Who was your Drill Sergeant/Drill Instructor in Basic Training?

In D6-C1 SPRING OF 86,FT Knox.At 24, I was 1st avowed from my 1st platoon under Donald K.shipman. A most regrettable "weanie" as runing was never going to be a sjkill I'd master.
Then I met my 2nd: DI Andrew Gravens (he didn't think he needed to raise his voice to grown men) He would point to the ground ,and we knew to push 20.
AFTER duy hours he ran with me so I could make it.
I never gort a second winfd just more pain ,but I could take it for a 2 mile run.

I will always be grateful for the lessons learned from SSG Russell O. Asher during my time in 1966 at Fort Leonard Wood, MO. His influence has impacted and improved my life.

Drill/SFC Burge, who was an exceptionally memorable guy. One of my friends in the platoon that I bumped into about ten years later told me that he'd met Burge again at Fort Hood, and that he was about to retire as a CSM. The junior Drill Sergeant's name escapes me at the moment, but about halfway through the cycle, he was relieved for cause and replaced by Drill/Staff Sergeant Comfort. They worked really well together. It was an interesting experience.

SSG Charles Beer. Man was batshit crazy. Vietnam vet, SF, scared the living shit out of us. Ran us all over Ft. Knox, all the hills, Agony, Misery, Huff and Puff. Never raised his voice but we knew he was serious. Used to wreck the barracks daily. Flipped over bunks, emptied wall lockers, threw one out of a window. These were the old wooden WWII barracks. This was way back in 1978. Remember him to this day, 43 years later.

The Navy has Company Commanders, Mine was ICC Wise. Internal Communications Chief Petty Officer, or E7 by rank. He could be brutal, yet fair. The one thing that I remember was getting close to graduation and all recruits in our company was to receive one day of liberty and those who wanted would go to his house for a barbeque which included beer, Hams and Coors. The men in company could pick who would have 2 days of liberty, I was one of a handful who was chosen. He looked at me and asked how I pulled that one off? I just replied, "Sir, I have no idea why I was chosen, Sir." He just smiled and told me to carry on.

My Company Commander was a BT-1, a decent guy. The idiot was our LT, a math teacher recalled to active duty for Korean conflict and hated it and us.

I had Drill Sgts Hensley, Brown and Lancin, 3/34, Delta company, 2nd platoon. Hensley thought he was Superman, and he was from Tennessee. Brown hated white girls. Lancin was Filipino and talked so fast, no one could understand him. He had a great sense of humor though.
Hensley ended up being fired as a Drill Sergeant because of his abuse of soldiers. No one was allowed to go to medical, we drilled on black flag days and even the other DS hated him. He ended a few military careers before they even started.
Drill Sergeant Estes from 4th platoon taught us more than any of our DS. He had a left and right chest full of ribbons and medals from Viet Nam and after that.
1st Sergeant Ivory Hemphill was even worse than our DS. He acted like he was going to make everyone pay for a Black man being named Ivory. He ended my chances of a long career, along with 2 other soldiers who worked under him.

Yep, 56 years later I still remember of him but not his name. The first day he said we were like family and we could all call him by his first name, Sergeant.

He asked if we had any questions and one guy said Yes Sir and he immediately said I am not a Sir, I am a Sergeant and what is your question? Why do we call these clothes fatigues? He said by the time I get done with you tomorrow you will know the answer and we all laughed.

He had a new different funny monologue everyday. He would ask someone to raise their hand if they a drivers license, when the first idiot raised his hand, he threw them a mop and told them to drive it around the whole barracks. Other days he would just yell at us all to get this whore house cleaned up. Hard to believe that was actually a fun time in my life.

I remember my senior drill sergeant saying “you will never forget your drills”. He was correct SFC Ross, SSG Ramsey, and SGT Mayberry.

SSG Clark at Fort Dix, March of 69. Made me a Squad Leader and kept me the position the entire cycle. Was a role model in appearance, logic, mentorship and instruction. A professional by any other name! Best cadence caller and Jody caller I’ve ever encountered.