Gunnery Sgt. Lindsay Henderson is a long-serving Marine drill instructor who craves to instill the fear of hellfire God into those in his charge his recruits. But these aren't recruits, , His recruits, however, and the gunny is not at boot camparen’t at boot camp.
"Today we go to war, ladies!" Gunny yells at a group of pee-wee soccer players. "Fun is not what beat the Nazis!"
A hilarious new animated series called "Gunny" follows a Gunny gunnery sergeant, Lindsay Henderson, as he struggles tries to adapt to life after the Marine Corps. The short, 2-D animatedion episodes take Gunny through basic situations with his family and community members. At times, Gunny can’t help but realize that what his fellow Marines have been saying all along is true: Hhome sucks.
"I want to create a fun, entertaining story about a gunny who is so entrenched entranced in the military that it’s so hard to let go of that lifestyle," said Vannick Douglas, a Marine vet-turned-artist, who is the creative mastermind behind "Gunny."
With help from We Are The Mighty, a military-media and -lifestyle website, Douglas and his producers have launched a handful of episodes this year.
"When I got out, I always wanted to give back" to the veteran community, "and this was my way," Douglas told Marine Corps Times. Douglas retired as a lance corporal cpl. in 2004 after four years at Marine Corps Air Station, Yuma.
In the latest episode, Gunny’s personal mission is to give Gen. Mattis a good kick in the rear after he gets him down from a neighborhood tree. Mattis, in this instance, is Gunny’s cat — not the legendary hardcore leader.
Gunny’s only pal is Veinny — a character in a large vein that sticks out on the back of his neck and serves as his conscience., Veinny.
"To counteract Gunny's intensity, the guys at work came up with the idea to ‘give Gunny a vein in his neck that talks him down,’ " Douglas says on his LinkedIn page for "Gunny." But Veinny can only do so much go so far before Gunny erupts into becomes his former drill-sergeant self.
Gunny has the look of a Marine, and sounds like one because he’s voiced by Brad Potts, a Marine vet who enlisted in 1977 and "served in various capacities in recon," said Mark Harper, senior vice president of We Are The Mighty.
Douglas and We Are The Mighty take about two weeks to draw, write and produce an episode, Harper said. The episodes, which have gotten thousands of views and shares, can be viewed through We Are The Mighty's Facebook page.
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"We're hoping this can lead to TV and maybe movies down the line," Harper said.
The upcoming episode of "Gunny" will air around Christmas.
"Let's just say Gunny is going to be Santa Claus," Douglas said.
"I want this to appeal to the military but also people who didn't serve, so that everyone can have a good laugh," he added.
