They work on Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter and on the 4th of July, and are lucky to get a few extra hours off to spend with their family on any holiday. Once a Platoon graduates, the Drill instructors can go anywhere from 1-5 weeks in between platoons.
At the very beginning of basic training, the chief drill instructor will spend the night with you in the barracks. As you progress in training, the drill instructor likely will go home each night.
The tour of duty is three years and demands the highest moral character and strength. It is the job of the drill instructor to pass these characteristics on to the future of the Corps. This duty is referred to as "Making Marines", and is one of the most important duties of a Marine's career.
Drill sergeants work an average of 16 hours a day with no full days off during a basic training cycle, as well as some nights when they are in charge of quarters and during field training exercises. All the long hours makes it especially hard on marriages.
We always got 8 hours of sleep with one exception. The exception was for firewatch. Someone had to be awake in the barracks at night so there were one hour watches. You'd do your hour when your turn came and then wake up the next guy and go back to sleep.
10. The 'frog voice' is real. Drill instructors literally scream so hard at recruits that they can pass out, give themselves hernias, or do serious and permanent damage to their vocal chords. That's why they spend a lot of time at DI school learning to project from their diaphragms.
Drill sergeants still shout to enforce discipline, and they may force young soldiers to do push-ups—but they're not supposed to hurl personal insults. (They'd never call them “pukes,” for example.)
Levels for drill sergeants will increase from SD-4 of $300 per month to SD-5 of $375 per month "based upon service as a drill sergeant, completion of a certification program and approval by their battalion commander," the Army said.
While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $36,000 and as low as $11,000, the majority of Drill Instructor salaries currently range between $35,000 (25th percentile) to $35,500 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $35,500 annually across the United States.
To become a drill instructor or drill sergeant you must be an experienced, extremely capable NCO and your command must recommend you for the post. If it all works out, you enter DI training school, learning how to teach and how to model military behavior.
Typically, during the week, Marines will wake up between 4:00 and 6:00 A.M. and report to either their squad, unit, platoon, or, occasionally, their battalion, for morning Physical Training (PT).
At the end of the duty day, the drill instructor will enter the barracks, call out names and pass out mail. You're then usually granted about one hour of free time to read your mail. If you read fast, you may even have a few extra minutes to write a quick letter back.
"On average, military personnel sleep approximately six hours" a day, said Dr. Tom Balkin, a senior scientist at the CMPN's Behavioral Biology Branch. An average of six hours of sleep isn't enough – at least seven hours is recommended, Williams said. Running short on sleep could lead to poor health or poor performance.
The Army requires gender-integrated training, and even requires a female drill sergeant in every integrated platoon, but getting female equality in leadership positions is difficult.
Whom do you salute? It is a requirement to salute all Officers of the Armed Forces (Air Force, Navy, Marines, etc) and Officers of allied nations when you recognize their rank. A salute will not be rendered for Noncommissioned Officers.
IS BASIC TRAINING HARD? Basic Training is challenging and meant to push you to become the best version of yourself. It will help you develop mentally and physically to overcome things you didn't think possible. You'll also realize that the military and Drill Sergeants are not here to break you.
Silent Drill Platoon. The United States Marine Corps Silent Drill Platoon is a highly disciplined platoon that exemplifies the pride and professionalism associated with all Marines. The SDP is a 24-man rifle unit that performs military drill movements without any verbal cadence or commands.
In 1952, at the age of 18, he enlisted in the Marine Corps. He became the Marines' youngest-ever drill instructor and served three tours in Vietnam, where he was wounded several times, before finally retiring with the rank of major in 1977. For Dunagan's service, he received a Bronze Star and three Purple Hearts.
Rather than surrender, Clem shot the colonel and successfully made his way back to Union lines. For his actions, Clem was promoted to sergeant, the youngest soldier ever to become a noncommissioned officer in the U.S. Army, and became known as the “Drummer Boy of Chickamauga.”
Some would say Staff Sergeant Matthew McKeon who, on the evening of April 8, 1956, led his Parris Island recruit training platoon into Ribbon Creek, resulting in the drowning deaths of six recruits.
The Silent Drill Platoon, which first performed in 1948, originally as a one-time show, received such an overwhelming response that it soon became part of the routine parades at Marine Barracks, Washington, D.C. In 2022 Captain Kelsey M. Hastings became the first woman to command the Silent Drill Platoon.
“Drill instructors literally scream so hard at recruits that they can pass out, give themselves hernias, or do serious and permanent damage to their vocal chords,” according to the Marine Corps Times. To combat these ailments, drill instructors in training learn methods for projecting their voice and preventing injury.
Crying during USMC boot camp is not uncommon and may occur due to the stress of training. However, recruits are expected to quickly regain composure and continue with their training, as showing prolonged emotional vulnerability may result in disciplinary action or dismissal from the program.