# Livimg Arrangements for military D.I.s **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 19, 2012, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/livimg-arrangements-for-military-d-i-s/638185 "2012-10-19T00:56:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Lubricious\_Integument](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/82dd89/32.png) [@Lubricious\_Integument](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lubricious_Integument)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2012, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/livimg-arrangements-for-military-d-i-s/638185/41 "2012-10-22T20:10:17Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > I watched Full Metal Jacket with my father. He was Parris Island class of 1945. He said the recruit part felt so real he was having flashbacks. Sometime later I saw a documentary about the history of the NCO. In it they talked to a modern Marine D.I. and he explained how they used psychology to break down and then build the recruits back up. Then they switched to R. Lee Ermy and he said (forgive the paraphrasing), “During Viet Nam they shortened Boot Camp and doubled our class sizes. We were trying to teach draftees enough to keep them alive in combat. We didn’t have time to play games. So when we had to we beat the shit outta them.” I listened to an interview with R. Lee Ermey (this was circa 2000–no cite) who claimed that in the late 60s boot camp was shortened and there was a shortage of officers. He said that instead of giving a turd (trainee undergoing recruit discipline) 25 pushups as punishment for screwing up, it was a lot quicker for a DI to just give him a jab to the solar plexus. This sped things up and since there was a lack of proper supervision it tended to be tolerated. ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2012, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/livimg-arrangements-for-military-d-i-s/638185/42 "2012-10-22T20:39:46Z")
> [@echo7tango](#): > > **Bear\_Nenno** , am curious, what were your reasons for wanting to become a drill sergeant? A combination of so many things. Primarily it was to keep away from a desk job and stay in a leadership position. Coming off of my last deployment, I was looking at having over 4 years of squad leader time with 25 months of that time in combat. Without getting too deep into Army career progression, this was a guarantee that I would be moved to a battalion staff job upon returning from the deployment. So instead of staying in that unit, I volunteered to be a drill sergeant. Also, as Loach mentions, drill sergeant, instructor, or recruiter duty was once required for progression, and as the wars wind down, the Army will be reverting back to that mindset. Among the three, drill sergeant is the most prestigious and IMO, the most rewarding. I had also been rather disappointed in the quality of soldiers I had been getting straight out of basic training, and I naively thought I would be able to improve that. ---
**Author:** ![MichaelEmouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michaelemouse/32/101_2.png) [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2012, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/livimg-arrangements-for-military-d-i-s/638185/43 "2012-10-22T20:51:22Z")
Bear, Perhaps it’s time for an “Ask the drill sergeant” thread? Pretty sure it would be a very interesting thread and a lot of people would be curious. I bet a lot of people have correctable misconceptions based on movies. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/livimg-arrangements-for-military-d-i-s/638185.md?page=2)