“Don’t thank me, thank your recruiter”? Why did my Drill Sergeants respond with this statement every time we thanked them?

PFC Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 20 Jun 2021 11:34:34 -0400

I remember at basic training(in the beginning) my Drill Sergeants would say this every time we thanked them for something. It was until the point where we stopped saying thank you, and just sounded off with our Company Mascot. Genuine answer anybody?

Response by SGM Erik Marquez made Jun 21 at 2021 12:25 PM

SGM Erik Marquez — Mon, 21 Jun 2021 12:25:59 -0400

PFC Private RallyPoint Member Your DS did not recruit you and provide you the opportunity of serving, your recruiter did. Your DS has a job assigned, they are doing their job by training you. If one needs to be thanked for doing the basics of that job daily by subordinates, perhaps the job is not for them.

Response by SSgt Christophe Murphy made Jun 21 at 2021 12:34 PM

SSgt Christophe Murphy — Mon, 21 Jun 2021 12:34:33 -0400

short answer=Sarcasm

Response by SFC Michael Hasbun made Jun 21 at 2021 1:34 PM

SFC Michael Hasbun — Mon, 21 Jun 2021 13:34:48 -0400

It's just another form of "living the dream" or "just another day in paradise". It's just a cursory, reflexive response that means nothing, but allows you to move on with your life when asked a question that hardly needs answering.

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 22 at 2021 8:36 AM

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 22 Jun 2021 08:36:06 -0400

They're not there for you to thank, they're there to train you and to make sure you graduate so you can rear march out of knife hand range.

Really it's just an old sarcastic joke that every cycle will hear. If you want to take meaning out of it, your Recruiter out you there not the DS. So the Recruiter and of course yourself are to thank and blame for your own misery.

Now stop asking questions and go beat your face, but before you do remember to thank your recruiter.