[prion]

But Army regulations in effect since 1985 say superiors cannot lay a hand on their recruits to discipline them. The Army's Training and Doctrine Command regulations also disallow any physical or verbal hazing, which includes ``cruel or abusive tricks.'' Vulgar or sexually explicit language is also prohibited.

You have GOT to be KIDDING me!

[cll]

I still remember my Drill Sgt. Back in the steel pot days, he paced back and forth along the fox holes at the M-16 firing range and whenever he saw something he didn't like, he would promptly hit the offender on the helmet with his barrel-cleaning rod. Sometimes he would "miss" the helmet and land his strike elsewhere.

[R. Scott]

When I was a private I would hear the old timers talk about how the “new” Army was going straight to hell. When I made Sergeant I started saying it – I and a lot of other Viet Nam vets. I sat at The Junction Café after I retired and heard a young Staff Sergeant bitching about the “new” Army, and how it was going straight to hell. I wondered where he got off saying that – had he earned the right? Then I noticed he was wearing a Unit Patch on his right shoulder, denoting service in a combat zone. Yes, he had earned the right.
The “new” Army might be heading straight to hell, and that has been said for many years. The Army is a constantly changing institution. It has always been “going straight to hell”, but it always answers the call and just keeps on stroking - and doing a very nasty job very well.

[brownsfan]

But Army regulations in effect since 1985 say superiors cannot lay a hand on their recruits to discipline them. The Army's Training and Doctrine Command regulations also disallow any physical or verbal hazing, which includes ``cruel or abusive tricks.'' Vulgar or sexually explicit language is also prohibited.

You have GOT to be KIDDING me!

It takes a lot to do this... but I'm speechless.

[RebelBanker]

I went through Basic Training at Ft. Knox in 1983. The two Drill Sergeants assigned to my platoon did not need to curse at, strike or otherwise abuse recruits to teach us to be soldiers. The junior Drill Sergeant in another platoon was removed because he could not handle recruits without abusing them. Turning raw recruits into soldiers is a very difficult and demanding job and bullies fail miserably at it - they do not produce good troops, they create more problem children like themselves.

Many people who have not been there can not understand the difference between a tough, hard Drill Sergeant who does his job well and a stupid bully in a 'brown round' hat who turns recruits into discipline problems.

[Gefreiter]

p,
Oh, it's not new at all.

I went through basic training in 1989, and none of the cadre laid a hand on a recruit beyond what was essential for training purposes. No foul language, no sexual language, etc.

Plenty of shouting though. And the bit another poster wrote about the cleaning rod upside the helmet was familiar.

But yeah, by and large drill instructors are skilled enough at their jobs that they can bring the best out of their trainees without having to beat them up.