What to look for in an instructor

The only thing scary about a Drill Instructor is requiring him to think logically after staring at a what-to-do-next card for three years while screaming at bald headed teenagers.

Your comment reminded me of this video I saw some time ago...


Just watched it again and had to pause at the 50 second mark, that Sergeant has an insane amount of ribbons ....

upload_2017-4-3_18-2-55.png
 
Your comment reminded me of this video I saw some time ago...


Just watched it again and had to pause at the 50 second mark, that Sergeant has an insane amount of ribbons ....

View attachment 18420

A lot of people see it like a taboo in the Marine Corps to think poorly of being a Drill Instructor, but to put things into perspective I just sat for two hours in a lecture from Felix Rodriguez - a former CIA Officer and Paramilitary Advisor from the Bay of Pigs era, to Vietnam - he was even the last person to speak with Che in Bolivia before his execution. I would pay money to stay here at this unit.
 
It was not my choice to do this.

So was this a "needs of the Corps" bit, or someone above deciding it is good for the career?

A very good friend, (female) recently retired as an E-8 and went her whole tour without having to hit the drill-field or recruiter duty. She that said that she did not necessarily try to avoid it, she was never asked ordered.
 
The question I have is how long does it take for a new DI to really become the straight-backed, in your face, effective DI?

Speaking as a Marine, but not a Drill Instructor, I too am interested to know. I will say I would not be at all surprised if the answer is "not very long at all". Most Marines get a perverse form by pleasure of imitating their former Drill Instructors.

One recruit during bootcamp was shockingly good at imitating our "heavy". He got caught by the heavy, while we were in the field. He gathered the other Drill Instructors and those of us in the area and had the recruit put on a 'show' . Of course we knew what was coming after, but the dude was fucking amazing at the body language and imitating the voice of this particular DI....in fact the DI's were laughing almost harder that we were.

Then we paid...and paid...and paid.

Those are the stories I like to think were told over and over after the DI's got out of the field and had a chance to grab a beer together and recap.
 
Last edited:
Speaking as a Marine, but not a Drill Instructor, I too am interested to know. I will say I would not be at all surprised if the answer is "not very long at all". Most Marines get a perverse form of pleasure of imitating their former Drill Instructors.

Yep...because good, bad, or indifferently -- they make lasting impressions with you. I vividly remember all of them -- and their individual quirks -- to this very day. I don't suspect I will forget them anytime soon.
 
I am looking for a training class that will teach me how to handle firearms in real world conditions under stress. I have found a lot. I travel a lot for work/school so the location isn't a massive factor. Does anyone have any recommendations on what to look for in the instructors or recommendations? Washington / Utah would be easiest for me to get to. Thank you.

I posted about my experience with William Petty a little bit ago, highly recommend.
 
Check out Suarez International at Warriortalk.com. I’ve taken classes with several of their instructors and they are all have BTDT. I will be taking their Force on Force class again this fall, it’s a real eye opener.
 
Guess this is still a thread -

Update to status:

My Drill Instructor Duty orders were changed and I have since been moved from MARSOC East to one of the Reconnaissance Battalions AWA shifted/aligned into a deploying company. I am in my happy place.
 
A lot of people see it like a taboo in the Marine Corps to think poorly of being a Drill Instructor, but to put things into perspective I just sat for two hours in a lecture from Felix Rodriguez - a former CIA Officer and Paramilitary Advisor from the Bay of Pigs era, to Vietnam - he was even the last person to speak with Che in Bolivia before his execution. I would pay money to stay here at this unit.

fuking wow!
 
Back
Top