I hope someone can answer this question for me ...
I have a terrible problem laughing when I see drill sergeants in action on TV/in movies. It’s a knee jerk kind of thing. I just find what they say and how they say it hilarious.
Now, I could guarantee you I would have cracked up when I first got to boot camp had I enlisted. It wouldn’t have been a form of disrespect. It would have simply been my brain reacting to the situation. I know I’m not the only one.
What would have happened to people like me? How many push ups would it take to correct that problem :-)?
DI’s and Drill Sergeants actually work to be funny, because Boot Camp is very hard for even them (especially them). Being a funny Drill is a way to lighten things up for everybody.
Before FMJ, when I thought of DIs, I thought of Darren McGavin in “Tribes”.