Do you credit the quality of Soldiers to Recruiting, or to the leaders who train, and mentor the Soldiers in IET?

SCPO David Lockwood nailed it. My add is we all have responsibility for bringing the kids along through their entire career. And when they get promoted above you, hold them accountable for their effectiveness. Good ones won't let you down.

There's a saying -- you don't get a second chance at a first impression. i strongly believe from the minute IET Soldiers set foot in BCT-land until they graduate AIT, their Drill Sergeants and instructors have the biggest impact on whether that Soldier is going to be a success or not. Admittedly, some slip through by doing the absolute minimum. For the most part, however, the Drill Sergeant and AIT instructors are responsible (or the blame) for the quality of Soldiers being produced today.

I believe it the job of all service recruiters to find and enlist the top candidates that meet the minimum requirements for each service. It is the job of the DI, DS or what ever the other services call them, to train them to be basically trained and instilled with the ethos of each individual service. It is the responsibility of the NCO in charge of the individual to further train and grow the individual into a fully competent Soldier, Sailor, Airman or Marine. In short, it is(was) all of our responsibility.