The movie-going public is familiar with military drill instructors through standout performances by Louis Gossett Jr. as Gunnery Sergeant Emil Foley in An Officer and a Gentleman, Christopher Walken as Sergeant Toomey in Biloxi Blues, Clancy Brown as Sergeant Zim in Starship Troopers, Jack Webb as TSgt Jim Moore in The D.I.
Probably the most notable on-screen drill instructor was played by actual retired United States Marine Corps drill instructor R. Lee Ermey as SSgt Loyce in The Boys in Company C and as Gunnery Sergeant Hartman in Full Metal Jacket.
Not all branches of the military still rely on the stereotypical insult yelling drill instructors seen in films.
Multiple studies found the method of "breaking down and rebuilding" was one of the least effective ways to provide training, retain recruits, and build camaraderie and esprit de corps. It also can attract and retain the wrong people for the success of the service.
It is still employed to some extent as a means to train military members to maintain calm and listen for orders in chaotic or combat situations, but has been cut back extensively.
As for the branches, their basic training is lead by:
- DI - Drill Instructor in the Marine Corps
- RDC - Recruit Division Commander in the Navy
- TI - Training Instructor in the Air Force
- DS - Drill Sergeant in the Army
So don't ask a Navy veteran about his "drill sergeant." Sergeant isn't even a rank in the United States Navy.
And soldiers are only in the Army.
The other branches have airmen, sailors, and Marines, and dislike being referred to as "soldiers." The inclusive term for all branches is either servicemembers or military personnel—not soldiers.
Reddit user Aware-Froyo3124 asked:
"Drill Instructors, where do y'all get the hilarious and most outrageous insults when screaming out recruits? Is it passed down and/or overheard then used later?"
As with most Reddit specific asks, the majority of the answers came from former trainees, however, not the trainers and didn’t really answer the question.
It mostly turned into a greatest hits list.
Multiple Sources
"Some of it comes naturally, some of it is recycled, sometimes, you get surprised by your own words."
~ myconsequences
Favorites
"My favorite, and one that actually broke me (it wasn’t directed at me but somebody in formation next to me):"
"DI: 'Did you iron your shirt?'”
"Recruit: 'Sir, yes sir!'”
"DI: 'Was it plugged in‽‽'”
"I laughed out loud. The push ups were worth it. That sh*t was funny."
~ expressadmin
"My favorite from my boot days was getting a line inspection and my TI rifles through this kid's clothes and screams, 'IT LOOKS LIKE SOMEONE WITH NO ARMS FOLDED THESE CLOTHES!'"
"It made us all laugh, but then we all got in trouble for laughing."
~ BlackChapel
Training
"My former office mate was an ex-drill instructor in the Army."
"He said drill instructor training was 50 percent physical conditioning and 50 percent learning how to f*ck with people."
~ jgroda
Tree Service
"I spoke to a former drill instructor once who said they’d yell at a tree to practice rattling off a string of demands and insults without regard to their victim’s reaction."
~ MrDickford
"And when the tree drops and gives them twenty, they graduate from DI/RDC/TI/DS school."
~ GolfballDM
Close Shave
"I had one of those electric shavers you could take in the shower way back when those were a new thing. TI did a locker inspection and said 'what the piss is this alien mothership doing in your locker, trainee‽‽'"
"I knew bringing it was a huge risk, but I also knew other trainees were regularly getting smoked for wet or dirty razors, so I figured I’d risk it. I gave my reporting statement and said it was my razor."
"In front of 139 other dudes standing silently at attention, he and I then spent the most nerve-racking two minutes of my life while I talked him through the various features."
"When he asked if I had to put shaving cream on, I told him to push the blue button. A shaving gel came out directly onto the razor, and he about lost his sh*t."
"Took an entire lap around my bed and said it was 'goddarnunbelievable to see the wonders of modern technology right here in the flesh.'"
"I thought the entire time that he was setting me up for something horrible, but he put it back and told me, 'Good inspection, trainee,' and I think my guts are still stuck somewhere up in my chest all these years later."
~ interista4jz
The Visuals
"My brother told me his drill instructor used the line, 'You’re about as squared away as a marble!'"
~ V-Right_In_2-V
"Reminds me of our RDC in Navy bootcamp repeatedly calling this one guy a soup sandwich. 'And here's [Recruit Name], whose uniform looks as good as a f*cking soup sandwich!'"
~ JessicantTouchThis
Lost
"DI: 'Where'd you park it?'"
"Recruit: 'Sir?'"
"DI: 'Where'd you park it!?'"
"Recruit: 'Sir! The recruit doesn't undetstand the Drill Instructor's question.'"
"DI: 'Your f*cking spaceship! You aren't from this planet, so where'd you park it‽‽'"
"Whole platoon lost it."
~ SarniltheRed
A Different Tune
"Navy OCS, I was in the final phase so I got to help the RDCs do inspections of newer classes. One candidate had put his belt on backwards, which is how women wore those belts. RDCs catch it, begin to question his gender identity, and one tells him to sing, 'I’m just a girl' by No Doubt."
"The candidate sang the entire song, in tune, totally nailed it. All three RDCs stood in stunned silence for a moment and the candidate passed the inspection."
~ Tundra_Pig
Childhood Development
"My favorite was, 'Trainee, why is the back of your head so flat? Did your mother not give you enough tummy time!'"
~ Sweaty-Bumblebee4055
Hulk, Smash!
"When I was in boot for the Navy, during a 'beating' (PT in the barracks while being yelled at) I grunted really loud while our RDC (drill instructor) was counting out pushups.
"He yelled 'you are not gonna turn big and green!'"
"I collapsed with laughter."
~ HONKDADDY
Fetch
"Standing at attention on the drill pad, and a f*cking jet flies over (USAF, so it's predictable), which the trainer is waiting for so he could catch someone looking at it."
"When the poor bastard did, he said to him 'go get it.'"
"'Sir?'"
"'Bring me that plane, now; go get it!'"
"Let the dude run for like 200 yards before he sent someone after him."
~ egoVirus
The Measure of a Man
"I went to Navy basic training at NTC San Diego. Our chief was inspecting racks (beds). The top of the sheet was supposed to be exactly eight inches from the end of the mattress."
"He's walking around checking everyone’s rack with a ruler and he asked one guy, 'Son, does that look like eight inches to you?' Then he says, 'If that’s eight inches, my d*ck’s a foot long.'"
"It’s been almost 40 years, and I still laugh about it."
~ Panda_monium109
That's a Fortunate Coincidence
"Recall at the end of basic training an informal gathering between the recruits and the Drill Sergeant."
"The DS said 'we're at the end now, so you don't have to call me Drill Sergeant anymore. You can call me by my first name.'"
"Naturally we asked him what his first name was."
"Deadpan look, 'it's Drill.'"
~ z1-900
Apology Accepted?
"After one of my soldiers said something REALLY dumb I made him walk over to some plants and apologize for wasting the oxygen they worked so hard to produce."
~ armedandfriendly
Across the Pond
"I had the pleasure of experiencing an old school British Sergeant-Major (in 1989, he'd been in at least 30 years at that point) while prepping for the BOTC grad parade."
"I think my favourite of the many gems was 'Somewhere a village is missing its idiot because he's prancing around on my parade square.'"
"He also corrected another grad about how to do an about-face and specifically it should not include 'screwing yourself into the parade square.'"
~ conicalanamorphosis
Veterans and military members, what's your best line from basic training?
@omahajoe/Bluesky
@pattriottakes/X