Why are drill sargeants so mean?

Question

Every time I see one on TV, they are yelling at a bunch of scared recruits. They use a lot of bad words, too. Why can't they be nice?

Answer 1

Robert N is more or less correct.

Hollywood is terrible at rendering military life or combat, with few exceptions. I add the following caveats, for the Questioner:

(1) War is not pleasant. War is about killing people in some of the most wretched ways and under the most wretched conditions possible. If you do not indoctrinate troops to follow orders and to literally fear the leadership more than they do the carnage around them, they will freeze up and die. It is more or less that simple.

(2) If you've had fairly large pets, you've likely had to use a rolled-up newspaper to housebreak them. If you've raised kids and they've gone out and tried to do something crazy (i.e. involving traffic, fire, or electricity) you've probably said some harsh words and probably administered an open hand. It's along the same principles.

Being nice to recruits straight off the block creates kids who can't show up for work, can't perform basic tasks, and run their mouths nonstop. I guarantee if you had to be in a Drill Instructor or Drill Sergeant's job for an hour, you would resort to the same methods, or you would break down and cry. In combat you do not get the option of quitting unless you prefer to be dead.

Robert N is more or less on the money where he describes how Army Basic Training has gone down the tubes with the PC "Care Bear" bullshit. Very few of the Old Army Soldiers are left now and more disappear, taking the good ways with them, year after painful year.

Answer 2

Army perspective...don't know about Marine Corps and other services.



1. The Army you see on TV is not reality. Movies and Hollywood do not, nor have they ever, accurately demonstrated what actually happens in basic training.

2. The philosophy and training methods of Army drill sergeants have changed a LOT in the last few years. They don't yell (as a rule) anymore, they are not allowed to cus, and they don't humiliate the trainees anymore (at least so I have been told by drills who recently have come off the trail). They still work you hard, but not in the same ways they used to.


When I went through basic in 1990, I was called a 6 letter term that begins with "f" that in polite conversation is generally considered to be a derogatory term for homosexual more times than I can count. My understanding is that they don't do that anymore in the Army. I'm sure it still happens on occasion, though.

Answer 3

Compared to 30 years ago, they are a walk in the park. Alot of todays shows are based on old outdated information. Basic is a kinder, gentler place where they encourage soldiers to be there best without all the verbal abuse.

I think the new methods suck. A soldier should be able to take anything with out breaking down and crying like a baby. New recruits aren't as tough as the older ones because they have been treated with kid gloves.

Answer 4

Watch the movie "An Officer and a Gentleman" The Drill Instructor at the beginning is a fearsome man, but at the end of the movie you see him doing the exact same thing to the next class and you realize that it is all an act to impart a certain sense of uncertainty and , yes, fear into the candidates.

We are not mean. We are carefully regulated and use a time proven technique to get the trainees to bond into a cohesive unit in a Very short time..

Yes it is all an act, but a very effective one. We are their only example at this early stage and therefore must be beyond reproach.

Ret USAF SNCO former MTI

Answer 5

The job of a drill instructor is to rebuild a regular civilian into a completely different creature. DI's don't use "bad words". They use discipline and aggression to complete their mission. They are responsible to equip young adults to be able to deal with any task set before them. If ever caught by the enemy, do you really expect them to be all sweet and comforting?? NO! You have no idea what the enemy is capable of and the DI's have the charge of preparing the soldier for that possibility.

Answer 6

Um...that's make believe.

Drills are not allowed to use abusive language, but they do teach you to be tough. In basic, they intially break you down, and then build you back up.

They have to have you unlearn everything that you learned in 18 years, and then teach you now to survive in case you go into combat. The yelling is screaming is bad, but imagine being in a war zone, i.e. Iraq...being yelled at and called bad names doesn't even compare.

Answer 7

Actually they are mean because they need to prepare you for harsh reality. Being in the army is hard work and believe it or not it is necessary to be mean... its just to make them do everything they should.... also... i think that its an authority thing...sometimes when your mother tells you to clean the your room in a nice way you don't bother but if she yells you get to it real quick.

Answer 8

Because when it makes you tougher and better able to deal with stress, which you need to be in the army. I had a drill sergeant at Boy's State, and it was not fun. However, it made me learn a lot.

Answer 9

The DI's intent is to create stress, the goal is to teach recruits to work through the stress and perform regardless. This is as close to creating actual fear to work through as is prudent. In actual combat the well trained solder can keep their fear in check, but without that basic training most would not be able to.

Answer 10

They are supposed to be intimidating. Their job is to break soldiers down and then build them back up to be a better person. If they treat them all kindly and don't show them who the boss is....then they wouldn't change our men and woman in the armed forces at all...and thats part of their training to be changed into different people.

Yes...Drill Sgts are mean but.....thats their job.