Today marks the 30 year anniversary of Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket.  The film was released in theaters on this day in 1987 and received an  Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay (based on Gustav Hasford's novel The Short-Timers).
Vincent D'Onofrio (Private Leonard "Gomer Pyle" Lawrence) was required to gain 70 pounds (32 kg), which broke the record for the largest weight gained for a role, set by Robert De Niro for Raging Bull.

On a lighter note, 6 years prior, another film based on two friends who join the Army- Stripes, was released.  On his way to the premier of the movie 'Meatballs', director Ivan Reitman thought up the idea for a film: "Cheech and Chong join the army".  It was pitched and greenlit in one day.  Cheech and Chong's manager thought the script was very funny; however, the comedy duo wanted complete creative control. Reitman then suggested they change the two main characters to ones suited for Bill Murray and Harold Ramis.  Ramis was known as a writer, but not an actor at the time.  The production company did not like his audition, but Murray insisted he would not work with anyone but Ramis.  And comedy gold ensued.