Do you think that a Drill Sergeant who does not use "curse words" or "profanity" would be as effective as one that does?

Absolutely. My DI's never cussed and I was adequately terrified of them for 12 weeks.

There is a time and place for everything. I lack the ability to "raise my voice" due to physical reasons. So I cannot yell. In fact the best I can do "aggressively suggest", which actually struck the fear of God in people more so than my more verbal counterparts. The extra effort it takes for me to speak loudly makes me conscious of what I need to say. If I curse at you, that is an extra added and very deliberate act I have to take. That extra verbiage was instantly recognized and had meaning. Appropriate use of curse words does have value, but only if it is not part of your regular vocabulary.

If using profanity is what gets soldiers to pay attention to you, there is a serious problem. Not to say there isn't a time and a place for the occasional F-bomb, but as a whole, "The Army Profession" should be taught as such. Drill Sergeants can instill the fear of God into you without using profanity, I guarantee it.

Cursing is not the intimidating part, tone the way a person carries themselves, the knowledge that they will follow through will be the factor. The best are the ones that are strict but fair, can be trusted to lead and build morale and teamwork while applying strict adherence to the military standard that must be learned and ingrained in a young recruit.

During OSUT, I had one of each kind. My Senior Drill seldom cursed and if he did, hell fire and brimstone were about to descent. The other drill could not complete a sentence without using the F word. Different styles for different personalities.
When I went through OCS, the Commandant at the time would not allow the TAC's or Students to curse in public. I never saw it to be a detriment to him being able to chew off large portions of an offending candidates posterior. There were a number of times that I was frankly in awe of his ability to loudly and so thoroughly go over a candidates shortcomings as a soldier, potential officer and sometimes even as a human being without ever using a curse word.

I ended up with 4 different drill instructors on Parris Island. I think our original instructor had a medical issue and he disappeared (we never heard why). We then had two others for the remainder of our time on Parris Island. All but one of them swore profusely. They were all effective and communicating their intent and instruction. I think it is a style thing more than anything else.

Yes, I had two drill sergeants, one from Puerto Rico who never used curse words and one black female who told us up front she cusses like a sailor, both were equally effective at what they did. The one who cussed really never got personal with it, she just cussed.

SPC Darin Taylor My "CC" CTRC Zetterholm Never Cursed Once, He was a Very Orthodox Catholic Man but He Could Verbally Field Strip You without the Cursing.

I KNEW DRILLS WHO DIDN'T CUSS!!! I COULDN'T SAY THE SAME ABOUT ME!!! LOL

He can be more effective in my opinion.