The protagonist is J.T. Davis, nicknamed "Joker" (Matthew Modine), a member of 3092 platoon, beginning recruit training as a Marine on Parris Island, South Carolina. The brutal command of Senior Drill Instructor Gunnery Sergeant Hartman (R. Lee Ermey, a former drill instructor in real life) shows the harsh indoctrination of Marine recruits. The Vietnam War is in full swing, and his job is to produce trained killers who will not hesitate when the decisive moment arrives.