In American media, Drill Sergeants are often portrayed as mean and shouty. Yelling at recruits / treating them like garbage.
The only thing I could think of is that they’re going for a “military service is hard so I’m going to make this as unpleasant for you as possible because life is hard” kind of thing, but couldn’t discipline be instilled in soldiers without the yelling and humiliation? Why is this the only way?
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The entire purpose of military basic training is to stop a recruit from thinking and behaving in the manner a civilian does, and to start thinking and acting as a soldier does. There are many ways this can be accomplished, and the “yelling and frothing at the mouth” instructor was simply one of them.
But, it MUST be accomplished, or you will be sending troops into the field who are not prepared for what they will need to be able to do.
I’m sure someone who has been through basic will chime in but until then:
In short, no it’s not as bad the movies. At least, [not today](https://www.yorkdispatch.com/story/news/2022/06/15/mentorship-yelling-basic-training-changing/50375471/). In the past, yeah it could be pretty rough. [R. Lee Ermey](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjffzVCno84), famous for his role in [Full Metal Jacket](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PerFdIrDBBQ) got his role in that movie because he *was* a drill sergeant. In the interview linked first, he admits that “a few” drill sergeants could be a little sadistic and the military looked another way often enough. Which, honestly, [shouldn’t be surprising.](https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2023/12/06/coast-guard-sexual-assault/) They [aren’t supposed to physically hurt you](https://www.armystudyguide.com/content/Prep_For_Basic_Training/basic_training_prep_articles/are-drill-sergeants-allow.shtml) but they can “smoke” you – punish you with extra exercise like more pushups, extra laps around the field, etc.
Regardless, the idea of the drill sergeant being a dick to recruits is to condition them to the necessities of war. They need to follow orders, immediately, without question. That’s not to say the military wants everyone to be mindless drones ([yet](https://www.military.com/daily-news/2023/07/28/next-frontier-warfighters-might-be-implants-their-brains-pentagon-ready-consequences.html)) but questioning orders shouldn’t come in the middle of a firefight. Soldiers also need to be conditioned to handle the emotional demands of being in war. If you can’t handle getting yelled at or possibly hit because you didn’t make up your bed the right way, how can you expect to handle being shot at, or having artillery exploding nearby?
But, no, it’s not the only way. It *is* an expedient way, though. Building someone up emotionally takes a lot of time and effort. Emotionally beating the shit out of them until they’re malleable enough to train them to be mindless killing machines is fast and easy. Things *are* changing, though. The military is getting better at understanding that building people up is worth it. It makes for better soldiers and it *definitely* makes for better retired soldiers.
Depending on the branch, that doesn’t stop after boot camp lol.
You’re not gonna be beat (well you’re not supposed to) but there’s lots of yelling and PT. Typically it eases up over time but they’ll pull it out when needed.
The first couple of days they will be loud, in your face, and pick on every incorrect thing you do. But in the end, they are instructors, and they will be there to instruct you how to be a soldier. I grew to really respect and admire mine, they work harder than you do.
Life is hard, but combat is VERY hard. If a recruit is going to flip out and completely collapse under pressure, you’d rather find out in boot camp rather than in a shooting war.
They’ve mellowed out some in more recent decades, but there really was a time when they were encouraged to be that mean. It was thought to prepare the recruits for the stresses of battlefield life. Nowadays they take a different approach.
They don’t strike/hurt people anymore, at least acceptably- that’s a one way ticket to an NJP (non-judicial punishment, think like a misdemeanor, but not) or court martial if found out.
Will they keep fucking with you and yelling at you until you quit or break if they think you will? Yeah, that’s what they’re there for. To weed out the weak links. Which sounds unpleasant but if you’re getting shot at, you don’t want the guy next to you flipping their shit in a firefight.
That might seem fucked up, but if it was easy, everyone would be doing it, and it’s not for everyone. That doesn’t make us better, that just makes us suited to do the job.
My RDCs (Drill sergeant in the Navy) were a mixed bag, definitely playing good cop bad cop. One was mean as hell and would scream at everyone, the other was a bit more chill but not exactly nice, and the Chief Mostly yelled funny shit and let the Petty Officers do the hard work.
The goal is to break you down and get used to taking orders. You’re coming in as a civilian that had choices and could tell your boss to fuck off or walk away from a job you didn’t like, that isn’t an option in the military. You don’t build fighting machines by telling them they’re doing a good job and giving them a pat on the back. It works, you come out of boot camp more disciplined than you’ve ever been in your life, but it usually wears off in a few months and you become a smartass that shows up on time at the right place in the right uniform.
Has anyone come across their own Gomer Pyle??
SFC Knight had a talent for making me feel like a total moron, but looking back on it, every such instance was objectively hilarious. He wasn’t mean per se, just exceptionally good at the humiliating wisecrack. He wasn’t afraid to raise his voice when someone was really fucking up though.
“Lane 1 off rappel.”
“What’d you say, private?”
“LANE 1 OFF RAPPEL!!”
“That’s it: use your man voice!”
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