Drill Sergeant - The Big Picture 

I had basic training at Fort Leonard Wood in 1973, at these same barracks. We had no pool table or ping pong. We were not allowed to leave the barracks to do anything for the first 4 weeks unless it was involved in training. Snuck out to the PX a couple of times to get chips ahoys and baby ruth bars. At the end of our cycle our platoon scrapped together about $60 and one of the guys went to main PX and bought our Drill Sargent SFC Garcia a nice watch that we gave him on Graduation day. He was really quite surprised and moved by our gesture. I still have some of the paper targets we used to sight in our M-16s. I never will forget those days.

As of 2020, these trainees, which are still living this year, are in their late 70's or older. I thank all who served and are serving.

1984, Senior Drill Sergeant, Sergeant First Class Deal, Fort Benning Ga. Slender black man whose eyes never stopped moving, and whose body showed some pretty brutal wounds from Vietnam Nam. He never appeared to sweat, he just became more violent, appearing to dare his body to sweat. After the first month, fear of him brutalizing us for mistakes was replaced by a worse fear, that of letting him down. A great man who I will always remember.

This is the most family friendly depiction of basic training I’ve ever seen

No ping pong or billiards but a big fist slamming down on the table during breakfast while screaming EAT UP AND GETTHEFUCKOUTA MY MESS HALL!!! 1966 Ft. Campbell

Best formal education ever. Basic, Infantry, machine gun and drivers training in twelve months. It was intense and I was pushed to a mental and physical level well beyond normal levels and I got paid and served my country!

This is a Army information & orientation film for NCOs that were being assigned to Drill Sergeant Duty. A key point this film doesn't point out is that The U.S. Army Drill Sergeant Program was modeled after the U.S. Marine Corps Drill Instructor School. The very first Army Drill Sergeant Instructors in the Army were trained at Parris Island USMC. After training they developed the training curriculum for the Army Drill Sergeant School now known as The U.S. Army Drill Sergeant Academy. This is a great example of the services working together. One team one fight.

That opening scene, marching to or from the rifle range, was filmed in 1965. Part of that formation was my basic company and if you look real close you will see that some platoons were wearing ear plugs and some were not, all depending on the Platoon Sergeant. (My platoon did not wear hearing protection) After basic I was waiting on AIT orders, lots of kp and a few days as an extra in this film. Mid film, the famous pool table, I was sitting next to the pool table. That was in late June 1965. There was no leisure time during basic. Much of the filmed scenes that I was in got cut. Good few days of sitting around smoking and shooting the bull. And those new barracks were a quantum improvement over the WW II shacks at Ft. Leonard Wood. James C. Patterson

Thank you to all my Drill Sergeants for making me the 25U Soldier that I became. I loved every moment of my job, even the worst parts.

I was Army 1966 thru 1969. My Sergeants, were very tough, but very fair. I respect all of them.

I paid 10 dollars for a cigarette in basic and smoked it in the head while on fire watch best Marlboro I ever had

I never served but I loved this video and all these kinds of videos. Thank u all serving and former members for your service.

Wow... I stayed in the same barracks back in 2009, right before they demolished them. It's crazy how old those things were, and how nice they look from the outside in this video.

Looked like summer camp compared to my basic at Fort Sill in 85. I guess they didn't want to scare recruits away,lol. Still interesting and fun to watch.

I also took my training at fort Leonard wood many years ago, & I stay'ed in the army for 35 years retiring as a Master Sargent. Steve.

This is the America I wish I grew up in.

Man they really toned it all down for this film! LOL! 😎

Awesome. I took Basic at Ft Leonard Wood from Sept through Nov in D-5-3 then AIT at Benning from Nov until Jan 1961 then on to Berlin from Feb 1961 until Aug 1963. Discharged Sept 3,1963 at Ft Hamilton NY. I have regretted my decision to leave the Army several times. My wife did not want to be an Army wife but I think she may have wished she had changed her mind after attending several Berlin reunions and seeing how close the Army members are.I lost her last Nov and our final resting place will be among veterans who are family.

when i got to boot camp and saw the soldiers that had been there a little bit and how good they looked marching in step and sounding off I was thinking we're going to look like that in a few weeks.. drills used to tell us dont look at them you haven't earned it. it was great.

Hahahaha... these are the most mellow drill sergeants I've ever seen... :-D & I didn't know basic training soldiers had time to play pool, ping pong, pinball machines, & visit the pool with hot girls back then.

Had a professor ask me about military training in college in 1986. He wanted to put it down. I told him it was the best there is. You do it on paper and then you do a practical exercise. Nothing better.

The Drill Sergeant...a unique and challenging role that's essential to the Army. Many things have changed since this was filmed, for better or worse. The six Drill Sergeant Schools (DSS) are gone, replaced by the Drill Sergeant Academy at Fort Jackson, SC. The last Fort Benning DSS class was going through when I was at BNCOC in 2007. I graduated from the Academy in 2016. Not all Drill Sergeants deserve the assignment, and many that are selected fight it. Active, Reserve, and National Guard all go through the Academy, and range from Sergeant to Sergeant First Class with as little as five years in grade. I was a Staff Sergeant with 14 years in when I reported to Sand Hill, but one of my coworkers had less than six years in. He was a lot less mature and experienced than most of us, and it showed in his interactions with Trainees. In Infantry training units we have mostly 11-series Infantry Drill Sergeants, but there are some 18-series Special Forces and even 37F Psyop NCOs. When I left the Trail we had three 11B E7s, a 37F E7, 18C E7, and six 11B E6s. Twelve Drill Sergeants (three per platoon) is an ideal. We usually had 9-10. The Senior Drill Sergeant should ideally be more hands-off, doing admin stuff like paperwork and counseling, but in reality all Drill Sergeants end up in front of the Trainees. As a Private, my Senior Drill Sergeant was a scary Sergeant First Class that we didn't want to see. As a Senior Drill Sergeant myself, I got a lot more face time than I wanted. Training stays the same even while it changes. Bayonet training is long gone, though the Platoon competitions remain. Over all I enjoyed my two years at Benning. In a sense it was the last time I got to feel like an Infantry NCO. Afterward I moved to desk jobs at two-star headquarters and never had anywhere near that level of influence on junior Soldiers again.

For me B C T 1966. Ft Benning Ga. C 9 3 was my home for that time. It was his job was to make us Soldiers. We had the old wood building in army tan back then. This did bring back memories. Thanks for the video.

A great video on the United States Army Drill Sergeant The Big Picture

Well not much has changed in 50 yrs. Only the faces, and uniforms. When I went through, we had no phone time, we had no free time unless you went to church. Personally I'd do it all over again, and love every minute.

I miss it 20years later & miss every aspect of one on 1.

He wasn’t my platoon’s Drill Sergeant but the Ragin’ Cajun Drill Sergeant Hardy at Tank Hill, Fort Jackson in the summer and fall of 1986 was a character for sure. Scared the crap out of us at the start of Basic Training but by the end of it I had developed not only a deep respect for him but actually liked him. Our Company Commander was West Point graduate Lieutenant Boslego, top quality soldier, and I’ve sometimes wondered if he continued his career in the US Army. I always thought he had what it took to be a general.

I was 17 starting basic, Aug 1976 Ft. Knox, KY “SOUND OFF”, “C-19-4 Best damned fighting force in the United States Army-Ramrods Drill Sergeant”. “ON YOUR FEET. NOT LOUD ENOUGH, DO IT AGAIN”! Before I was 18 1/2 years old I had my Expert Badge in Rifle and Grenades and my Aviation Wings as a Helicopter Mechanic. I served my 3 years and was 20 years old when I earned my Honorable Discharge. I don’t think I appreciated what I accomplished at 20 years old but I’m proud I served in the US Army. It prepared me for my 38 career as a fireman paramedic.

We could smoke in basic in '63. During breaks in training the Sarge would say, "Smoke 'em if you got 'em." After smoking we had to field strip them. The PX sold ciggies for .19 cents a pack ($1.90 a carton). Some think the cigarette companies sold them to the PX's cheap to get young guys hooked, knowing they'd be paying full price after they got out.

I did basic training at Fort Benning in 1981. All of my DI'S were Vietnam veterans, and crazier than bat shit.

Did basic at Ft. Gordon, Ga in 1978. Wow did this bring back some memories. Thanks for the post.

He was hanging out at the PX in Kaiserslautern? K-Town was the best duty station my father ever got. 1971-1975, I hit my teenage years when I got there and almost every other NCO in the housing area had daughters my age. I had females fighting to carry my books. Things went from sugar to shit when dad came up for orders to Ft Campbell, KY in Dec 1975. I joined the US Army to get the hell out of there and they sent me somewhere even worse, Ft Stewart, GA.

I did BCT in the summer and fall of '67 at Ft. Jackson SC. I recall it was like being in prison. No ping-pong or pool. We covered the windows with blankets at night when we were supposed to be sleeping so that we could buff the floors and clean every inch of the barracks which were relics from WWII. If one guy came down with a cold, we all caught it and suffered serious bronchitis from lack of sleep, lack of rest, and significant physical exertion. We were allowed to make a phone call once per week. We were never allowed off the company area. Infantry AIT was at Ft. Dix NJ. It was significantly more brutal

During my basic training at Fort Dix, N.J. in 1968, we still had the old WWII barracks AND the 'old' Drill Sergeants from WWII and Korea. Those guys took no shit!!! The Vietnam War was raging at that time, and they were tough, but they had a reason for being tough. When I served in Vietnam in 1969, I appreciated all that those drill sergeants taught me. We learned how to use every weapon the army had except for tanks and howitzers. From hand grenades, to .55 caliber machine guns, we learned how to use any and all of them just in the case the situation presented itself in 'Nam.

Just looked it up this picture made 1965. I wonder how many made it back from nam.

SFC Dulin, SSG Edwards....my DIs in basic training back in 1972....damn good guys..

I just about passed out when getting orders for drill sergeant school. I was working in finance. Did DSS at Fort Sill. It was hell. Just like basic training.

I could not help smiling at parts of the video with the narration. When he said the Army will take in @350,000 recruits this year, that is like just about 1/2 of the US Total Force Army today. And when the showed the career counseling part, the narrator called them recruits. They were not recruits for most then anyway, they were all draftees' and most of them then all in 1966 were either headed to Vietnam, or the lucky ones got sent to some God forsaken in the middle of no-where Kaserne on the Fulda Gap in Germany as a POL Clerk freezing one's ass off in the middle of winter. But watch this does bring back memories of Good Times,......3rd Plt. "B" Co. 1-34 BN INF, Fort Jackson, SC fall of 1988.

fifty years ago this summer - June - October 1971 - basic & AIT

I love this! Thank you for the upload!!

The drill sargent : the recuits new best buddy .

I trained at the U.S. Army School of the Infantry, Ft. Benning, GA from August through November 1985. I have mixed feelings - pride in some accomplishment, but that is seasoned for an extreme dislike of Drill Sergeants. They punched, kicked, and threw us against walls and onto the ground. They walked on our backs with jump boots while we did pushups in the Georgia heat. I personally witnessed two trainees sent to the hospital by the violent actions of our platoon's Drill Sergeants. Both recovered and graduated with us at the 13-week mark. I am a legacy Soldier, the son of a career Soldier. I learned to care for my Soldiers from better NCOs than the ones I got at the School of the Infantry. I went on to a successful career as a Senior NCO in the Infantry and ended up serving in two combat theaters...but I've never forgiven those Drill Sergeants for their utter lack of professionalism.

Basic at Ft Jackson in tents from Nov 1957 thru Feb 58. They didn't call them DI's but Cadre. All Korean and WWII vets. Infantry AIT at Ft Dix and Jump school 101st ABN at Campbell. Got out for three months in 1960 and reenlisted. They sent me to Basic again to Ft Benning, Sand Hill with the 2nd ID. Retired in 1978. What a ride.

I remember my Drill Sergeants....one an E5 was little prick who knew about blanket parties and did nothing. Last night in BT, some dickhead privates were running around in the middle of the night, flipping bunks with soldiers in them. Kids were hitting their heads on the floor waking up to the cold floor on their face and a metal frame on their ass. Still, I fondly remember BT...and I understood it as a process, one I wanted to be part of, just not the DS part. So I became a recruiter at around 10 years...did that for 4 and retired at 20. Wouldn't you know it, some of the kids I put in the army already outrank me (me being an E7 at retirement). I loved the Army.

Fort Knox Kentucky 1971 drill Sargent SFC Fore just back from Viet Nam cool black man. I’m from the south but had a lot of respect for this man.

Ft. Bragg 1967 B-9-2 Sgt. Barrs. He had very extensive vocabulary of obscenities just like Gunny in FMJ. He was Kia in 1969 with the 25th Inf. Div. His favorite was 3rd platoon form a line at the garbage can. This usually came after your first bite.

I remember seeing this film during the first week of BCT in 1966.

I did my Basic and AIT at Ft. Benning , or what was called "11B OSUT." I was at Benning's infamous Sand Hill, Treadwell Barracks: 1st ITB, Delta Co., 2-19th Inf., Roster #229, May-Aug of 1988 (I was in the same cycle as Pvt. Timothy McVeigh, except he was across the street from us in 1-50th Inf.)

if only drill sgts were still this tough our army wouldn't be a mess

I did my basic training fort benning Georgia feb.1967 Sandhill we were in the old World War II Barricks

Ft Polk 1970. C-2-1 South Fort. Infantry AIT Tigerland. SSG Brooks finest soldier I ever met. Called me Youngblood, he called everybody Youngblood.

Everywhere I go There's a drill sergeant there, CADENCE, sing it ! I CAN'T HEAR YOU ! yes, I heard before that drill sgts had a high divorce rate, don't know for Sure? but all my drill sgts were cool as hell Vietnam combat veterans, I joined ARMY MID 70'S after high school My training Cycle still wore all the Vietnam era clothing & used the same equipment of the 50's & 60's specially in West Germany we we issued,old style wool clothing from the 50's for cold weather issue, just saying, AIRBORNE !

Ah, yes, I'll never forget those endless hours of snooker and ping pong during my basic training. Our training sergeant was so nice, he never even raised his voice while helping us casually board the bus.

Well my Drill Sergeants at Infantry OSUT at Benning were not like this at all. They made Gunnery Sergeant Hartman look soft. Golf Company, 2-19. Fort Benning GA.

my dad Was A Drill Sgt At Ft Benning in the 60s

I was in the Illinois national guard in February 1970, went to basic training in May 1970, at Fort Knox Kentucky, the US draftees and RAs hated us. After basic went to Fort Gordon Ga.for military police. I spent 6 years in the guard, finished my obligation in February 1976. I shot the m16, m14, m60 m79 and 45 pistol.

My grandfather was a drill sergeant at paris island 70-74. One of the toughest mfer i knew. Miss ya pap

Drill Sergeants were what fathers should actually be, but for the Army. My dad was rough, but I grew to appreciate it as I saw peers without dads in the home who actually gave a damn,

This must have been a long time ago. We didn't have that much time off. About the only free time we had was Sunday morning and the hour of personal time we had at night

When i came back to McChord AFB/Fort Lewis, Wa in 02/1970 from a 13 month Korea tour, there was an army recruiter at the base of the plane’s stairway asking each of us as we filed off if we were interested in becoming drill sergeants so they must’ve been really short handed as most of us were E.T.S ing. It surprised me that they went to that length.

1:02 holy shit, the barracks I was in during AIT in late 2011 date back all the way to this video?!?! Doors still off, white painted brick, and old-looking fire alarms and all! Supposedly my cycle was the last to go through these barracks before they tore 'em down for the new ones that I hear are much like hotel rooms.

When I get outta bed, there’s a drill sergeant there. “Get your sorry ass up and start pushing. Half-right!” When I go to school, there’s a drill sergeant there. “On the floor and push! Git up! Half-right!” When I go the store, there’s a drill sergeant there. “Drop them Doritos and push! Push!” (These things ain’t bad. Where’s the damn salsa?). “What ‘r you looking at? Did I say stop?” “NO, SIR!” “Push! Push! Push! Scream Aye, Sir”. “Aye, Sir.” “I said scream. AYE, SIR! AYE, SIR! AYE, SIR!” “When I take a shower, there’s a drill sergeant there!” “Gimme 20, you naked hunk of lard!” “AYE, SIR! AYE AYE, SIR!”

Training to get ready for early Vietnam. I loved and love my M14. Battle axe!!

I did basic at Fort Dix about a year or so before this film was made and we didn't have any such recreational facilities, but then we were in the old wood World War II "temporary" barracks. The barracks in this film are the multi-story brick ones. Could be they had Day Rooms in them with pool tables, ping pong, TV, etc.

I did BCT at Ft. Gordon back in 1981 at 17 yrs old when Ft. Gordon still had BCT. Now, they are full AIT. I still remember my DS's names. I felt like I went in at 17 and came out as 27. I miss every minute of the 12 years I spent in the Army!!

I remember basic very well. June 1968, Ft Ord Ca. My brother was in three years before me, so I was prepared. didn't have hardly a hair on my head and didn't get on the bus with anything but the old clothes I stood in. I was advised "if the army wants you to have it, they'll issue it to you!" anything else gets thrown out at intake. they still ran the clippers over my bald head though and took some skin just to indicate the principle of the thing😬😬

Pvt. E-1, Charlie Company, first battalion, first training brigade C-1-1(South Fort), Fort Polk, La. (summer) 1966 (Vietnam era). In other words, i took my basic and AIT in a HELL HOLE!

Although the description suggests it was made later, there is a 1960s feel to the film, and the fact they are firing M-14s rather than M-16s on the range adds to the impression.

Fort Ord, CA March 1966 A Co. 3-3-1 SFC Honda and SP5 Love barracks was located on 7th Street and Giggling Road. Lots of memories and stuck around for 27 years. AIT at Fort Devens MA. for special training apart from the regular army units. Drill officer was 2LT Jasper A. Williams

We did our basic training using Zoom earlier this year and we will be deployed to Fort XBox.

IF IT AIN'T BROKEN...LET THE ARMY KEEP FIXING IT UNTIL IT IS

I love these videos! Keepem coming!

I recognized the barracks in the film and new it was fort leonard wood. Was there in the fall and winter of 1965. It wasnicknamed little korea because it was so cold there

Drill Sergeants are great. But for me. My father was my drill Sergeant from birth. Basic was smooth for me because, in most cases, I was already disciplined. The Army drill fine tone me in a military way.

This a rather interesting overview of DS responsibilities and basic training curriculum. Based on my receiving-end experiences during BT at Fort Ord in 1967 I can't say the portrayals very realistic, though. Personal time and recreational opportunities? Really? One-on-one counseling? Yeah, sure . . . "Push-up til I get tired", said the DSs. 😃 Leisurely meals . . ."you've got 5 minutes, choke it down!" Fortunately, the DSs did a great job . . . I'm still here. 👏

I went thru basic training there at FLW in November 1974 and go to go home for Christmas and came back and finish In January 1975 B-2-3 then went to AIT there for combat engineer B-2-4 Feb 1975 to April 1975 and the Fort Hood,Tx B company 8 engineer BLT 1 Cav

Yeah, my dad could smoke in Army Basic in 1957. I sure as hell couldn't in 1988! I think it was in the 1970s that the Army got all health-conscious in recruit training. You have to remember that back when this film was made, cigarettes were "tasty" and "good for you!"

Drill sergeant Blake...Ft Benning GA....basic training class of 1992...never forget him.

Basic at Ft. Sill. 1981. D.I. Harold E. Lewis, damn good man.

I was in '63 to '65 and we had the white name tags on our fatigues.

My daddy went to Fort Polk LA for basic in 1966, said it was the hardest thing he ever did other than Vietnam

I should have taken basic there at Ft. Leonard Wood, instead of at Ft. Gordon, GA. We didn't have any of the amenities that they have here.

Brings back funny but bad memories . Drill Sergeants I will always remember .

I had basic training at Fort Jackson south Carolina, I look at this film now and I ask myself, did I really did all that. But after serving the U S Military for 30 years, I guess I wasn't so bad after all.God Bless America and Long live Our Military.

The country I remember as a kid. Long gone!

I attended the Drill Sergeant School at Ft. Leonard Wood back in 96 and did time at A-1/10, surely enjoyed the time instructing and miss it even more.

1967, volunteered to type and wound up filling sand bags all day on my 22nd birthday. . . Ft. Pewk, I meant Ft. Polk.

All of the furniture at 2:42 is still in use.Those barracks still stand at Fort Leonard Wood.

How fit our grandpas-mas were back in the days.

Me, Ft Bragg, NC Feb 1969 Delta Co 10thBn 2nd Basic Training Brigade. The mildest winter I have ever experienced, thank God.

There's a whole busload no longer sweating out their draft notices at 10:00.

Basic Training 1981. Miss that 'shark attack!"

Wow, has this ever been cleaned up for public media! Those buildings near the start look like the barracks at Fort Dix. The footage must be a few years before I entered basic. Back in my day, BCT was tough.

I was at Ft Polk in 1963 we had a little banty rooster SGT called himself a Drill Sergeant.. we called him asshole....

Ft Dix NJ 1 Oct 14, 1968 PVT Rodriguez Julio 19yr Old

D-7-3 Ft. Dix, NJ summer 1976. Platoon's Drill Sergeants were SSG Pearson and SFC Fisher, both Vietnam vets.

Wow, I knew immediatelyThat fist shot of the drill Sergean Standing infront of those red brickbuildings That IscFort Leonard Wood. then they Showed a pulled back over view shot and That chapel in the background amongst the trees Again I knew Fort Leonard Wood. 1980 was when I first entered Fort Leonard Wood as a PCF in basic training B Company Second Battalion, Second Brigade. (B22) - (OSUT) As it was called 12B or 12C Combat Engineer Training. After wards I was assigned to the 5Th Engineer Battalion, B Company, Third Platoon, First Squad. I worked there for six months Than I was transferred to HQ Brigade, HQ Company and assigned as a Colonel's Driver at Post HeadQuarters across the street from the main base hospital. From there I finished my remaining three year contract and ETS'D The Army and attended College at Rolla Missouri and served in the IRR serving my reserve duties at Fort Leonard Wood. I greatly appreciated my assignment at Leonard wood, I Meet a wonderful lady at Leonard Wood whom I married and together we enjoyed working there she at AAFES as a PX manager, and I as a soldier. It was interesting She was a manager at the PX store right across the street from where I was attending Basic and AIT training. My first unit patch was the Blue White Red Horizontally oriented Forscom Patch. My Second was the Blue Yellow Red Vertical Tradoc Patch. Both had the same Black Green subdued Colors in their respective orientations.

Old-timers,what were instructors called before becoming Drill Sgts? Veteran,Ft.Dix 1988.Hooah!

Loved those old uniforms.

King Pin pinball game at 24:43 was first manufactured in 1962.