View Full Version : about your drill instructor
marine6551
06-29-16, 06:01 PM
what was the worst thing he said to you?
mine was, "do squat thrusts until i get tired."
i thought, oh great, this old SOB won't get tired for at least 6 weeks.:mad:
silveradomick
06-29-16, 07:17 PM
I don't remember much of boot camp. Lots of memorable stuff happened after that which surpassed it in both difficulty and memorability.
Kegler300
06-29-16, 07:39 PM
Take Sgt Nort this cup of coffee (with shaving cream on top of the coffee). Did bends and thrusts for an hour in his squadbay! Mother-hubbard ...
SGT7477
06-29-16, 08:30 PM
Our Platoon Commander, SSgt Case, you ladies will do pushups until I get tired, hurts thinking about it, Semper Fidelis.
marine6551
06-29-16, 09:49 PM
:cool:LMAO;and don't you men know it made our D.I.'s more angry when we completed our bends and squat thrusts, thinking we'd give up and quit, more tired than them, giving them nightmares wondering what else they could do to break our gung-ho spirit and determination?:yes:
The DUKE
06-29-16, 11:05 PM
it wasn't what he said said as much as it was what he did, we would go into the inside circuit course , giant size quanson hut and run the circuit , about 50 - 60 different exercises on one for 3 minutes switch, repeat over and over till they decided we were done for now, we had this senior DI who would go into the middle of the area and grab one of the climbing ropes that were hanging to the floor and he would sit down on the floor and the proceed to hand over hand himself up to the top, all the while in the seated position as if he were in a chair at the kitchen table, ring the damn bell and repeat until our azz holes were indeed sucking buttermilk, I hated that S.O.B., but I loved him for it more, got me through with sheer will and determined ****ed off attitude to succeed. GOD BLESS the bastard DI's..
marine6551
06-29-16, 11:52 PM
it wasn't what he said said as much as it was what he did, we would go into the inside circuit course , giant size quanson hut and run the circuit , about 50 - 60 different exercises on one for 3 minutes switch, repeat over and over till they decided we were done for now, we had this senior DI who would go into the middle of the area and grab one of the climbing ropes that were hanging to the floor and he would sit down on the floor and the proceed to hand over hand himself up to the top, all the while in the seated position as if he were in a chair at the kitchen table, ring the damn bell and repeat until our azz holes were indeed sucking buttermilk, I hated that S.O.B., but I loved him for it more, got me through with sheer will and determined ****ed off attitude to succeed. GOD BLESS the bastard DI's..you're right; we love them for it today, but hated them back then!
advanced
06-30-16, 08:41 AM
Believe it or not one of our guys messed up one time, the result was 1,000 squat thrusts. On #766 another one of our guys messed up. Without even being told we simply restarted the count at "1"
Toward the end of training our DI's gave us a choice of deleting one of our many punishments. It was unanimous amongst us; We gave up "Hanging from the Racks." For those that are uninformed we would hold ourselves up with our hands and hang from the top of the upper rack in our bare feet on that angle iron. Anyone that fell down got his asss kicked and he was then put back up to hang some more with the rest of us. Now that was PAIN.
Old Marine
06-30-16, 09:14 AM
In the 60's all Drill Instructors carried a little card in the sweat band of their Campaign Covers that told them exactly what Supplementary Instruction could be administered for that particular phase of training. If exceeded and caught, well we all know the answer to that question. There were ways to work around the S.I. Card, but do not get caught.:evilgrin:
Tennessee Top
06-30-16, 02:39 PM
^^^correct! That normally occurred INSIDE the squadbay, with lookouts posted at the hatches. They were to sound-off if anyone got within shouting distance of the squadbay.
Today. DI's swear to an officer (in front of their recruits), they'll do no such thing.http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff166/rvanclea/USMC/ba291632-67d1-41cc-a3ce-d101ec941c87.jpg (http://s238.photobucket.com/user/rvanclea/media/USMC/ba291632-67d1-41cc-a3ce-d101ec941c87.jpg.html)
Old Marine
06-30-16, 04:32 PM
^^^correct! That normally occurred INSIDE the squadbay, with lookouts posted at the hatches. They were to sound-off if anyone got within shouting distance of the squadbay.
Today. DI's swear to an officer (in front of their recruits), they'll do no such thing.http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff166/rvanclea/USMC/ba291632-67d1-41cc-a3ce-d101ec941c87.jpg (http://s238.photobucket.com/user/rvanclea/media/USMC/ba291632-67d1-41cc-a3ce-d101ec941c87.jpg.html)
This is the new Marine Corps Boot Camp and is B.S. I am betting that getting volunteers for D.I. School is ZILCH.
Tennessee Top
06-30-16, 11:25 PM
You are correct. However, they don't just take volunteers. One can receive orders to DI school without asking (same for recruiter's school). Think embassy duty is still volunteer only but not 100% certain since they need so many bodies today (State Department keeps asking for more).
Old Marine
07-01-16, 08:33 AM
You are correct. However, they don't just take volunteers. One can receive orders to DI school without asking (same for recruiter's school). Think embassy duty is still volunteer only but not 100% certain since they need so many bodies today (State Department keeps asking for more).
Again, sounds like a big can of worms to me. Glad my time was up many tears ago. If I had it to do again in these times, it would probably be the Air Farce.
the garbage that the DI had to deal with in the late 1970's was sufficient to teach me that the Corps' training methods had CHANGED, and not necessarily for the better... the folks that want these "kinder, gentler training methods" are the first ones to start screaming for an "investigation" when little Johnny comes home with a "serious mental disability" because he could not "handle" what he was exposed to in combat.... if the DI can't "thump" on a recruit, just what do you think the ENEMY will do...AIN'T NO STRESS CARDS IN COMBAT...
marine6551
07-01-16, 01:47 PM
funny; i said the same thing after my discharge.:thumbup:
marine6551
07-01-16, 01:52 PM
You are correct. However, they don't just take volunteers. One can receive orders to DI school without asking (same for recruiter's school). Think embassy duty is still volunteer only but not 100% certain since they need so many bodies today (State Department keeps asking for more).if the state department needs more bodies, i'm sure they could use this guy.
http://www.leatherneck.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=30555&stc=1
silveradomick
07-01-16, 01:58 PM
I'm still happy I was a jarhead. Wouldn't change a thing about my enlistment, especially not the two deployments. The experience helped shape the man I am today, and I'm eternally grateful for that because I'm as awesome as I am good looking! HA!
Mongoose
07-01-16, 03:24 PM
Justin....did you suffer any kind of head injury on deployment? I mean........well you know
silveradomick
07-01-16, 03:37 PM
Oh that? Nah, doc told me to drink some water and walk it off. I did and I'm perfectly fine. Those corpsmen (corps-people? Gotta serve the PC gods) really know their chit!
Zulu 36
07-01-16, 03:55 PM
I'm still happy I was a jarhead. Wouldn't change a thing about my enlistment, especially not the two deployments. The experience helped shape the man I am today, and I'm eternally grateful for that because I'm as awesome as I am good looking! HA!
I was (am) very happy and proud to have been a Marine. I have had the experience of going to war with the Marine Corps and Air Force. I would never go to war with the AF again if I was paid a million bucks.
The "Material" they're using in the attempt
to make U S Marines is not what it used to be.
the younger generation may be better educated.
but Mothers of America and Crybabies abound.
Things have changed my friends / things have
changed
marine6551
07-01-16, 05:58 PM
The "Material" they're using in the attempt
to make U S Marines is not what it used to be.
the younger generation may be better educated.
but Mothers of America and Crybabies abound.
Things have changed my friends / things have
changedthings have changed alright.
FoxtrotOscar
07-01-16, 07:01 PM
This thread is about your DI's ...
Again you have managed to stray far off topic (M) arine 6551..
Try and stay on topic...
The "M" in Marine is always capitalized...!!!
smh....
Mongoose
07-02-16, 08:35 AM
My DI's never had nightmares about us......we had nightmares about them. They could break your ( I won't give up attitude, at will ). Also, we wasn't allowed to be Gung-Ho because we wasn't Marines yet. You must have been in the Peace Corps, not the Marine Corps.
silveradomick
07-02-16, 08:46 AM
Hey Billy, you ever get that answer to your question about units in Cpen in 69?
Mongoose
07-02-16, 10:12 AM
NO....I know the 27th Marines left Nam in 68. Those with 6 or more months left were assigned to other units. The rest....the short timers were sent back and the 27th was deactivated in June of 69.
FoxtrotOscar
07-03-16, 12:09 AM
Speaking of DI's....
How many here have actually met any of their DI's in the fleet or elsewhere..???
I never did...
Zulu 36
07-03-16, 12:39 AM
Speaking of DI's....
How many here have actually met any of their DI's in the fleet or elsewhere..???
I never did...
I met our Heavy on my second trip to Okinawa. We went out for dinner and drinks a couple of times. He was a SSgt then and I was a Sgt. Really nice guy when he wasn't wearing the Hat. We were his last platoon so he remembered quite a bit about us and had some interesting stories to tell.
marine6551
07-03-16, 02:15 AM
My DI's never had nightmares about us......we had nightmares about them. They could break your ( I won't give up attitude, at will ). Also, we wasn't allowed to be Gung-Ho because we wasn't Marines yet. You must have been in the Peace Corps, not the Marine Corps.that's what i said originally, we had nightmares about them. the di i had taught all of us to be gung-ho about the corps while we were still boots.
silveradomick
07-03-16, 08:36 AM
that's what i said originally, we had nightmares about them. the di i had taught all of us to be gung-ho about the corps while we were still boots.
Was this in some dream you had? What were your DI's names?
advanced
07-03-16, 09:26 AM
Was this in some dream you had? What were your DI's names?
Now you're going to have to wait while the poser researches his answers. I met a so called Marine at a biker rally a few years ago. He made the mistake of calling me over and playing the big bad Marine role in front of a half dozen of his friends. He had all these MC patches on his vest and a Nam patch. I asked who he was with as I looked him dead in the eye. He began to stutter and ramble, so I pressed him harder, finally he said he couldn't remember. I then looked around at all his friends as I told him that a Marine might forget his mothers name, but never the units he served with. I left him standing there looking down at the ground. I hate it when that happens. I hate even meeting posers, it makes me remember the honor of my lost brothers as I wonder how the draft dodgers back in the day now want to steal their honor.
Tennessee Top
07-03-16, 09:46 AM
Speaking of DI's....
How many here have actually met any of their DI's in the fleet or elsewhere..???
I never did...
Ran into one of mine years later. He was working undercover at the PX looking for shoplifters.
FoxtrotOscar
07-03-16, 09:50 AM
Was this in some dream you had? What were your DI's names?
http://www.leatherneck.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=30573&stc=1
Old Marine
07-03-16, 02:58 PM
Ran into one of mine many years ago at Ascom City in Korea. His name was Pfc. Pallot.
Mongoose
07-03-16, 04:02 PM
My platoon commander in boot-camp was SSGT R.O.Reed. Tried for years to find him. 3 years ago, I finally contacted his daughter and granddaughter. He died in 2007. They sent me a picture taken at his retirement party. He retired A Regimental Sargent Major.
Speaking of DI's....
How many here have actually met any of their DI's in the fleet or elsewhere..???
I never did...
I was able see two of the three. I received word that one had been relieved for thumping a recruit and was still at PI. Several of us went to PI from Lejeune. Saw the DI, had a goodtime. Dinner/Drinks etc;. We thanked him for what he had done for us.
The second DI, I found out didn't live too far from the Rifle Range. I got the directions and went to his home. I thanked him a well.
I never could find my Senior. I did find out he was commissioned and was a Captain. I still look for him.
Melvin Jeffries
07-04-16, 08:09 AM
In Aug 1961 we had a heat wave in the San Diego area boot camp. Our DI said "All right ladies, assume the push up position." At first glance that doesn't sound so bad, we heard it all the time...
USMC 2571
07-04-16, 08:24 AM
Yes, we must be a kinder and gentler Corps, after all, the enemy will treat Marines so very considerately, so why trouble the recruits with harsh discipline and unquestioning obedience to orders? Fifty years from now, boot camp will probably be available entirely online, for the convenience of recruits.
USMC 2571
07-04-16, 08:26 AM
Found 2 of my 3 drill instructors. One had become a Captain at some point, and was getting up there in age, naturally. The other one, we still exchange phone calls and Christmas cards every year, and it still seems odd to be even talking with him on the phone without doing jumping jacks or some other recruit activity. I found out he never really volunteered for DI duty, they just sent him.
Tennessee Top
07-04-16, 10:52 AM
Anybody figure out why DI's have a fetish for buttplates?http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff166/rvanclea/USMC/images_10.jpeg (http://s238.photobucket.com/user/rvanclea/media/USMC/images_10.jpeg.html)
Finally jumping in here now, we had one Drill Instructor (short, dark green brother who was about 5'6", 3 feet wide and solid muscle) who absolutely terrified us. He did not have a habit of picking recruits up by their necks and slamming them against the wall/locker/whatever was behind them, because that would be bad!
But let's say this Marine (Corporal B) could have picked up, oh, 145-lb me (skinny back then) with one hand while delivering a very loud verbal lesson in this recruit's mistakes and proper Marine Corps behavior with the brim of his Smokey Bear leaving a dent in my forehead.
Because I sure would have remembered that, but even in 1984 the DI Code was all about kind, gentle treatment of their little lambs!
Damn, that was one scary Marine.
:evilgrin:
FoxtrotOscar
07-04-16, 11:17 AM
Anybody figure out why DI's have a fetish for buttplates?http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff166/rvanclea/USMC/images_10.jpeg (http://s238.photobucket.com/user/rvanclea/media/USMC/images_10.jpeg.html)
It's the "Non-Pointy" end...!!!
You never "Point" a weapon at anyone unless you intend to destroy it...!!!
chulaivet1966
07-04-16, 12:15 PM
http://www.leatherneck.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=30573&stc=1
Chuckle chuckle....along with Russ's post #31 comments.
I'd really like to make contact with my D.I.'s but I can't think of any cool names. ;)
On a serious note.
I recall trying to make contact with mine some years ago but gave up.
In order of just plain meanness....Sgt Faircloth, Gunny Nicholson, Sgt Turner and Sgt Smith.
If any here recognize those names during winter months of 1965 (Platoon 173 for me) feel free to chime in and educate me.
Back to topic.....do carry on.
USMC 2571
07-04-16, 02:38 PM
Good avatar, Wayne. The old boot camp photos.
SGT7477
07-04-16, 06:52 PM
Yes, we must be a kinder and gentler Corps, after all, the enemy will treat Marines so very considerately, so why trouble the recruits with harsh discipline and unquestioning obedience to orders? Fifty years from now, boot camp will probably be available entirely online, for the convenience of recruits.
Hasn't air force basic training always been online, Semper Fidelis.
chulaivet1966
07-05-16, 07:18 AM
Good avatar, Wayne. The old boot camp photos.
Howdy Dave....thank you.
I agonized over changing it.....my guitars are far prettier than myself.
A good day to all....