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“This THE BIG PICTURE film reports on… the Army Drill Sergeant.”
Public domain film from the Prelinger Archives, slightly cropped to remove uneven edges, with the aspect ratio corrected, and mild video noise reduction applied.
The soundtrack was also processed with volume normalization, noise reduction, clipping reduction, and/or equalization (the resulting sound, though not perfect, is far less noisy than the original).
A drill instructor is a noncommissioned Officer or Staff Noncommissioned Officer in the armed forces or police forces with specific duties that vary by country. In the United States armed forces, they are assigned the duty of indoctrinating new recruits entering the military into the customs and practices of military life. In the U.S., a drill instructor refers to a United States Marine Corps Drill Instructor. In the Air Force, they are known as Military Training Instructors and must be referred to as “sir” or “ma’am” by recruits. The United States Army refers to them as Drill Sergeant. Note: Although in the United States Marine Corps, they are referred to as “sir;” in The United States Army, the recruit must refer to them as “Drill Sergeant.” In the U.S. Navy, they are called Recruit Division Commanders (RDCs). In the U.S. Coast Guard, they are referred to as Company Commanders. Outside of the U.S., they are assigned the duty of instructing recruits in drill commands only…
U.S. Armed Forces
Drill Instructors are held responsible for the welfare, behavior, and military education of the recruits assigned to them on a 24-hour basis throughout the period of initial training, of which the most well known is Basic Training or boot camp. Their responsibilities include areas such as military discipline, physical fitness, and weapons training. The title of Drill Instructor is a billet independent of rank, to be held by Non-Commissioned Officers who successfully complete the intense training program to earn that title.
The rank held by drill instructors varies by branch:
– Drill Sergeants in the United States Army are Sergeants (E-5), Staff Sergeant (E-6), Sergeant First Class (E-7), and rarely Master Sergeants (E-8) .
– Drill Instructors in the United States Marine Corps normally hold the rank of Sergeant (E-5) through Gunnery Sergeant (E-7). A Corporal (E-4) is no longer authorized to attend Drill Instructor School therefore not authorized to hold the billet of a Drill Instructor. Successful completion of Drill Instructor School grants the Marine an AMOS (Additional Military Occupational Specialty) of 8511.
– Recruit Division Commanders (formerly Company Commanders) in the United States Navy are Petty Officer Second Class (E-5) through Master Chief Petty Officer (E-9).
– Military Training Instructors in the United States Air Force are generally Staff Sergeants with 2 years time in grade(E-5) through Master Sergeants (E-7).
– Company Commanders in the United States Coast Guard are Petty Officer Second Class (E-5) through Master Chief Petty Officer (E-9).
The arduous nature of drill instructor duty means that such assignments are among the most prestigious carried out by enlisted personnel. Those who become drill instructors are eligible for a variety of military awards, such as the Marine Drill Instructor Ribbon, and the Army’s Drill Sergeant Identification Badge…
Recruit training, more commonly known as Basic Training and colloquially called boot camp, is the initial indoctrination and instruction given to new military personnel, enlisted and officer. After completion of Basic Training, new recruits undergo Advanced Individual Training (AIT), where they learn the skills needed for their military jobs. Officer trainees undergo more detailed programs that may either precede or follow the common recruit training in an officer training academy (which may also offer a civilian degree program simultaneously) or in special classes at a civilian university…
