Talk:Drill instructor

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Please note under the section for USMC Drill Instructors, there is a reference to 5:30 AM being 0530 hours in "military time". In fact, the USN and the USMC refer only to "0530" not to "0530 hours". The Army and the Air Force add "hours". Also the Marine Corps and Navy refers to "0" not "O".

• Incorrect. There is no commonly established standard. For example I (Army infantry) say 0930 as Zero Nine Thirty, and 0800 as simply Zero Eight. Most junior enlisted I know speak the same way. My platoon sergeant says Zero Eight Hundred Hours, but my company commander does not, he says Oh Eight Hundred Hours, and my platoon leader says Oh Eight Hundred. There's no established standard I've ever seen, or at least not one that's followed. The most commen way I've seen across all services says "Zero Eight" (for hours on the hour) or "Zero Eight Thirty" for Hours with minutes. ⇒ SWATJester ^Ready Aim _Fire! 05:42, 11 April 2006 (UTC)
  • ACTUALLY, speaking for the Marine Corps only, Yes. We refer to the time as "zero eight" or "zero eight thirty." Every Marine is taught that in boot camp.Bunns USMC 16:49, 27 August 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Is this true....

Is it true that the "DIs" do cuss and curse out recruits, just like in the movie Full Metal Jacket, like some of my family has claimed ? I had four in the US Army, Two in the USAF tell me things about "Boot Camp". Martial Law 08:20, 11 April 2006 (UTC) :)

Yes. Tim 17:05, 11 April 2006 (UTC)

Yup. PennyGWoods 11:32, 17 April 2006 (UTC)

It depends. The U.S. Army has been trying to step away from profanity, physical abuse and many of the other things that Drill Sergeants/Instructors have become notorious for (it seems that ever since the 1980s or so the United States is suddenly concerned about the enlisted ranks giving the rest of the military a bad name, no longer are only officers expected to be "gentlemen"). As a result, it's now against Army regulations to lay hands on a new soldier during basic training without first getting verbal permission (sometimes Drill Sergeants bypass this by simply saying "Soldier, I am about to touch you" before adjusting a private's gear, for example), and cussing is supposed to be against the rules, but this has met with mixed reactions from cadre, from what I've seen. Some are from the "old school" where you could beat up your new soldiers (and were beaten up themselves) so they think that doing anything else is producing an entirely different breed of soldier (and they may be right). Others are more versatile and changed their instruction methods as soon as they were made aware of the new regulations. It seems that the Army in general is willing to turn a blind eye to blatant profanity, especially in basic training, as it's one of those "minor" offenses for which a Drill Sergeant is thought to be known for, particularly if they're an "old schooler". But I doubt you'll ever find a real-life Drill Sergeant as colorful as R. Lee Ermey, no.  ;) teh TK 11:51, 22 May 2006 (UTC)

My Military Training Instructor in Air Force BMT seemingly couldn't complete a sentence without using a permutation of "Fuck". I never saw him hit anyone, though he threw things at recruits, including throwing a metal clipboard at me. However, he only did this when there were no officers or senior NCO's around.--MarshallStack 00:50, 7 October 2006 (UTC)

FAF - I think a lot of the changes in the way drill instructors talk and treat their recruits has to do with the gradual integration of women in the military and into recruit companies in some of the services over the years. A male drill instructor uttering a stream of profanity in front of a group of female recruits could potentially become a harrassment issue, so I think they try to be more careful these days. Back in R.Lee's day, and during my time in the Navy, there were separate recruit companies for men and women and no women on most ships, so the profanity could fly more freely.