The True Story Behind Netflix’s Military Drama Boots

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The New Orleans hardware store echoed with metallic clangs as Greg Cope White, just eighteen years old and a little underweight for the Marines, felt the cool concrete floor under his feet. He watched his recruiter quickly gather supplies – tape, a sledgehammer, and a piece of lead pipe – then kneel and start hammering the pipe flat with loud, resounding blows. The recruiter stood up, looked at White, and simply said, “Come with me.”

In the store’s restroom, the recruiter told him to pull down his pants. Confused and scared, he stood there as the recruiter taped a flat weight to his groin, then helped him pull his underwear back up. They drove back to the recruiting office. Just twenty minutes before, he hadn’t met the weight requirement. Now, he did. Seven hours later, standing on the pavement at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in Parris Island, South Carolina, with a shaved head, he wondered what he’d gotten himself into.

The strange way White first encountered the underwater world sparked the story of *The Pink Marine*, his memoir about growing up and accepting his sexuality while serving in the Marines during the 1980s. Now, that memoir has been adapted into *Boots*, a new eight-episode series coming to Netflix on October 9th, starring Miles Heizer, Liam Oh, Max Parker, Ana Ayora, and Vera Farmiga.

White discovered something unexpected during his military service: it was an environment that required everyone to fit in, yet also helped individuals develop strong character. He explains to TIME, “Looking back, it actually gave me the self-assurance to truly be myself.”

The making of a Marine

Mark White didn’t aspire to join the military as a child. His upbringing was constantly in motion – he attended thirteen different schools in eleven years, moving from state to state due to an unstable home life. Consistent routines and long-term planning were uncommon. However, he remembers being keenly aware of his identity from a young age, and understanding that society often didn’t accept people like him.

Joining the military happened suddenly for White. The summer he turned eighteen, his close friend Dale, who had left the Air Force Academy but still had a service obligation, called him. Dale described it as going to Marine Corps boot camp for the summer, which White playfully remembers as sounding like “summer camp.” Excited by the idea, White immediately agreed to go along with him.

Boot camp wasn’t what he expected. He hadn’t experienced war through movies or even physical fitness like running. However, he was drawn to the possibility of changing himself. As White explains, he was trying to figure out his role as a man.

The recruits arrived at Parris Island late at night. Bright floodlights illuminated the base, which was otherwise quiet and asleep. They were immediately met with shouting drill instructors. As White remembers, “I wasn’t prepared for that level of intensity – it was nothing like I expected.”

The rules were simple and strict: stay still, stay silent, and don’t plan ahead. Days quickly turned into relentless training—they woke up at 5 a.m. for rifle practice and exhausting marches. The pull-up test was almost impossible for him; he’d never attempted one before, and failing meant being separated from his friend, Dale. Even more frightening, it could lead to being reassigned or discharged if anyone found out he was gay. He remembers pushing himself to the limit, barely able to lift his boots off the ground, but somehow managing to complete each repetition. He credits the harsh drill instructors and a strong sense of pride for helping him persevere.

Against all odds, he succeeded. After thirteen tough weeks of training, he’d not only become physically stronger, but also gained a sense of accomplishment and a newfound confidence. He was rewarded with a special promotion—a rare honor within his platoon. As he reflected, he realized he was on equal footing with his peers, and even surpassed sixty-five of them in skill and ability.

For six years, White kept a secret life. While his Marine buddies shared stories about their weekends – dates, relationships, and fun – he quietly practiced what he called “changing the story.” He’d alter pronouns and names, pretending to fit in. But keeping up the deception became exhausting. “I just couldn’t keep lying to the guys I was so close to,” he says.

He decided not to continue his service, and that decision brought him a sense of calm. While joining the Marines might have seemed impulsive at the time, it ultimately changed his life. Surprisingly, he says the Marines actually gave him the confidence to be himself. “I feel comfortable talking to anyone, in any situation,” he explains. “That comes from my time in the service.” He also attributes his strong sense of discipline to his military experience. “I haven’t needed an alarm clock since,” he jokes. “Being woken up by banging on garbage cans really stays with you!”

From memoir to screen

As a lifelong moviegoer, I was fascinated to learn how much Greg White’s memoir connected with Andy Parker, the creator of *Boots*. Parker, who also brought Armistead Maupin’s *Tales of the City* to Netflix, really saw his own life mirrored in White’s story. He grew up a closeted teenager in a strict religious family in Glendale, Arizona, and actually considered joining the Marines as a way out. He told me that reading Greg’s book felt like looking at a life he almost lived – a path not taken. It clearly hit a very personal nerve with him.

The emotional heart of the adaptation came from a personal connection to the source material. Instead of directly recreating the events, Parker created a fictional story inspired by White’s experiences, focusing on a new character named Cameron Cope and the people around him. Parker explained to White early on that he wouldn’t be telling his life story directly, emphasizing the need to create a character with his own unique path.

Parker’s creative approach let him build a realistic and diverse group of characters, each with unique backgrounds, beliefs, and motivations for joining the military. He explains, “People enlist for many different reasons, and they come from all walks of life.” Importantly, he preserved a key element from the original memoir: the close, non-romantic friendship between a gay recruit and his straight friend. This relationship, depicted as Cameron and Ray in the show, became its emotional core. Parker felt this type of connection hadn’t been shown often on screen and wanted to portray it authentically.

Parker, along with Jennifer Cecil who co-ran the show, saw *Boots* as a way to continue the work of legendary producer Norman Lear, who sadly passed away in 2023. This was particularly special for White, as *Boots* is the third project he’s been involved with that Lear executive produced. He first got his start in 1992, joining the writing team for *The Powers That Be*, a political comedy series also overseen by Lear.

Parker and Cecil set the story in 1990, just before the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy was enacted. This policy allowed LGBTQ+ people to serve in the military only if they kept their sexual orientation private. For queer service members, being discovered could mean being discharged and facing public shame. However, the period also suggested that things were beginning to change, and that tension—between keeping secrets and coming out—is felt throughout the entire series.

In the film, Heizer stars as Cameron, a reserved character who secretly longs for connection. Oh plays Ray McAffey, Cameron’s close and supportive best friend, mirroring the actor’s real-life bond with Dale. Farmiga delivers a performance as Cameron’s unpredictable mother, while Parker adds surprising nuance to the role of Sgt. Sullivan, a tough drill instructor hiding his own personal struggles.

From the very beginning, Marine veterans acted as advisors, helping with the script and providing guidance on set regarding realistic movements, procedures, and dialogue. Before filming began, the actors went through a short, intense training program similar to boot camp, including marching, target practice, and tough hikes with heavy packs in the Louisiana heat. According to Cecil, this training helped the cast develop a strong bond, just like a real military unit. They even showed their appreciation for the supporting actors by giving them a standing ovation on the last day of filming. White also contributed as a co-executive producer and writer, making sure the show felt emotionally authentic.

The courage to stop pretending

Parker and Cecil realized their story wasn’t just about a single person, but about how society shapes men—how it builds them up, tears them down, and who manages to come through the process feeling complete. As Parker puts it, it’s like a system designed to force people to confront who they really are, and it does so incredibly quickly. Most people don’t have to experience that kind of intense self-discovery.

The journey from keeping secrets to forming deep connections is at the heart of *Boots*. The show realistically portrays the harshness of training, but also finds room for humor and the small moments of connection – the inside jokes, playful nicknames, and subtle acts of kindness between boys on the path to manhood. It recognizes that being vulnerable and being strong aren’t opposing forces; they’re two sides of the same coin.

This series comes at a time when discussions about identity and belonging are happening across American society, including in the military, where debates about open service are ongoing. However, the series isn’t directly about recent events. Instead, it revisits a fundamental question posed by its creator in 1979: Can a person truly be themselves and thrive in the world?

The show implies that it *is* possible to both survive and stay true to yourself, even if it’s challenging. And ultimately, the price you pay for concealing your true self is always greater than the potential downsides of being open and honest.

What really struck me about this film was its exploration of sacrifice. It portrays young people willingly giving up parts of themselves, their individual liberties, to belong to something larger than life. And honestly, the movie doesn’t shy away from showing that as something truly admirable – a choice worthy of celebration, not condemnation. It’s a powerful message, and one that really resonated with me.

White hopes his film, *Boots*, will resonate with both young LGBTQ+ viewers and veterans who might not have felt comfortable sharing their experiences. He wants young people to feel empowered and know they can pursue any path they choose. As he puts it, “You can explore any world you want – go for it.”

It still blows my mind to think about his journey – from sharing his story in a bathroom at a hardware store in New Orleans to seeing it on a huge billboard for *Boots* in Times Square! He believes a lot of people let society tell them what they can and can’t do, or that they need to hide who they are. But he says if you can do it safely, you absolutely should live your true life. He learned that being authentic makes you stronger, something he discovered during his time in the military. He even says if he’d been able to be himself back then, he would have been an even better Marine.

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2025-10-09 15:07