thedrifter
08-16-07, 10:57 AM
Drill instructors shape the Corps
Lance Cpl. Jon Holmes
(Aug. 15, 2007) -- Every enlisted Marine throughout the Marine Corps has been trained, molded and sharpened by a drill instructor.
The job of being a drill instructor is not an easy one. It requires sacrifice, dedication and hard work to earn the campaign cover and even more work to keep wearing it.
The journey to become a drill instructor begins with the Marine, said 1st Sgt. Troy James, the Drill Instructor School first sergeant. The person must be someone who embodies the core values of honor, courage and commitment.
Once a Marine has been accepted into the school, there is no turning back.
This school is unlike any other school a Marine will ever attend. The days are long and hard with some starting as early as 6 a.m. and ending at 5 p.m. However, that is just for the formal class. Marines must continue to study well after school has been dismissed if they wish to earn the title drill instructor.
"We get an average of sixty to seventy students every cycle with twenty-two percent attrition," James said. "Most of the drops are for medical reasons from the training, but there are some that are for academic reasons."
All of the hard work and effort the Marines put into their training finally pays off at the end of the eleven-week cycle.
After graduating, the new drill instructors are given 30 to 40 days to gather their family and belongings and move to Parris Island, James said. Some of the drill instructors also use this time to recuperate from the school's physically-intense training schedule.
With families moved and campaign covers on tight, the drill instructors prepare for their first cycle of recruits.
"My first thought when I got recruits was 'Here we go'," said Sgt. Steven Bahus a drill instructor for Hotel Company, 2nd Recruit Training Battalion. "I was excited and nervous because it was my first cycle and you don't want to mess up."
Training the recruits is a very demanding job which requires strenuous hours of dedication and sacrifice from the drill instructors in order to be accomplished.
The average drill instructor can expect to work 120 hours per week, James said.
That's three times what most people work in a week.
Apart from the long hours spent running recruits around and training them in drill, the instructors also make numerous sacrifices on their part, the biggest one being the time away from their families.
Staff Sgt. Theresa Flowers, a drill instructor for Platoon 4028 in Papa Company, 4th RTBn., described being a drill instructor as both rewarding and at the same time heartache.
"I spend more time with recruits than my family," said Flowers, who has an eight-year-old son at home. "I don't regret becoming a drill instructor, and if I had to, I would do it again."
Flowers said the reason she became a drill instructor was to impact recruit's lives
"In their eyes, we are the best," Flowers explained. "We show them how a Marine should act in the fleet."
For 13 weeks, cycle after cycle, drill instructors dedicate themselves to training the next generation of Marines. Their only break from the monotonous routine is quota and the time off between cycles.
"The purpose of quota is to get you out of the rigors of being a drill instructor," Flowers said. "That's when you get to make up the time with your family."
Quota can last anywhere from 3 months to a year and is a much needed break from the drill field. It is especially beneficial for those drill instructors that pull back-to-back cycles, Flowers said.
While on quota, the Marines are assigned to other recruit training duties such as Marine Corps combat water survival instructors, Marine Corps Martial Arts Program instructors or assigned other jobs to help support the recruit training command.
"It's a break from actively training recruits," said Bahus. "You get to see a different aspect of the regiment."
After returning from quota, the Marine goes back to his duties as a drill instructor and begins training a new cycle of recruits, he added.
For all of their hard work, dedication and sacrifice, the drill instructors are awarded a Drill Instructor Ribbon and the knowledge of knowing they impacted the lives of hundreds of Marines.
Ellie
Lance Cpl. Jon Holmes
(Aug. 15, 2007) -- Every enlisted Marine throughout the Marine Corps has been trained, molded and sharpened by a drill instructor.
The job of being a drill instructor is not an easy one. It requires sacrifice, dedication and hard work to earn the campaign cover and even more work to keep wearing it.
The journey to become a drill instructor begins with the Marine, said 1st Sgt. Troy James, the Drill Instructor School first sergeant. The person must be someone who embodies the core values of honor, courage and commitment.
Once a Marine has been accepted into the school, there is no turning back.
This school is unlike any other school a Marine will ever attend. The days are long and hard with some starting as early as 6 a.m. and ending at 5 p.m. However, that is just for the formal class. Marines must continue to study well after school has been dismissed if they wish to earn the title drill instructor.
"We get an average of sixty to seventy students every cycle with twenty-two percent attrition," James said. "Most of the drops are for medical reasons from the training, but there are some that are for academic reasons."
All of the hard work and effort the Marines put into their training finally pays off at the end of the eleven-week cycle.
After graduating, the new drill instructors are given 30 to 40 days to gather their family and belongings and move to Parris Island, James said. Some of the drill instructors also use this time to recuperate from the school's physically-intense training schedule.
With families moved and campaign covers on tight, the drill instructors prepare for their first cycle of recruits.
"My first thought when I got recruits was 'Here we go'," said Sgt. Steven Bahus a drill instructor for Hotel Company, 2nd Recruit Training Battalion. "I was excited and nervous because it was my first cycle and you don't want to mess up."
Training the recruits is a very demanding job which requires strenuous hours of dedication and sacrifice from the drill instructors in order to be accomplished.
The average drill instructor can expect to work 120 hours per week, James said.
That's three times what most people work in a week.
Apart from the long hours spent running recruits around and training them in drill, the instructors also make numerous sacrifices on their part, the biggest one being the time away from their families.
Staff Sgt. Theresa Flowers, a drill instructor for Platoon 4028 in Papa Company, 4th RTBn., described being a drill instructor as both rewarding and at the same time heartache.
"I spend more time with recruits than my family," said Flowers, who has an eight-year-old son at home. "I don't regret becoming a drill instructor, and if I had to, I would do it again."
Flowers said the reason she became a drill instructor was to impact recruit's lives
"In their eyes, we are the best," Flowers explained. "We show them how a Marine should act in the fleet."
For 13 weeks, cycle after cycle, drill instructors dedicate themselves to training the next generation of Marines. Their only break from the monotonous routine is quota and the time off between cycles.
"The purpose of quota is to get you out of the rigors of being a drill instructor," Flowers said. "That's when you get to make up the time with your family."
Quota can last anywhere from 3 months to a year and is a much needed break from the drill field. It is especially beneficial for those drill instructors that pull back-to-back cycles, Flowers said.
While on quota, the Marines are assigned to other recruit training duties such as Marine Corps combat water survival instructors, Marine Corps Martial Arts Program instructors or assigned other jobs to help support the recruit training command.
"It's a break from actively training recruits," said Bahus. "You get to see a different aspect of the regiment."
After returning from quota, the Marine goes back to his duties as a drill instructor and begins training a new cycle of recruits, he added.
For all of their hard work, dedication and sacrifice, the drill instructors are awarded a Drill Instructor Ribbon and the knowledge of knowing they impacted the lives of hundreds of Marines.
Ellie