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

GySgt Andersen
SSgt Wadley
Sgt (SSgt Selectee) Minnefield

Platoon 2092

October 4, 1967 - December 13, 1967
MCRD San Diego

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.

I don't think you can ever forget your drill sergeant. Back in 1969 mine was SSG Engleman, Viet Nam veteran with the Big Red One. CIB, etc, etc. We were the last group to wear color rank insignia and patches on our OG107s. He had a pencil thin mustache with piercing blue eyes and carried a swagger stick. One bright Sunday morning, 3 trainees in my company fell out without their covers. As they are in the barracks recovering their head gear, Drill Sergeant Engleman drives up and gets out of his car with a big German Shepard. The Joes come out and he says "Get down and crawl green snakes!". When they started to low crawl the dog grabbed one by ankle and starts shaking him while he's screaming. DS Engleman says "Come here girl! Stay away from those green snakes!" and the dog was immediately by his side. The dog knew you didn't cross DS Engleman, as we knew also.

TSgt Fox - Lackland AFB- 8/76. She was a tall woman that never smiled once in 6 weeks. From day one, she had it in for four of us in our flight. It was no secret which four as we were the only blacks out of 50 Airman. Systematically, each one of us were set-back and removed from the flight but not until we had to pull more dorm guard duty and KP than any others. I was the last to get set-back and it happened on the final inspection right after our graduation program due to a microscopic hair on my shoe. My Mom & Grandma had flown to Texas to witness the latest family member achieve what the majority of the family had done (my grandson just went into the Army 2 weeks ago so the military branches continue!) only to get a call from me saying I had to stay an additional 2 weeks. It was because of TSgt Fox I began smoking (smoke free 12 years now) as only those that smoked tended to get more breaks while others cleaned the dorm. The biggest impact from TSgt Fox...my first introduction to racism.

1970 MCRD
Senior - SSgt Ward
SSgt Lewis
Sgt. Diaz
They all influenced me in one way or another. Diaz was the compassionate one but strict. Lewis was the mean SOB and Ward was a combination of the other two.

I was drafted into the Army in 1967. This is from my for-family-only autobiography:

I have almost no memory of my first day at basic training. Others have written about their first day: the barracks, the drill sergeants, the shouting, the confusion, the uniform issue, the pushups. I remember nothing. Except my drill sergeants.

No need to add I don’t remember their names. They were two Black NCOs who’d served as infantrymen in Vietnam, and nothing like the famous drill sergeant in “Full Metal Jacket.” I never heard, not once, either of them shout, hit, insult, or curse one of us.

The older drill sergeant was nearing 40, much too old to still be a Staff Sergeant. He’d likely been busted a few times and was hanging on for his 20-year retirement. Though lean and hard, his body was stiff and his face a constant scowl as he taught us drill and ceremonies, marching and marksmanship. Rumor had it he was from Philadelphia – inner city, not the suburbs – and would sooner cut us up than chew us out. We feared him in a visceral way, not knowing he couldn’t harm us without bringing a lot of unwanted attention on himself.

His junior partner was at least ten years younger, with an athlete’s grace, always relaxed. He took us through physical training, led us on our runs (neither he or his starched uniform breaking a sweat, while we recruits were puking), and demonstrated all the events on the obstacle course, making them look so easy we had confidence we could do them, too. We didn’t fear him as much as like him. We never got close enough to him to test it, but he was the “Good Cop.”

Between the two drill sergeants, we – let me speak for myself … I – enjoyed basic training. I wish I still had their names so I could go back and thank them (or by now, maybe their families) for starting me off so well.

1967 Ft. Gordon GA. SFC Patton Perfect name for DS

In 1979 SSgt Luis Garza was a diminutive fellow! His counterpart was about 6'6 to his 5'4. They served in the marines together in Viet Nam. They made it their mission to turn us into first class Airman whether or not we liked the tactics. There was a Mural of the Hulk painted on the Day Room wall! SSgt Garza all of 5'4" made it a point to tell us that he was The Hulk and would kick all of our asses if we didn't perform to his standards.

Good morning CSM Uhlig,
I recall going through the WTC course at Ft. Sill because I was prior service active duty Navy and as well as Inactive Navy Reserves. I don't recall My Drill Sergeants names. We had two assigned to Our company. One was a short Filipino and the other was a stocky African-American. I learned a lot from both of Them as I did know anything about the Army. I recall one funny moment was when We were in the barracks and there was a bad snow storm that day and most of the power had gone out throughout the post. So. We were stuck eating MRE for most of the day. I was new to the MRE world. I had to ask how do I warm up the stuff from the MRE. Funny part was I had no idea what the gum was for, all I knew that is was regular gum and that it was minty. So, another "Battle" gave Me His. An hour later My DS told what's it for. I paid for it later that day, when I was in the latrine for 30 minutes. Word of advice, Please stay away from that MRE gum.

In Basic at Fort Sill we had SFC Lefevre, who was both Canadian and a Vietnam Veteran. At Fort Benning we had SFC Wolfman, another Vietnam vet, who must have been about fifty years old, which was very old to a bunch of 18-20 year old recruits!

I remember him well. He told us many times he was a real soldier until he “got shot in the gd dmnd ass and as punishment they made me a Drill Seargent. ❤️