My experience with Parris Island D.I.s

[Hoplite]

I wanted to share this experience with the other poolees here. I think it may give some insight for what's to come.

Yesterday we had our Family Day with our RSS. During this event we had the Sgt. Major and Major for the recruitment of Louisiana there to introduce the Marine Corps and answer any questions for the parents. Also during this event we had the honor of having some Drill Instructors from Parris Island visit us as well. (I will say that the calm before the storm is by far more scary then the storm itself)

After all the talking was done it was time to meet the DIs. The Sgt. Major got us into formation and then asked of all people, *me* to open the door and and say "Come on in Drill Instructors." So I go and fast walk to open the door. Now first off, I thought the DIs were going to come in all in straight line looking all pretty and intimidating and then talk to us and do some drilling. Wrong. As soon as I open the door all I saw were 5 massive DIs lined up looking like a SWAT team. I didn't even get to say what I supposed to say when suddenly it was like a grenade went off and an all out firefight ensued.

The first DI in line got right into my face and yelled "GET BACK IN LINE RIGHT NOW!!" and they breached the door yelling and screaming. Now from my Mom's point of view she said I was there one second and gone the next. She thought I had got ran over by the DIs. So as soon as I got back in formation they had us right on our bellies doing push-ups and mountain climbers. During this whole time I had the biggest and meanest of the DIs right in my ear yelling "SCREAM LOUDER!! LOUDER!! LOUDER!!" So I'm screaming "AYE SIR!" as loud as I can which of course isn't loud enough for him.

So after some more intense yelling in my ear, exercises, and some frightened looks on my fellow poolees' faces, it was over and they got us back in formation. I cant really say what it was like during this. Just that it was intense, fast, loud, and a shock to the system. I'm just now recovering from the shock haha.

So here's what I learned during this brief taste of boot camp:
1. You can not yell loud enough
2. Mountain climbers suck
3. Do what you're told, when you're told, and how you're told as fast and as best as possible.

I consider myself very lucky to have this experience before boot camp. I know what to expect once I get off that bus and I'll be alittle more prepared for it. Now I understand this was only a small taste of what a DI can do. They didn't even do any of the mind tricks and name calling. However, it was still an honor to have that experience.

[Gumby]

heha Thats funny how you had to yell come on in drill instructors.

[jetdoc]

Seems like you had fun then, .

[sawatzke82]

We did something like this when I first DEPed in and we are doing it again next month (which will be my last DEP functon before leaving!), without a doubt one heck of an eye opener of what we are getting ourselves into.

Last time a member of my pool was "smart" enough to tell all of the recruiters that, quote, "The Drill Instructors weren't that bad." Needless to say they caught word of this and here's what happened next, "Hey stupid!" the poolee turns around after getting water (also manages to bite a hole in his lip from the suprise). "Yeah you! come here! Now run around that truck until you friggin die!
You had to see the look on this guys face, it was priceless maybe you just had to have been there and known this guy but it was the funniest thing I have ever witnessed in my life...hopefully it wont be me next time.

[crazymjb]

We have ours coming up in a little over two weeks. I am just now finishing up Stew Smith's pushup program to help prepare.

I think we are only going to have one DI there, and a few other recruiting stations mixing up with ours.

Mike

[SlingerDun]

how long did they thrash you

[JAG1990tn]

We had ours on March 4th. I liked it, I thought it was one of the most exciting things so far. Tell you what, I was dreading that so bad, but once it was over, I was so motivated. I was praying that something would come my way and they would ship me to BC the minutes we left there. But sadly, it didn't work that way for me. I still have a few days. I leave May12th. I can't wait.
The two DIs that came from PI were awesome. Really motivational Marines. They thrashed us for about 15 minutes. I was afraid to move though. Whe we wwere settting down, I kept my eyes on the back on the boy's head, setting in front of me. It took all I could muster to keep from looking away.
Anyways. I would like to tell about our family night. But I have a report to due in class.
Stay Motivated.
And to any poolee or poolees that have the Family Night coming up, don't dread it. After it is over you will think, " man, is that all?"
But don't be mislead, that is only a taste of what we will get.
Anyways. I am out of here, I have work to do, so I can get my diploma and make shipdate.

[OB MSG]

Here's a little story for you Poolees that you may find funny, I know I did. In 1998 when I DEP'd in we had one of your weekly Pool Meetings. Well as this thread is titled so did we experience. Our recruiters had brought in a female DI to "talk" to us. We all showed up, talked a bit then they took us out back and put us in formation. All of a sudden the back door of the office flies open and this woman of about five feet, five inches and in PT gear, starts ripping us a new one. I had been at a meeting before this and still had the smell of after shave on me when she stormed past, stopped, sniffed me out and went up one side and down the other of me. I apparently wanted to smell pretty for her! Did I want to date her?! No? Did I think she was ugly?! Did I think I was a Pimp?! You get the picture. No answer was good enough, she tore me up for a few minutes then moved on. Then she had us down doing push-ups then flipped us to leg-lilfts.

While we were doing them she was walking through the ranks. This is where it got interesting. Our visiting DI, Drill Instructor Sgt Shock, (I am not kidding), had a tattoo on her. This bit of ink ran from her right butt cheek part-way down the back of her right thigh, about 3 inched out of her PT shorts. (She was wearing the short nylon/silk running shorts.) The Poolee next to me saw this and decided to crane his neck around to get a better view, not that it was a bad view, she was/is an attractive woman. As you can guess he got caught and summarily "killed" right on the spot. I thought the recruiters were going to p!$$ themselves laughing. We all laughed later after she left, but it was an interesting time there for about thirty minutes!

Good times!!

[outlaw3179]

Lol..thats Funny As Hell!

[MotivatorOfTheGuard]

Here's a little story for you Poolees that you may find funny, I know I did. In 1998 when I DEP'd in we had one of your weekly Pool Meetings. Well as this thread is titled so did we experience. Our recruiters had brought in a female DI to "talk" to us. We all showed up, talked a bit then they took us out back and put us in formation. All of a sudden the back door of the office flies open and this woman of about five feet, five inches and in PT gear, starts ripping us a new one. I had been at a meeting before this and still had the smell of after shave on me when she stormed past, stopped, sniffed me out and went up one side and down the other of me. I apparently wanted to smell pretty for her! Did I want to date her?! No? Did I think she was ugly?! Did I think I was a Pimp?! You get the picture. No answer was good enough, she tore me up for a few minutes then moved on. Then she had us down doing push-ups then flipped us to leg-lilfts.

While we were doing them she was walking through the ranks. This is where it got interesting. Our visiting DI, Drill Instructor Sgt Shock, (I am not kidding), had a tattoo on her. This bit of ink ran from her right butt cheek part-way down the back of her right thigh, about 3 inched out of her PT shorts. (She was wearing the short nylon/silk running shorts.) The Poolee next to me saw this and decided to crane his neck around to get a better view, not that it was a bad view, she was/is an attractive woman. As you can guess he got caught and summarily "killed" right on the spot. I thought the recruiters were going to p!$$ themselves laughing. We all laughed later after she left, but it was an interesting time there for about thirty minutes!

Good times!!

Thats awesome. In the purest form of awesome as it can come.

[PatriotGirl422]

So here's what I learned during this brief taste of boot camp:
1. You can not yell loud enough
2. Mountain climbers suck
3. Do what you're told, when you're told, and how you're told as fast and as best as possible.

You're definitely right about #1. I screamed as loud as I could every day in boot camp, and I was never called anything but "No Volume" by one of my D.I.s...Talk about head games!

#3 is also very important. Even if you don't know exactly what to do or if you don't have time to think about it, just do something. Move fast and be loud and do everything to the best of your ability.

Everyone's always really traumatized when they see yelling D.I.s at poolee functions, but believe it or not, you get used to that pretty quickly. It's the other things the D.I.s say/do that will really affect you.

[THAT AINT IT]

when i was in the DEP we had a statewide pool function which was pretty much a field meet between the different RSS's. we all knew that we were gonna get a little taste of boot camp but we didnt know when it was gonna happen. anyways we're standing in formation and out of nowhere these two Drill Instructors are all over us, one male and one female. we played the sit down, get up game for about 10 minutes and then they asked for volunteers to demonstrate quarterdeckings...and of course all of us got up. so they scream at us for about an hour and then they split up the males and the females. we got MRE's for chow that day and while we ate we got to ask the female Senior Drill Instructor questions about boot camp. she told a couple of girls (who couldnt keep their mouths shut) that when we got there she would be more than our Senior Drill Instructor. so i go to boot camp the next month and she ended up being my Series GySgt.
so poolees if you have the pleasure of getting this experience...dont **** them off because you might see them again.

[Steel]

You're definitely right about #1. I screamed as loud as I could every day in boot camp, and I was never called anything but "No Volume" by one of my D.I.s...Talk about head games!

#3 is also very important. Even if you don't know exactly what to do or if you don't have time to think about it, just do something. Move fast and be loud and do everything to the best of your ability.

Everyone's always really traumatized when they see yelling D.I.s at poolee functions, but believe it or not, you get used to that pretty quickly. It's the other things the D.I.s say/do that will really affect you.

Personnaly I'd never had a problem with getting enough volumne, the first 5 days they did the "louder aye sir, no, louder aye sir" thing to me and then I instantly lost my voice after those first few days. They'd yell at me and I'd be screaming sounding like a DI that lost his voice and they'd just move on.

[PatriotGirl422]

Personnaly I'd never had a problem with getting enough volumne, the first 5 days they did the "louder aye sir, no, louder aye sir" thing to me and then I instantly lost my voice after those first few days. They'd yell at me and I'd be screaming sounding like a DI that lost his voice and they'd just move on.

What's going on here, Steel? Are you a Marine or a Marine Friend who just went to boot camp?

[OB MSG]

Patriot: Good Question.

Steel: Please clarify. Note that if you give bogus answers, the salvo of incomings will be fierce!