Warthog; Rommel's Afrika Korps Gear
2004-04-04 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 10. Jump Gear; Weapons; Communications and Medical Gear
2004-04-11 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 11. Nuclear-Attack Submarine: Diving, Steering and Sonar; Torpedoes and Tomahawk Missiles; Reactor; Chow
2004-04-25 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 12. Mark V Special Ops Craft; U.S. Gunboat; German Paratroopers; German Junkers; M113 APC; K-Rations
2004-05-02 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 13. Bren Gun & Carrier; Special Forces School Final Exam; Beasts of Burden; Predator; 1st RPV
2004-05-16 · 30 min
No synopsis
Season 5
12 episodes · 2004
Episode 1. Spanish-American War Rifle; Remembering the Maine; SR-71 Blackbird; U-2 Spy Plane; Training for Extreme Battlefield Conditions
2004-07-11 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 3. The Navy Marine Mammals Program; The Chain of Evacuation in World War II; WC54 Ambulance; The Desert Ducks
2004-07-25 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 4. Gear of the French Musketeers; Fighter Planes of World War II; High Altitude Rescue Team; XR-8 Syncopter
2004-08-01 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 5. Marine Corps Marksmanship; The BAT; Maritime Safety & Security Teams
2004-08-08 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 6. Silencers; Flashbang Grenade; WWII Japanese Gear; HITRON Teams
2004-08-15 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 7. Javelin Anti-Tank Missile; Tankgewehr 1918; P-3 Orion; SOG
2004-08-29 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 8. The War of 1812
2004-09-05 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 9. Military Sidearms; Glock Handguns; MG42; WWII British Commando Weapons; Gun Truck Alley
2004-09-19 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 10. XM8; Spencer; AC-47 Spooky; Small Diameter Bomb; Gotha Bomber
2004-09-26 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 11. Rapid Fielding Initiative; Anti-Tank and Anti-Anti-Tank; Blimp Sub-hunters; Cloud Car
2004-10-03 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 12. Zoaves; Flying Wing; ICBM; Swift Boats
2004-10-12 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 13. Celebrity Golf Tournament, Gala Ball, and Auction
2004-11-09 · 30 min
No synopsis
Season 6
12 episodes · 2005
Episode 1. Ballista; Pedersen Device; Peashooter
2005-03-04 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 2. NORAD
2005-03-11 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 3. Afghanistan
2005-03-18 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 4. The Pentagon
2005-04-01 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 5. SS Lane Victory
2005-04-01 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 6. 29 Palms
2005-05-13 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 7. Civil War Special
2005-05-22 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 8. Iwo Jima Special
2005-05-27 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 9. Gator Navy
2005-06-03 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 10. B-2
2005-06-10 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 11. Abrams M1-A1; Kasserine Pass and El Guttar
2005-06-17 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 12. Benelli M4 Shotgun; 1st Air Cav in Vietnam; Germany's WWII ME-163 Komet & Kubelwagen
2005-06-24 · 30 min
No synopsis
Season 7
17 episodes · 2005
Episode 1. MK-19 Grenade Launcher; PPSH-41; WWII Weasel; Vertijet
2005-09-16 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 2. Beach Master; DLI; Hooch; Eureka MPTGS Type 3 Tent; Cabanatuan Raid; Arisaka Rifle
2005-09-23 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 3. German Renaissance; 9mm Luger P-08; AFN; Battle of Britain
2005-09-30 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 4. Hurricane Katrina
2005-10-07 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 5. DOD Firefighter; USMC Martial Arts Training; Little David
2005-10-07 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 6. IED; Guadalcanal; Sullivan Brothers; Rough Riders
2005-10-21 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 7. Army's National Training Center
2005-10-28 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 8. AAV; Wild West Guns; Merrill's Marauders; Screaming Mimi
2005-11-04 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 9. Ermey's Vietnam
2005-11-11 · 30 min
Former U.S. Marines Staff Sgt. R. Lee Ermey returns to Vietnam for the first time since 1969; veterans recall their experiences from the war.
Episode 10. Minot AFB
2005-12-13 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 11. Knob Creek Gun Range
2005-12-29 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 12. War in the Pacific
2006-03-07 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 13. Potato Digger; Smith; P-38; Wire Dawgs
2006-10-08 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 14. Iwo Jima Special
2007-01-19 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 15. Episode 3
2007-03-02 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 16. Ermey's Biggest Bangs
2007-03-02 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 17. Ermey's Hottest Rides
2007-03-09 · 30 min
No synopsis
Season 8
11 episodes · 2007
Episode 1. Ermey's Biggest Bangs
2007-03-02 · 30 min
New intro/Best of: M203 Grenade Launcher, Trebuchet, 1895 Colt Machine Gun, MP5 9mm Submachine Gun, M1 Garand Rifle, A4 .30 Cal Machine Gun, Claymore Mines, Knob Creek Gun Range
Episode 2. Ermey's Hottest Rides
2007-03-09 · 30 min
New intro/Best of: Mid Air Refueling, Cobra Helicopter, Halftrack, The Jeep, Landing Craft Air Cushion Hovercraft (LCAC), Light Armored Vehicle, M5A1 Stuart Tank, 47ft motor life boat, promo - watermelon salesman
Episode 3. Pinnacle Armor; Apache Helicopter
2007-04-06 · 30 min
No synopsis
Episode 4. San Diego, California at the Strategic Operations Training Center
2007-04-13 · 30 min
R. Lee gets in a little trigger time training with a group of insurgents in an Iraqi Village at the most realistic training facility used by the U.S. Marine Corps w/Roger Cannon, Brian Plescia Capt Steve Coast. An in-depth tour of the…
Episode 5. Hurlburt Field, Florida
2007-03-23 · 30 min
R. Lee Ermey answers viewer questions on location at with a focus on Air Force Special Operations and hardware. Lee tours the Air Force Base and gets a taste of what the officer candidates call "Hell Week"; then, Gunny goes to school and…
Episode 6. M8 Armored Car; Mauser C96 Pistol; Dogs in War
2007-05-18 · 30 min
A WWII scout car nicknamed the greyhound. Gunny takes it for a test drive and fires off the M8's 37mm cannon with Bill Kirhkidis; then, Gunny features the Mauser C96 pistol (the pistol of choice for everyone from Winston Churchill to Star…
Episode 7. National Museum of The United States Air Force
2007-03-16 · 30 min
Historic Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio. First, Lee tours the museum and he reveals the fascinating story (and rare footage) of the highest bailout in history from an American aircraft. Then he tells the history of the…
Episode 8. Fort Knox, KY
2007-03-30 · 30 min
Gunny visits the United States Armor Center and check out our armored arsenal. We go along on a Recon Officer training course with Special Ops Army scouts; and then, Gunny goes for a flight on an Apache Attack Helicopter. View a profile…
Episode 9. Tennessee Museum of Aviation
2007-05-25 · 30 min
Tennessee Warbirds Museum of Aviation to see the P-51 Mustangs and P-47 Thunderbirds with R. Neal Melton, Franklin Luckman Jr, R. Nathan Davis.M6 double barrel survival rifle AR7, Scuttlebutt, A trip back in time to see just what kind of…
Episode 10. Polaris MV; Textron M1117
2007-05-04 · 30 min
Trigger time with an M4 Carbine and a Beretta M9. Camillus Knives - Woodsman's Pal, Tac Tool and Ermey updates to the latest gear: Spec Ops, Blackhawk, Oakley, CamelBak. Then he torture tests the rugged laptop from VT Miltope by running…
Episode 11. Iraq Episode
2007-05-09 · 30 min
Gunny talks via satellite one-on-one with troops in Iraq. At the Atlanta, Georgia headquarters of the Digital Video and Imagery Distribution System and gets the scoop on the fight against the insurgency. Run by the US Army, DVIDS receives…
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