In 1960 I was a senior Drill Instructor at the San Diego Recruit Depot. The morning routine was for the DIs to awake before reveille. No recruits were permitted to be out of their Quonset Huts at that time.
One particular morning Sgt Black, the junior DI, and I were standing outside on the platoon street drinking coffee as daylight broke through. Sgt Black sighted something out of the corner of his eye (he the recon Marine). I heard him bellow, “Come here turd!” at this short, sulking figure in utilities buttoned at the top (as required of recruits).
The figure rushed over to us and stood at rigid attention. Only then did Black and I recognize the figure as Lt Gen Victor Krulak, Commanding Officer of the Recruit Depot (and father of the future 31st Commandant). Apparently the General’s wandering was his covert observation of conditions to ensure his dictates were being followed. One of these policies was that recruits be addressed as “Private” and not by derogatory terms (a policy generally ignored by DIs, tradition not so easily dispensed with).
Sgt Black and I immediately knew we were in deep do-do. “How do you address recruits, Sergeants” Without missing a beat, Sgt Black, now at attention, answered, “Sir, ‘Turd’ is the acronym that stands for Trainee Undergoing Rigid Discipline.”
A moment of silence … then the General cracked a smile and ordered, “Very well, carry on.” He then strolled off to another area.