While visiting a friend in Fredericksburg, Va… in 2000, I was leaving a Cracker Barrel after breakfast. I saw an old man with a Marine cover and ask him, as we always do… when and where were you… he replied he had served for over 35 years and ask me the same. I told him I was in from ’61 to ’63. He asked when I went through PI and what platoon I was in.. . I told him August, ’61, 2nd. Bt. Plt. 258… He ask if I remembered my DI’s. I said of course and name all 3… the second name I gave him was Sgt. Roberts… he smiled and said… “Did you say Sgt. Roberts?”… I said yes… he smiled again and said…………. “Your looking at him!”… I just about sh**…. We had a few good laughs and I shook his had and went away with a lot of memories…
Met DI, 40 years later
Sgt’s Rash, Kent & Thigpen. I don’t always remember what I did yesterday but I still remember my DI’s from 1965.
CWO-3 J.C.”Mac” McCormack USMC ret.
1965 to 1992
Before I went to boot camp, my grandfather, (who was a sailor in WW II, and a Marine in Korea, and Vietnam), (along with a few other sources), all told me I would never forget my DI’s, and they were all correct. Sgt’s, Tanner, Currier, Tugman, and the Senior was Sgt. Wilson. I keep thinking there was a fourth junior DI, but I can’t pin it down. Anyway, I went to boot camp about 30 years ago.
Ahhh Yes the DI’s I too had the pleasure of meeting up with my Senior Drill Instructor Gunny Longerbone who at the time was a Master Sergeant. It was shortly after I returned from Viet Nam, in 72 and I was at headquarters at main side Camp Pendleton. While waiting to go before a review board, I saw this tall familiar face with the same deep gravelly voice waiting for his review, ( Turns out we were both up for Proficiency Pay), and being the cocky person that I was I approached him and said “Hey Top remember me” ? I am sure he was thinking who is this guy and why is he bugging me, but after I toldl him my PLT Number .and the time I was under his influence ..LOL He gave me a serious look and said ” How you doing Turd?? Oh how well I remember that phrase. It was good to see him and to know that he still had the certain outlook on life. While at the time I am sure we all had a certain distain for our DI’s I think it is safe to say in the end, they taught is to be men and to always have your brothers back!!!
Good Man and one that helped shape my life.
Sgt. T. Golden
USMC 1968 to 1972
Great read. I have never found even one from my beloved Corps.
PI 2nd recruit Bn Plt 211, Lima co.
Feb 65 to Jan 69
What amazes me (and I’m sure my fellow D.I.’s) is how “recruits” look at us when they see us away from the drill field, 3rd Bn Parris Island. It’s like, “Wow, he’s a human”, and they break into a big grin like it was the second coming. We appreciate being remembered. Part of my e-mail address to this day has “usmcdi” in it.
That’s because y’all are so much tougher than we are when we arrive in boot camp, and we KNOW IT. Not to mention that most recruits aren’t used to having someone just an inch or two away screaming at them at the top of their lungs. But I tell ya, looking back on it, I know why if we change branches of service, we never have to got to boot camp again. It’s because some of you DI’s come up with some of the most hysterical things to say, that any of us have ever heard, and there’s absolutely no way whatsoever that we could do boot camp again….with a straight face.
Case in point:
I’ll never forget the Senior DI. that I graduated with, (eg: Sgt. Wilson). He was a tough as nails tank crewman in the M48A3 Patton. One day he was [personally] drilling us in prep. for 3rd phase drill competition. We had a guy who name was, (I kid you, not), “Smiley”, and poor Smiley couldn’t drill to save his life, and his position in the platoon was front row, center. Sgt. Wilson forms the platoon and pauses for a second, and he says: “Smiley, you screw it up this time, and they’re ALL going to pay for it.” I was in the 3rd row, and I saw Smiley go weak in the knees. Sure enough, Sgt. Wilson calls Dress Right Dress, and AFTER Smiley lowered his arm…….he moved. You could LITERALLY see the Sgt’s. face turn red and he said: “Smiley!!!!!!, and then he let loose a cloud of spit while pointing his finger at poor Smiley. Then I looked over at the two junior DI’s, and they had both about faced, and were both doing their damnedest to not laugh out loud, but were bobbing up and down in the effort, so we could all tell that they were, in fact, laughing. True to his promise, we, as a platoon, paid for it in the pit for about a half hour. Yes. Smiley finally got it right after that.
Keep in mind that this day left such an impression on me, that I am able to remember it like it happened yesterday, but in reality, it happened about 30 years ago.
Platoon 375, PI, September to December 1962, Senior DI SSGT Rivers, SGT Long, and SGT Wells. I grew up in a lilly-white community near Boston and didn’t know any African-Americans. SSGT Rivers was Black. Sure altered my world view! I hope they have all lived good, full lives, because they sure changed mine for the better.
I only remember one D I. Sgt Dunlap, used to kick my behind regularly. Plt. 324 MCRD San Diego 1964. He was a great teacher, and motivator. I wanted to kill him. On graduation day my parents drove down from San Francisco and got a parking ticket on base. Sgt. Dunlap took care of the whole thing. Will never forget his kindness….. Henry, USMC 64/69, RVN, 65/66/69. 0311/2311.
In July 1976 I was with my wife and kids at the Monroe County Michigan fair waiting for my daughter on a kidde ride. I looked to see 3 Marines in blues walking down the street. The oldest was a SgtMaj. I couldn’t believe my eyes as he was my First Sgt in Nam in 1968 with Bryan I 3/12. He was now assigned to the Detroit Recruiting District. Small world.
Mick Blair, Sgt 1966 – 1969
I ran into one of my DI’s in my last few months on active duty. We were sailing around Hawaii on the USS Essex. In boot camp, he was Sgt. Currier. On the Essex, he was a SSgt. I also ran into a kid / Marine that I grew up with. He also had a DRASTICALLY different demeanor from when I was in boot camp. I’m guessing that it was because at that point, all that mattered was that we were both Marines….as opposed to recruit, and DI. For me, it was a true shock to the system to run into both of them. I didn’t even know that the kid I grew up with had joined the Marines, let alone was on the same ship I was on, at the same time. Even at that, some of those ships are big enough that we still might not have run into each other…and the Essex is one of the one’s that big enough. So I guess, my story combined with everyone else’s, that fate really does exist.
LOL.
Sometimes, in later training, we’d stand behind the platoon so you couldn’t see us laughing. By then we all knew you were shortly going to be one of us…a Marine. From a 3rd Bn D.I. ’70-’71, Semper Fi Cpl. Lang
CWO-5 Noble Callaway USMC 1966 to 2001 and again December 2004 to June 2005.
In 1967 my senior DI was SSgt Thompson. In 1974 I was a Staff Sergeant when I ran into CWO Thompson coming out of the PX on Camp Lejeune. After saluting him I asked him if he remembered me. He said no. I told him I was one of his hogs from platoon 243. He said I guess you want to kick my ass. I said no sir. He invited me over to his house for supper. I watched him play with his two small children and I couldn’t believe it, I thought he would have ate kids. I know he retired a CWO-4 before we had the CWO-5 rank. I would love to see him again.
SDI SGT BURNS
DI SGT PLOSKONKA
DI SGT WOOD
just like it was yesterday but it was 27 years ago
Kilo company 3021
PI, SC
Great story! Did you snap to attention when he identified himself….lol!!
Semper Fi to all of you with good a memory.
I remember one DI, Sgt. Holzapple (probably misspelled). I know I was in PI in July 1969 in 3rd Bn. I do not remember my platoon number and only a few names of other recruits. I was in Nam in early ’69 through late ’70 at Camp Books driving and a mechanic on rough terrain forklifts.
Luckily, I can ask Sgt. D. Wallace about our time in Nam.
RBrown
The good times! Aug 15 1973. PLT 1083. I can see and still hear my DI’S yelling at PVT Cassini! Sgt Perry, Ssgt Pickny. Hard to remember after 48 years.