J. M. Tyree gets talking about “These Boots Were Made for Walkin’,” the 1966 Nancy Sinatra hit that Stanley Kubrick uses to great effect in his 1987 film, Full Metal Jacket, but that also shows up eerily in the Vietnam documentary The Anderson Platoon in 1966.

“We’ve just witnessed a living nightmare: a Marine recruit, Private Pyle (Vincent D’Onofrio), has murdered his abusive drill instructor (R. Lee Ermey) before turning his rifle on himself on the training grounds at Parris Island. Blood-spattered bathroom tiles, fade to black. And then…Nancy Sinatra?”

Listen to Josh on Laicie Heeley’s podcast, Things That Go Boom, episode 3, which asks “What Happens When the Military Thinks Outside the Box?” Or head over to his essay for more on “These Boots” and Vietnam films.