Don’t Make Your Drill Sergeant Angry

We all know that basic training can be quite rigorous and challenging.  In addition to following a rigorous schedule, it may be the first time you will have to wait for permission for such routine activities as eating or using the bathroom.  However, by knowing ahead of time how you can avoid getting that “special attention” from your drill sergeant, life will certainly be easier.

In his best-seller, The Ultimate Basic Training Guidebook, U.S. Army veteran Sergeant Michael Volkin offers advice to military recruits that will make basic training as stress-free as possible.  The author explains that while there is nothing that will make a candidate “yell-proof,” there are definitely precautions one can take to reduce the number of times he or she is “singled out” by a drill sergeant.

Here are five useful tips you can follow to decrease your chances of getting yelled at drill sergeants:

1)    Do Not Volunteer – Offering to help with tasks while in basic training is like entering a shark infested ocean with fish bait tied to your ankles.  While you may think that volunteering will make you more popular and well-liked by the drill sergeant, as is often the case with teachers in school, it’s not such a good idea at boot camp.  Keep in mind that your goal is to graduate from basic training, not to become someone’s favorite recruit.

2)    Be Sure to Label Everything -  One of the main reasons recruits get scolded is for losing an item of clothing or piece of equipment, or getting theirs mixed up with someone else’s.  When drill sergeants inspect sleeping quarters, which is a common occurrence, things get tossed all around and often get misplaced.  To prevent this from happening, take a black marker with you to basic training and put your initials on all of your belongings so that you can easily identify what is yours.

3)    Don’t be a Know It All – The truth of the matter is, you won’t impress drill sergeants with what you know – or what you think you know.  Prior to the start of your basic training, you may have heard stories from friends and family members based on their experience when they attended.  Many of these tales are exaggerated or misinterpreted.  Even if you know the answer to a question, refrain from shouting it out unless you are called upon specifically.

4)    Speak with Confidence – Since a drill sergeant’s job is to make you a “lean, mean fighting machine,” they certainly don’t want to hear you talking in a quiet or timid voice.  When asked a question, be sure to respond with a confident tone, even if you aren’t sure you are giving the correct response.  To their ears, a wrong answer spoken assertively always sounds better than a right answer spoken timidly.

5)    Never be Late – Arriving on time is simply not going to cut it in basic training.  So when a drill sergeant tells you to be somewhere in 45 seconds, it’s a good idea to be there in 15!

Sergeant Volkin served in Operation Enduring/Iraqi Freedom as a Chemical Operations Specialist and received a Commendation medal for his efforts and for the fitness programs he created for his fellow soldiers.

For your reference, please visit UltimateBasicTraining.com for more info.