Is ‘Boots’ based on ‘The Pink Marine’? The true story behind Netflix’s new hit drama series
Netflix just dropped a new series called 'Boots,' and fans can't stop talking about it. The Marines drama series, based on the bestselling memoir 'The Pink Marine' by Greg Cope White, narrates the story of a gay teen named Cameron Cope who enrolls in the Marines in 1990, not knowing what lies ahead. In the series, actor Miles Heizer plays the fictionalized version of Cope White. The eight-episode series sheds light on the journey of White joining the Marine Corps boot camp as a closeted gay man. During a recent interview with Time magazine, White revealed that being in the military service was not something he had dreamt of while growing up. Throughout his childhood, White didn't see any stability and structure as he went to 13 schools in 11 years, juggling across state lines.
Speaking of his sexuality, White said, "I was aware of my sexuality very early on, and I was also aware that society was telling me there was no place for me." However, things took a turn the summer White turned 18; he got a call from his best friend Dale, who had left the Air Force Academy but still owed a military commitment. “He said, ‘I’m going to Marine Corps boot camp for the summer, and all I heard was ‘summer camp.' I thought, I’d love summer camp, so I said, ‘I’ll go with’,” White recalled. However, White had no clue about what he was signing up for.
White had never even watched a war film or run a mile. Still, White saw it as a new beginning. "I went in wondering where my place was in the masculine world." Nevertheless, White wasn't ready for the wake-ups at 5 a.m., rifle training, and forced marches, and the pull-up test took a toll on him. “There were times I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to lift that boot off the ground and then make my next boot lift off the ground, but I did it. I did it because I had these really rough drill instructors yelling at me, and I had a sense of pride,” White said.
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Somehow, White made it through. For six years, White served without revealing his sexuality. When his fellow marines shared stories about hookups and girlfriends, he practiced what he called "conjugational math." White switched his pronouns and played along. With time, the lie drained him. White said, "I just couldn’t lie to these guys that I was so close to, anymore." Eventually, White decided to leave the Marines, and he found peace in his decision.
Back in the day, the decision to join the Marines may have seemed restless, but it ended up being the turning point of White's life. Reflecting on his time in the Marines, White quipped, "Ironically, the Marines gave me the confidence to come out. I can walk into any room now, friendly or unfriendly. I'll talk to anyone. That came from them." White also stated that he learned a sense of discipline while being in the Marines. "I haven't needed an alarm clock since. Once you've been woken up by garbage can lids, that sticks with you," he said.