Why is Drill Sergeant Duty viewed as being better than Recruiting duty?

2014-12-09T19:23:04-05:00

Due to the fact that most Recruiters and Drill Instructors are DA selected, is it fair to look at one more favorably than the other?

Response by SGT Kyle Taylor made Dec 9 at 2014 8:57 PM

2014-12-09T20:57:15-05:00

I have not done either of these duties but in my eyes as a recruiter all your doing is finding people to fill the spots that you can get in. As a Drill your actually molding them into Soldiers and if done right you can be that person that changes life for people. Just my .02 on it.

Response by 1stSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 9 at 2014 9:05 PM

2014-12-09T21:05:42-05:00

For me in the Marine Corps, DI duty is more fun...lots of fun. Just my opinion. Plus it opened up a lot of opportunities and DI billets. Got to train officers at OCS and now currently on Assustant Marine Officer Instructor (AMOI) duty at Naval ROTC at college. The best special duty MOS in my eyes. 8511.

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 10 at 2014 2:22 AM

2014-12-10T02:22:53-05:00

Blame pop culture. How many movies have lots of time devoted to recruiting?

I will always remember my DI, but could not even tell you what my recruiter even looked like, let alone his name

Response by SFC Michael Jackson, MBA made Dec 15 at 2014 1:49 AM

2014-12-15T01:49:24-05:00

Recruiting is job in sales, but drill sergeant duty is easier sell to the senior leadership that have the potential to perform at the next level. You get more face time with troops and an opportunity to prove you train and lead. By the time I finish, I had been the platoon sergeant of over 700 soldiers

Response by LTC Doug McLiverty made Dec 16 at 2014 12:14 PM

2014-12-16T12:14:51-05:00

I think it is the difference in seeing the results of your efforts. Seeing your "trainees" walk across the stage at graduation and becoming soldiers....priceless. In recruiting you may take an applicant to the MEPS and they might come home to visit, but usually you don't get to see the results.

Response by CPT Chris Loomis made Jan 27 at 2015 9:23 PM

2015-01-27T21:23:03-05:00

'Cuz DI's are just badass!

Response by TSgt Joshua Copeland made Jan 27 at 2015 9:27 PM

2015-01-27T21:27:33-05:00

I know in the AF side, MTI is viewed as a much harder special duty.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 21 at 2015 8:38 PM

2015-06-21T20:38:20-04:00

Drill time counts towards your rated time. Recruiting does not really lend to your career in any way I know of. It actually puts your rated time almost on hold, and therefore sets you back against your peers.

Response by 1SG Michael Blount made Aug 19 at 2015 11:56 AM

2015-08-19T11:56:55-04:00

IMHO, Drill Sergeants have an outsized impact on the Army vs. Recruiters. As a result, DS duty tends to stand as being better than a Recruiter.
Remember the cadence
"My recruiter told me a lie.
Join the Army gonna jump and fly.
Put my name on the dotted line.
Now all I do is double-time."

Now - do you think a Recruiter could think of something like that? Being serious, if you're a DS, you can also instruct at any NCOES or MOS school

Yah, I'm a Drill.

Response by LTC Stephen F. made Aug 19 at 2015 12:40 PM

2015-08-19T12:40:15-04:00

Recruiters are charged with bringing young men and women into the military services of this nation. This requires training to recognize both the good and the bad and to understand the rules which apply to the MEPS requirements. This interaction may take days, weeks or months. The time spent with each potential recruit is part time as the recruiters are actively recruiting others.
Drill Instructors are charged with taking these young civilians and training them in the fullest sense of the word to be members of a team and to be able to be an asset to their first assignment. Drill Instructors serve 24 hours day, 7 seven days a week throughout the training cycle. Yes DI's take breaks but the trainees know that a DI is always nearby to train, discipline or counsel them as necessary.
Personally based on my experience, I believe the Drill Instructors position should be more highly honored than the recruiters position. That being said they are both honorable assignments.
I went to basic training at Fort Leonard Wood in 1974, I served as an acting drill sergeant at Fort Dix, NJ in the summer of 1978 while a cadet at West Point and in 1985 to 1986 I commanded at Infantry training company at Fort Benning, Georgia and in 1987 I was the Chief of the Testing and Evaluation Branch at the US Army Infantry Training Center and supervised 46 Drill Sergeant qualified and experienced NCO's as they administered all testing and evaluation required for infantry soldiers to qualify.

Response by LCDR Rabbah Rona Matlow made Aug 21 at 2015 6:13 PM

2015-08-21T18:13:01-04:00

Recruiters face quotas that are at times very hard to meet. In addition, who hasn't said of their recruiter "My recruiter lied to me..." Would you want to have that reputation?

Response by SGM Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 21 at 2015 6:21 PM

2015-08-21T18:21:44-04:00

Well, I have done both and they each have their highs and lows. The recruiting has a stigma of putting anyone in boots and letting the Drill Sergeant train them. That is not always true. DS can have seriously long hours but so can recruiting. If I had to pick one , it would be DS. There is no other feeling in the world like having a hand in training our Soldiers. And recruiters don't get the round brown. That is another experience that is hard to imitate. Both are really good for your career and show you know how to take care is Soldiers, train and address their admin needs. I have found that DA select are not always the best choice in these positions though. Funny thing, many don't want to be there and it can show in their attitude and performance. I'm not saying that's true for all DA selects, but some for sure.

Response by SGT Jerrold Pesz made Aug 21 at 2015 6:30 PM

2015-08-21T18:30:25-04:00

I don't know about later years but during the mid to late sixties many wanted to become a drill sergeant because at that time you were supposedly guaranteed an eighteen month "stabilized tour of duty" after finishing drill sergeant school. I say supposedly because the army did not alway honor their agreements. However that promise really appealed to many who had families and others who were trying to avoid Vietnam. I don't know what the deal was for recruiters. In general being a drill sergeant was a rewarding job although it was pretty well a 24/7 job for the first few weeks of each training cycle.

Response by SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL made Aug 21 at 2015 7:32 PM

2015-08-21T19:32:48-04:00

SFC Private RallyPoint Member For me its personal: In my opinion Drill Sergeant Duty is just very personal and years from now you will always remember them.
Who knew 25 years and 3 days later, I would go to 6 combat deployments, serve in some of the finest units the United States Army could bestow on a Soldier. Most Ironically, Becoming a DRILL SERGEANT IN DECEMBER 2005 and serving at Sandhill, Fort Benning GA; with C/2-47 IN "Charlie Rock, Panther Battalion". I owe it all to my Drill Sergeants and a lot more gratitude. Thanks for training me to fight, win and survive and what the word BATTLE BUDDY MEANS. Yea, didn't know then, but boyee did they watch my 6 and cover me while I moved (the U.S. Soldier).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpF4ufOEdFU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8E3b17nxis

1ST PLT
SENIOR DRILL SERGEANT JONES
DRILL SERGEANT PULU
DRILL SERGEANT WILLIAMS

Life of a drill sergeant

Hear from drill sergeants and a spouse as they talk candidly about life on the trail and how they and their families deal with the long hours.

Response by SFC David Brunk made Aug 22 at 2015 8:40 AM

2015-08-22T08:40:12-04:00

It is the recruiters job to bring civilians into the military. It is the Drill Sergeants job to turn them into basic soldiers. It has been my experience, some recruiters will use almost any means available to fill their quotas. I wasn't selected for Drill Sergeant I volunteered. I had one kid who should have never made it through the initial screening. He had a medical condition involving the elbows, where he couldn't straighten out his arms. He wanted to be there and could do everything and do it well except for his elbows. We tried to keep him in but had to discharge him. Another one wasn't emotionally mature enough. His father, a retired SFC/E-7 told the recruiter his son wasn't emotionally fit at that time to be a soldier but he was recruited anyway. We had to discharge him after about 2 weeks for unsuitability. There were others but I'll leave it at that. In my opinion though the duty is hard with long hours it is the BEST duty in the military and the BEST reward is watching those civilians, the ones you spent weeks with, training with, march across the graduation field AS soldiers. The feeling of accomplishment, the feeling of pride, is something you won't forget. That is something you won't get from a recruiters chair and that is why I view Drill Duty as so much better than recruiting.

Response by SGT Lawrence Corser made Aug 23 at 2015 10:52 AM

2015-08-23T10:52:22-04:00

Drill you are seen as a molder of the next generation, recruiters are just salesmen, but recruiting is no joke, they treat you like sh!t.

Response by PFC Tuan Trang made Aug 27 at 2015 3:34 PM

2015-08-27T15:34:34-04:00

I think it just indiviual point of view, personally i think both drill instructors and recruiter are the same. Without Recruiter there will be no recruit, Without Drill instructors there will be no soldiers.

Response by SFC Donald Neal made Sep 16 at 2015 2:36 AM

2015-09-16T02:36:01-04:00

Technically both are broadening assignments for those Soldiers who are branch qualified for their grade and MOS. Both are supposed to be equally balanced in the fact a person should be reasonably successful and have a good evaluation identifying all these new strengths and qualities these assignments bring out. I've only done an assignment on the trail, but can say it was incredibly demanding and really made me a better NCO, leader, and Soldier. The opportunity to train the next generation of Soldiers is tough, and pushes you to really step up as a trainer, leader, and mentor. I'm sure recruiting duty also demands leadership, mentoring, and some training on a very individual level, but you still have to invest time into each and every trainee to whom you have been given the responsibility to inculcate the Army values, warrior ethos, and a moderate amount of basic Soldier skills before shipping them out to AIT or their first unit.

Response by SGM Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 6 at 2015 4:52 PM

2015-10-06T16:52:31-04:00

SFC Kenneth Watson, I did not know it was. When I was recruiting it was the second most important mission to the Army, first being the war.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 22 at 2015 11:38 AM

2015-12-22T11:38:39-05:00

Being a drill sergeant is more engaging from a military stand point. I couldn't be a recruiter. I love being around soldiers. Training. Learning. As a drill sergeant you get to make a huge difference in the Army. This is just my opinion. I know theres a ton of recruiters out there who love what they do. To each their own. TWD!

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 4 at 2016 3:45 PM

2016-04-04T15:45:16-04:00

Drill sergeants are out there pounding the pavement and training non stop. Recruiting is an office job. Different strokes for different folks I guess.

Response by SSG Ray Murphy made Mar 30 at 2017 4:07 PM

2017-03-30T16:07:47-04:00

Totally different jobs and performance measures. Is not fair to compare them at all, regardless of whether they are DA select or not. I was a DS, loved it, once I was doing it, did NOT want to do it though initially. A friend of mine was DA select to recruiting, he loved it. I don't think I could have succeeded in that job, I am not a people person and lack social skills.

Response by 1SG Stephen Burgess made Mar 31 at 2017 11:44 AM

2017-03-31T11:44:38-04:00

I did both for 3 years each. I can honestly say that I would rather be a Drill Sergeant for a 1000 years than to be a recruiter for 5 more seconds. I hated every second of being a recruiter. Hated everything about it. I had zero pride in what I was doing as a recruiter. I did my job and always represented the Army in a professional manner, but I couldn't stand the recruiting mentality. As a Drill Sergeant, the job was far more difficult than recruiting, but far more rewarding and I loved every second of those 16 hour days. The harder it was, the more I liked it. Was extremely proud of the accomplishments. The Drill Sergeants I worked with were some of the best NCO's I ever knew.

Response by MAJ Rene De La Rosa made Oct 13 at 2018 7:34 PM

2018-10-13T19:34:08-04:00

I believe the theory is that the drill sergeant has more of an impact upon the recruit than the recruiter. I do believe the recruiter has a fair portion of being able to sell the product (the Army) to young folks, so this is about an equal endeavor for the two.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 13 at 2018 10:17 PM

2018-10-13T22:17:08-04:00

It actually depends who you ask. I’m prejudice being a 12B40 DI. I would say typically Recruiters are looked at as used car salesmen while DI’s have a sexy reputation because of movies and such… nothing could be further from the truth. Recruiters have the difficult task of putting the round peg in a round hole, and having to attend any functions, any time, any place, to fulfill their mission. It ain’t easy. Being a DI isn’t sexy either, much more boring tasks of setting up new barracks, filling out paperwork, and always working on short sleep (1st up, last to sleep). Both positions are equally difficult and trying.
Why are DI’s viewed as better… Hollywood and the movies... Maybe because we have better looking head gear. :)

Response by SFC David Xanten made Dec 30 at 2018 7:46 PM

2018-12-30T19:46:33-05:00

As someone who has done both, I would say that being a Field Recruiter was much more fulfilling. Almost anyone can be a Drill Sergeant and they train the people given to them by the Recuiting Command. On the other hand, being a Field Recruiter requires the ability to evaluate people and be a salesman and a personal specialist. I had much more feeling of, job well done, as a Instructor at the 7th Army NCO Academy, teaching young NCO’s how to be effective leaders. That to me is the best job in the Army, well maybe second only to be a member of the 3rd Squadron, 4th Cavalry.

Response by SFC(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 30 at 2018 8:03 PM

2018-12-30T20:03:59-05:00

Both are a position of trust and are both valuable to the future of our force. Another concern if I may, would be the question of why the White House Comms soldiers are less recognized where as, they also serve in a position of trust and maybe, of a higher trust.

Response by 1SG Ronald Rieck made Dec 31 at 2018 12:11 PM

2018-12-31T12:11:41-05:00

Being a drill sergeant was the best job I ever had, bar none. Loved teaching and training soldiers. The lasting positive impact you can have on a young person...can't put a price on it. With that said, the hours are truly brutal...Hope you're single if you end up doing it...

Response by SFC Michael D. made Aug 9 at 2019 2:59 PM

2019-08-09T14:59:11-04:00

We don't have a quota. We have to train the new recruite. And you get to see and be proud of what you created. A Soldier with a skill.

Response by SFC David Reid, M.S, PHR, SHRM-CP, DTM made Aug 9 at 2019 5:46 PM

2019-08-09T17:46:48-04:00

I think both has its unique challenges - both should be equally weighted. Recruiting I think is more of a mental challenge! Drill Sergeant duty, Is probably has more physical demands! I would say that Drill Sergeant Duty is more memorable to the soldier, impacting the foundations of their behaviors.