Marines Boot Camp - Meet the Drill Instructors (Part 1)

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• published: 12 May 2013
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In the U.S. Marine Corps, candidates for Drill Instructor Duty are primarily volunteers. The tour of duty is three years and is widely regarded as one of the most intense, demanding, and important duties in the U.S. Armed Forces. Since the duty is referred to as "Making Marines", it can often be one of the most important duties of a Marine's career because the responsibility is most directly involved with creating the future Marines of the Marine Corps. Marines report to either Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island in South Carolina or to Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego in California, where they are assigned to Drill Instructor School. Upon graduation, they are assigned to one of the Recruit Training Battalions. Female Drill Instructors are only trained and only serve at Parris Island because that is where the only female Marine Corps recruit training occurs. Service as a Drill Instructor is considered a Special Duty Assignment in the Marine Corps (Or "B" billet), which is factored into consideration of a Marine's eligibility for promotion. A Marine assigned to DI School must have at least a rank of Sergeant (E-5). The school requires DI School students to complete every task recruits are required to do. The typical training day begins around 4:00 a.m. (0400 military time) and ends around 7:30 p.m. (1930 hours), many times with specific training evaluations and end-of-day cleanups that require even longer days. At the end of each day, DI School students have to practice effective time management in studying for exams, practicing drill, rehearsing the teaching of drill movements verbatim and preparing uniforms all while still making time for intense physical training. The school lasts approximately three months with four classes running throughout the year.