What made your Drill Sergeant awesome?

My memories of my DI's are anything but favorable. Basic at Ft Campbell in Jan of 1968 was hell. My DI's were 11Bravos back from Nam and had short time left. They were sadictic and ignorant. There's more but who cares.

After Graduation I met him at the NCO club and then we started dating. Air Force 1992.

i went through basic in 1956/7 at Ft Chaffee AK. my only memory is it was wet and cold but enjoyed the experience. i enlisted out of the reserves so i was familiar with the army.

Drill Sgt Haynes and Drill Sgt Feasenhiser. were my Platoon Drills. They had a way of communicating with just a look and the Knife Hand. They pushed me to my limits and beyond. A 4/3 Ft. Leonard Wood June 1976. We also had Drill Sgt Terry Jones who I am positive the character of Major Payne was created after. Drill Sgts Gorman, Williams, and Lamar were some of the rest of the Drills. Crazy how after all these years they are still in my head.

His ability to also encourage you not just smoke you for general principle.

I was in one of the first Army Basic Training cycles after VOLAR (Voluteer Army) was put into action. That was in May 1974 at Ft Dix A/6/3. It was also the last cycle for DS Flournoy, who was young, professional and the first NCO I encountered of any significance after enlisting for Combat Arms for 4 years for the "Big-Time" $2,500.00 bonus. Eight weeks later I flew to Ft Polk, La, for Infantry School as a member of B/5/3 in North Fort, Ft Polk. DS Trehan was older, profane, tough and a Veteran of Vietnam and possibly Korea. He had a slight limp and used phrases I had never heard before nor since....such as "I am harder than Woodpecker Lips! Don't try my patience!" He was magnificent and I'll never forget him. He wouldn't have recognized the Army 22 years later when I retired. I often wonder how he wound up...

When I joined the Marines in 1989, I was painfully shy. After countless sessions of Drill Instructer Staff Sergeant Ferguson (who looked basically like Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson adapted to USMC height/weight regs) screaming in my face in totally non-pc unfiltered rants, asking women out was so much easier...

I have to go into some background. My dad had retired at the beginning of my adolescent years, and we moved from the nice town of working professionals where we lived to redneck central central Florida. Long before Disney, there was a place called Silver Springs, and my dad loved it, so we moved down there. Dad bought a boat, and was lost at sea in the Gulf of Mexico four months later, at the beginning of my seventh grade year. I didn't fit in at all, had no father to guide me, and even the coaches didn't try with me: they stuck me on lunch room monitor! What on Earth would the Marines want a guy like me for?

I scored very high on the electronics part of the ASVAB.

I was 17 years old, 117 pounds, 6'1" when I went to Parris Island. It was my Drill Instructor Sergeant Bill (I saw it on one of his documents) Lauer who whipped me into shape. Combined with double rations at perhaps the best chow hall in the Corps (because congressmen often visited), junior drill instructor Sgt Lauer took me from my previous condition to 145 pounds, which was still not great, but it was a far cry from what I had been. I owe that guy.

Senior Drill Sergeant Clint McMichaels. We called him "Drill Sergeant Clint" when he wasn't around because he reminded us of "Gunny Hiway" from the movie "HEARTBREAK RIDGE". He would always let us know if you want to wear this uniform, you better "d.. w... earn it!" Fort Knox, KY December1987, before graduation from bootcamp, DS Clint sent word for me to report to his office. I knocked on the door and verbally requested permission to enter. A loud scraggly voice yelled "ENTER!" I reported as we were trained to do so in "red" phase. DS Clint stood up and yelled "DROP!" I immediately went to the front leaning rest position and began pushing Fort Knox into the ground. After about 5 or 6 reps, DS Clint yelled "RECOVER!" I recovered and stood at attention before him. After a few seconds, DS Clint yelled "DISMISSED!" I did an about face and walked out closing the door lightly behind me. During graduation, I received the Armor Crewman award. I had "d.. w... earned my uniform. HOOAH, Senior Drill McMichaels.

It has been several decades back since I was in BCT, 1976 as a matter of fact. But one of my fellow boots that was married at the time lost his wife and unborn child in a car accident. DS Edward's went above and beyond in helping my fellow boot get Red Crossemergency leave to go home and bury his wife. Red Cross had made the arrangement for him to come home, but it was going to be at least a week before he could get a flight out of Lawton. OK. So DS Edward's drove him to Dallas-Ft Worth airport the next day to get a flight home.