Posted on Dec 28, 2014
Best Drill Instructor/Drill Sergeant stories
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What is something really cool, or funny, or inspirational that one of your Drill Instructors or Drill Sergeants did? One of my favorite stories from boot camp was when our DI's asked me what MOS I was going to have. The conversation went like this:
Me: "0300, sir!"
DI: "Ah, so you're one of our stupid recruits. You get yourself an ASVAB waiver?"
Me: "No, sir. This recruit scored a 91 on the ASVAB!"
DI: "Bulls**t! If you're so smart, why the hell would you get stuck with an infantry contract?"
Me: "This recruit wants to be infantry, sir!"
DI: "You WANT to be infantry? So you ARE stupid, then!"
Me: "0300, sir!"
DI: "Ah, so you're one of our stupid recruits. You get yourself an ASVAB waiver?"
Me: "No, sir. This recruit scored a 91 on the ASVAB!"
DI: "Bulls**t! If you're so smart, why the hell would you get stuck with an infantry contract?"
Me: "This recruit wants to be infantry, sir!"
DI: "You WANT to be infantry? So you ARE stupid, then!"
Drill Sergeant
Basic Training
Boot Camp
Posted 10 y ago
Responses: 218
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When I was in boot (way back in '85), I got tonsillitis after returning from Christmas break. I wound up in the hospital for a couple of days. The Senior Drill showed up on my day of discharge (he was a HUGE as in BUILT like a bear!), and escorted me down to his car. When I got in, and we started to drive off, he asked "What sort of music do you like? I replied "Rock..." He said "OK" and switched his radio from the Jazz station he liked to the nearest rock station. Asked me if that was Ok, and I said sure. We talked a little small talk, and he asked me a few questions. As soon as we got back to the barracks, we got out of the car. He said "You know the drill" and then he winked and started yelling "TROOP! You better MOVE your F***ing *SS now! GET BACK IN THOSE BARRACKS! YOU THINK BECAUSE YOUR SICK YOU CAN JUST SCREW OFF!?? YOU BETTER DOUBLE TIME!" I broke into a double time with the biggest grin on my face I'd ever had - Him yelling was all for show. After that, all my stress about basic was completely gone...
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Sgt Gregory Weeks
Whoaaaaa, you got Christmas break while In boot Camp? I started Basic training 21 December. No break for us
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SPC Richard Levine
Sgt Gregory Weeks - Operation Santa Claus. At reception station Ft Polk in 1969, we were given off the week. Smokey held up a big sign saying "B-2-2, your company when you get back". Those who already started Basic got screwed.
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Sgt Ed Allen
Most of boot was mind games. I had a leg up on it. I had 3 former drill instructors who attended church with me, I grew up 3 miles from Camp Pendleton. They all gave me a heads up on what to expect. Having some advanced knowledge let me see how it affected those who weren't prepared.
I can still remember some of my fellow recruits were almost in tears when, in third phase (the last 4 weeks of boot) we had to unblouse our cammies and roll down our sleeves like the first phase recruits for some supposed crime we had committed, such as not marching correctly (diddly bop, mob stop!).
I can still remember some of my fellow recruits were almost in tears when, in third phase (the last 4 weeks of boot) we had to unblouse our cammies and roll down our sleeves like the first phase recruits for some supposed crime we had committed, such as not marching correctly (diddly bop, mob stop!).
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SFC David Reid, M.S, PHR, SHRM-CP, DTM
This served an understanding that new tecruites don't comprehend of understand. In life, before you become successful you have know and realize how to play the game from a different perspective.
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There was an Airman Special in on of my sister flights. When we were still in BDUs without name tapes, a TI walked up to him because he chuckled.
TI: What, do you think you are special?
AB: Sir, Airman Special reports as ordered!
TI: you have gotta be kidding me...
AB: Sir, Airman Special reports as ordered!
After about what seemed like 5 minutes of this back an forth (prob really only 2) the AB loses it and breaks the position of attention, pulls out an ID and says "Sir, seriously, my name is ACTUALLY Airman Special. The TI just turns around an walks off.
TI: What, do you think you are special?
AB: Sir, Airman Special reports as ordered!
TI: you have gotta be kidding me...
AB: Sir, Airman Special reports as ordered!
After about what seemed like 5 minutes of this back an forth (prob really only 2) the AB loses it and breaks the position of attention, pulls out an ID and says "Sir, seriously, my name is ACTUALLY Airman Special. The TI just turns around an walks off.
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CH (MAJ) Eric Dye
As to tongue twisters, when I was stationed in Berlin, Germany an article in the USAREUR rag newspaper which cited the promotion of an officer in Germany with the given first name of Major and the last name was also Major. And you probably already guessed it, his promotion was to the rank of Major. Thus, Major Major Major had his promotion mentions in the Army Paper. I met another tongue twister name in the US Army Chaplain School after I was commissioned who was Chaplain (CPT) Chapman.
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Oh geeze. Lots of them. Boot was interesting. I'll post one or two at a time
We shipped from MEPS Phoenix. Some one screwed up the arrival time so we showed up at about 1800. None of the DI's were there yet so non- DI Marines started to check us in. First half of initial check in was calm and quiet. Not like you saw in the movies. It hit the fan a few hours later but the bottom line is we were in the rack before midnight and well before the rest of the company who arrived at 2100 (or abouts) like they were supposed to.
First revelie went off next morning and we all got out of the rack. The trash can flew down the aisle like in the movies. One person didn't get up. The DIs got in his face "GET UP'!!!! "NO" was the reply. The top rack, complete with recruit, went 6 feet in the air. He never made that mistake again.
We shipped from MEPS Phoenix. Some one screwed up the arrival time so we showed up at about 1800. None of the DI's were there yet so non- DI Marines started to check us in. First half of initial check in was calm and quiet. Not like you saw in the movies. It hit the fan a few hours later but the bottom line is we were in the rack before midnight and well before the rest of the company who arrived at 2100 (or abouts) like they were supposed to.
First revelie went off next morning and we all got out of the rack. The trash can flew down the aisle like in the movies. One person didn't get up. The DIs got in his face "GET UP'!!!! "NO" was the reply. The top rack, complete with recruit, went 6 feet in the air. He never made that mistake again.
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Sgt Ed Allen
Plt 1085 Mail Call
"Airmail"
Drill instructor would call out your name and "sail" the letter to you. One Pvt apparently was in a trance like state. When the letter was "airmailed" to him it hit in right between the eyes, and he didn't even blink.
Suspicious package?
Whenever somebody received "treats" in the mail, the DIs would have then consume all of it within X number of seconds. Failure to complete the task resulted in bends and thrusts or pushups until you dropped.
You can imagine my fear when a 36x36x36 box showed up for me.
The DI had me open the box so that he could see what was inside. It turned out to be about 600 cookies packed in actual popcorn. My girlfriend had baked them and figured that if she sent that many, the DI couldn't make me eat them all at one time.
Smart thinking on her part.
As a result, each evening for the next 2 weeks, all the non-smokers in the platoon got to have a cookie when the smoking lamp was lit. Because they were sent to me, the DI would allow me to have 2 of them.
"Airmail"
Drill instructor would call out your name and "sail" the letter to you. One Pvt apparently was in a trance like state. When the letter was "airmailed" to him it hit in right between the eyes, and he didn't even blink.
Suspicious package?
Whenever somebody received "treats" in the mail, the DIs would have then consume all of it within X number of seconds. Failure to complete the task resulted in bends and thrusts or pushups until you dropped.
You can imagine my fear when a 36x36x36 box showed up for me.
The DI had me open the box so that he could see what was inside. It turned out to be about 600 cookies packed in actual popcorn. My girlfriend had baked them and figured that if she sent that many, the DI couldn't make me eat them all at one time.
Smart thinking on her part.
As a result, each evening for the next 2 weeks, all the non-smokers in the platoon got to have a cookie when the smoking lamp was lit. Because they were sent to me, the DI would allow me to have 2 of them.
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Sgt Ed Allen
What the hell. Here's another one.
Remember having extremely limited time to make your rack, get dressed and ready to "be on the road"?
I decided to create a short cut.
I got a set of my boot blouses (for those who don't know - very stretchy bands with small hooks to blouse your cami trousers around the top of your boots.) and attached them to the sheets and blankets on my rack. As a result, when I got out of my rack in the morning, all I had to do was lift the rack slightly and the sheets and blanket would snap back into place.
This worked great for about 4 or 5 weeks until one day, when the platoon had performed some unexplained offense that was deserving of the squad bay being "rearranged" while we were out.
I really would have loved to see the look on the DIs face tried to rip the linens off my rack and met with resistance from the boot blouses holding the linens in place.
I never heard anything about it, but I also never saw the boot blouses either.
Remember having extremely limited time to make your rack, get dressed and ready to "be on the road"?
I decided to create a short cut.
I got a set of my boot blouses (for those who don't know - very stretchy bands with small hooks to blouse your cami trousers around the top of your boots.) and attached them to the sheets and blankets on my rack. As a result, when I got out of my rack in the morning, all I had to do was lift the rack slightly and the sheets and blanket would snap back into place.
This worked great for about 4 or 5 weeks until one day, when the platoon had performed some unexplained offense that was deserving of the squad bay being "rearranged" while we were out.
I really would have loved to see the look on the DIs face tried to rip the linens off my rack and met with resistance from the boot blouses holding the linens in place.
I never heard anything about it, but I also never saw the boot blouses either.
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PO2 Joan MacNeill
Sgt Ed Allen - I loved Bill Dana's Jose Jimenez bit where Jose was a soldier at mail call. As it was ending, he sadly came up and asked "Are you sure there isn't anything for me?" When the NCO said "Well, there's one here for 'OCCUPANT', Jose said "I'll take it, I'll take it!"
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