| “ | The purpose of the bayonet training is to awaken our killer instincts. The killer instinct will make us fearless and aggressive, like animals. If the meek ever inherit the earth the strong will take it away from them. The weak exist to be devoured by the strong. | „ |
| ~ Gunnery Sergeant Gerheim to his troops. |
Gunnery Sergeant Gerheim is the main antagonist of the first section of the novel The Short-Timers "The Spirits of the Bayonet".
He is a sadistic drill sergeant who tortures his troops to transform them into merciless killers. His action would later cause the mentally instable private Pyle to commit suicide after killing Gerheim himself.
His Evil Ranking[]
What Makes Him Close to Being Pure Evil?[]
- He physically and psychologically abused his troops.
- He wanted to transform his men into merciless killers by breaking their spirit.
- He specifically tormented and humiliated Private Pyle to the point of directly ordering his men to gang up on him.
- He brutally beat his men up in private.
- He almost drowned one of his men in a urinated toilet.
- He broke one of his man's teeth with a butt rifle.
- His abuse caused Private Pyle to go insane and commit suicide after killing Gerheim, potentially putting the rest of the platoon at risk. Before dying, Gerheim smiled sadistically because he succeeded in transforming Pyle into a killer and told him he was proud of it.
- While he did have some comedic moments, he was still taken seriously by the narrative.
What Prevents Him from Being Pure Evil?[]
- While he stood out for his unique crime of enforced suicide, the theme of the novel about how war could turn anyone into a horrible person prevented any character from truly standing out, including him.
Trivia[]
- His film version, Gunnery Sergeant Hartman, doesn't qualify as he is less abusive than Gerheim and has good intentions. However, the actor who played Hartman, R Lee Emery, a retired drill sergeant himself, says Hartman went way too far. Especially when he physically assaulted his recruits, which is illegal and would have got him charged with assault.