WWII-era drill instructors visit ever-changing island
Submitted by: MCRD Parris Island
Story Identification Number: 200310914319
Story by Cpl. Thomas Perry



MCRD/ERR PARRIS ISLAND, S.C.(Oct. 10, 2003) -- Tiny Renaker began the World War II Marine Corps Drill Instructors Association 21 years ago hoping to reunite with his Marine brothers with whom he shared the incredible responsibility of preparing America's young boys and men - many still too young to understand what horrors were awaiting them overseas - to fight.

Renaker's group, which was more than 100 strong in 1982, has had fewer and fewer members visit the Depot every year. Only 25 Marines and their wives attended their latest visit, which took place Sept. 29 - Oct. 2.

The loss of good Marines is an unwelcome reality of growing old. They never lose their Devil Dog fervor, but their snap and pop gets a little softer with each of their visits.
This visit was the drill instructors 13th reunion, and unfortunately,
Renaker believes it will be his last.

"I'm losing [drill instructors] like we're losing veterans of World War II at a rate of 1,500 per day," said Renaker. "We're losing a lot of men every day."

When asked about the changes on the Depot, they somberly agreed that the physical changes have been wholesale, but they also all agree that one thing remains the same.

"We were just as hard," said Renaker. "We didn't play tiddlywinks with them. We really worked them."

Their dedication and hard work does not go overlooked by those who train the recruits of today.

"We most definitely owe them something," said Maj. Ryan Coughlin, Drill Instructor School director. "They stood up and took charge. Everyone that has come after them is building on what they started."

Many of the World War II drill instructors never attended Drill Instructor School, because the official school was not opened until 1953. They received on-the-job training, which is a big difference between the 12 weeks of intense training that hopeful drill instructors now receive, but they learned duties quickly, and produce well-rounded Marines almost overnight.

"We can all learn from the job they did and what they saw," said Coughlin. "It is always motivating to meet Marines that laid the ground work for the Corps."

As the World War II drill instructors toured the Depot, they witnessed many aspects of recruit training including close order drill and the gas chamber, but the highlight for many of them was visiting the Drill Instructor School, which, even though none of them attended, still holds some of their names and a lot of their memories.

During their visit to the school, they sat and listened to 1st Sgt. Lawrence Fineran, an instructor at the Drill Instructor School, give a brief about the standard operating procedures of the new Marine drill instructor.

The former Marines and their wives sat and listened to Fineran, soaking in the new drill instructor experience. They sat in the seats that current drill instructor students use each day on their way to becoming the next generation of the Corps' ultimate example of excellence.
Somehow, the "Old-Corps" drill instructors did not look out of place in those seats. They are still drill instructors. Of course, they now move slower and their daily uniforms consist of khakis and t-shirts, but their passion for the Marine Corps remains the same.

"If he could, he would re-enlist right now," said Lorraine Jones, whose husband Bob joined the Corps as a private in 1938 and retired as a colonel in 1958.

"I'm amazed with all the changes," said Bob. "We didn't have all the things the Marines have today. I don't know if I could have passed that Crucible."

Without Jones and the rest of the World War II era Marines, there may not even be a Crucible.



Lou Michot (left) and Ed Cahill, both World War II-era drill instructors aboard the Depot, revisit their Parris Island past during their tour of Drill Instructor School Oct. 2. Twenty five Marines and their wives attended this year's visit.
Photo by: Cpl. Thomas Perry



Two World War II-era drill instructors observe the Morning Colors Ceremony at Barrow Hall Oct. 3 during their group's 13th reunion aboard the Depot.
Photo by: Cpl. Thomas Perry

Sempers,

Roger