MCB Hawaii -- A common saying among Marines is that the drill instructors at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego mold men into "Hollywood Marines."For seven days aboard MCB Hawaii, August 13 to 19, more than 60 men learned the true meaning of what it is to be a Hollywood Marine. A select group of actors and extras were molded into World War II-era "Marines" in preparation for the filming of the historical war film, "Windtalkers."The movie, scheduled to begin filming on Oahu next week, is centered around Marine battles in the Pacific during World War II. The actors had to prepare, in a short amount of time, to go into "battle" against the enemy. "Working with the actors was a challenge because of the time span. We only had two days to get them to work as a unit, as far as using discipline and teamwork," said Sgt. Freddy Ortiz, 34, chief instructor at the Corporal's Course and a drill instructor for the "Windtalkers" project. "The first two days we taught the actors stuff that we'd teach recruits in two weeks. They caught on very quick. The actors were team players with a 'can-do' attitude," said Master Sgt. Fernando A. Coehlo, the range/training chief for base operations and the senior drill instructor of the mini-camp.Both Ortiz and Coehlo have prior experience as drill instructors, which they both credit for their success in being able to condense the training into the two-day mini-boot camp - where everything the actors did was "by the numbers" - and the remaining field and weapons training.The actors, including co-star Christian Slater, learned close-order drill movements, physical training techniques and weapons handling skills during the training evolution. They also participated in the obstacle course at the boondocker training area, a four-mile road march along Fort Hase Beach, and an overnight field training exercise at Marine Corps Training Area, Bellows."The actors' motivation level is very high. There are no slackers in this group. They just blend in so well that you can't tell the civilians from the former servicemembers. They're really getting into their roles," said retired Sgt. Maj. James D. Dever, 44, who is the military technical advisor for the movie. "The training is all about building teamwork, and the actors are getting into leadership roles and jumping in and taking charge. They all keep pushing themselves. That's what I'm very impressed with. We think they're going to do the Marines proud," said Dever, who recently started as a technical advisor to the movie industry.Outside of the core group of true actors, the "Windtalkers" casting director, Tammy Smith, enlisted the aid of former active-duty servicemembers to fill out the rest of the extras at the camp. All the personnel who took part in the camp will take the knowledge they gained here and pass it on to the more than 500 additional extras who will be used for the film's large battle scenes."It's especially rewarding to see the actors take on the characteristics and responsibilities of being Marines," said Sgt. Mark A. Running, 26, a reservist with 4th Force Reconnaissance Company who took part in the "Windtalkers" training. "It was great that we got to show everyone what it's like to be a Marine. Our camaraderie is unbeatable, unbreakable and unstoppable."The other former Marines and I just wanted to do what we could as Marines. A lot of us felt that this was something we HAD to do," Running said."I wouldn't have done it if it wasn't a 'Marine' movie," said Sgt. Zach T. Berger, 26, a Marine reservist.The actors and extras all melded into a functioning company of riflemen, machine gunners and reconnaissance specialists in the manner of their World War II ancestors."It's very personally rewarding to me to be able to preserve Marine Corps heritage," said retired Gunnery Sgt. Tom E. Williams, 50, a reserve specialist with the Marine Corps Museum in Quantico, Va., and a technical consultant for equipment and uniforms for "Windtalkers.""I give the whole production a tremendous amount of credit for trying to be as accurate as possible," Williams said."We know it's a movie, but we wanted to make it as real as possible," said Rory ??, the military technical advisor for the film. "The director (John Woo) has a good feeling about Marines and soldiers and Sailors. This movie has a good story and people will understand a little bit better - and probably feel a little bit better - about the armed services." The story of "Windtalkers" will focus on a little-known aspect of the U.S. operations in the Pacific campaign - the use of Navajo Indian "code-talkers" as a method of sending secure communications past eavesdropping Japanese ears. The native language of the Navajo people is difficult to learn and difficult to decipher, and the project turned out to be a success for the American forces: the Japanese never broke the code."I knew vaguely about the Navajo code-talkers, but I've learned a lot since I've been involved in this film. It's outstanding how they volunteered to fight for their country, even though it was an era when there was discrimination against Indians," Dever said.The participants in the mini-camp - civilian and military, actor and trainer - all had very positive feelings about the training and the potential the movie has."I'm really looking forward to the opportunity to be in the film. I consider it a blessing to represent the Corps by doing what I've done the past 17 and a half years as a Marine," said Ortiz, a former machine gunner, who will also have a role as an extra in the film."I've always liked the World War II era. When I was a kid I saw 'The Sands of Iwo Jima' and, honestly, that's why I wanted to be a Marine," said Dever, who spent 25 years in the Corps. "We hope people will learn a lot from the movie. If it makes kids ask questions and read books, that's great."The movie will begin filming the main battles scenes Monday on Oahu, and will continue until October in Hawaii. The filming will then move to California, with a projected release date in 2001.Though some Marines may consider the term "Hollywood" Marine to be derogatory, the cast of "Windtalkers" would deem the nickname a badge of honor. Their time together training as a unit has made them a big, happy family, and they now epitomize one of the principles of Marine Corps training: Teamwork.