The Short-Timers is a 1979 semi-autobiographical novel by U.S. Marine Corps veteran Gustav Hasford, about his experience in the Vietnam War.

As a military journalist, he wrote stories for Leatherneck Magazine, Pacific Stars and Stripes, and Sea Tiger.

[1] The novel was adapted into the film Full Metal Jacket (1987), co-scripted by Hasford, Michael Herr, and Stanley Kubrick.

[4] The book is divided into three sections, written in completely different styles of prose, and follows James T. "Joker" Davis through his enlistment in the United States Marine Corps and deployment to Vietnam.

During Joker's days in recruit training at Parris Island, a drill instructor, Gunnery Sergeant Gerheim, sadistically breaks the men's spirits and then rebuilds them as heartless killers.

The latter, whose real name is Leonard Pratt, earns the wrath of both Gerheim and the rest of the platoon through his ineptitude and weak character.

Here, Joker unwillingly accepts a promotion from corporal to sergeant, and the two journalists travel to Huế to cover the enemy's wartime atrocities and meet Cowboy again.

Joker is reassigned to Cowboy's squad as a rifleman, as punishment for wearing an unauthorized peace button on his uniform.

After the company commander goes insane and starts babbling nonsense over the radio, Cowboy decides to pull the squad back and retreat, rather than sacrifice everyone trying to save the wounded men.

Promoting Joker to squad leader, Cowboy runs in with his pistol and kills each victim with a shot to the head.

Cowboy is noted a wearing a season and claiming origin from Texas (Which later is proven false when we find out that he actually comes from Nebraska) The sociopathic drill instructor at Parris Island.

He starts out as a horrible recruit, but after a hazing incident with from his colleagues, he slowly dissociated and ends up killing Sergeant Gerheim.

He is noted as having become a marine over serving jail time for stealing a car and had attempted to rape a 14-year-old girl while in Vietnam.

The scout of the group who collects the feet of dead enemy soldier, he gets his nickname from "Alice's Restaurant", an album by Arlo Guthrie.

"[5] The Washington Post wrote: "There is a vivid description of Hue in the aftermath of the 1968 Tet offensive and a grimly realistic portrayal of Marines under siege at Khesanh.

"[6] Hasford, Michael Herr, and Stanley Kubrick adapted the novel into the film Full Metal Jacket (1987).

The film faithfully reproduces the first section of the novel, "The Spirit of the Bayonet", with only minor differences in events and names.

In the book, Rafter Man is later run over and killed by the same tank that ran over the girl and water buffalo, and Joker is reassigned to Cowboy's squad as a rifleman for wearing an unauthorized peace button on his uniform.