by Joseph Yannuzzi Jr.

Created on: June 24, 2008

As a former United States Army Drill Sergeant, Infantryman, and Vietnam Era Veteran, I can assure you that there is a difference between training recruits and enabling abuse. Proper training insures survival, while abuse serves no purpose at all. It would be more of a detriment to a Drill Instructors recruits, if he were to sacrifice the benefits of training, for anything that would hamper or endanger his trainees well being.

We know that Basic Training was not designed for comfort or easy navigation of hardened combat routines. My duties as a Drill Instructor was to teach, motivate, discipline and prepare our young men for the horrors of warfare. Being a combat Veteran myself, I knew the challenges that faced my recruits. These challenges cannot be met without a certain amount of apprehension, fear and extreme physical exertion. There is no room for abuse of any kind.

In fact the worst case scenario for abuse, would not be in the form of striking a recruit or even by humiliating him in any manner, but by dereliction of duty on behalf of his Drill Instructor. Yes, in my mind, the worst abuse is lack of quality and preparation during basic training. However as a professional soldier, I can say this rarely, if ever occurs.

Drill Sergeants take great pride in their leadership abilities and skills. We are the first soldier a trainee sees when he enters the confines of the Army base, and it is imperative that we make a striking and lasting first impression.

I can still recall how impressed I was with my Drill Sergeants, when I went through basic training in 1967, at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. They were incredibly professional, dressed in fatigue uniforms that bristled with razor sharp creases and combat boots that glistened like mirrors. They barked orders with an authority and urgency that you did not dare question, but never, was there any abuse directed toward us by these soldiers.

I not only learned a great deal from my own Drill Instructors, but I performed my duties just as thorough and dedicated as they had performed for me. I was in a very responsible position and in order to make my troops battle hardened, resilient and confident, I had to display the same qualities in myself. I led by example. There was no abuse. If I ordered the recruits to perform 100 push ups, I too, pumped out 100 push ups. When we ran double time, I led my troops in the same frantic manner...no time for abuse, just pure training, by leading the way forward. If someone could see abuse in this, then I can honestly say that I too, was then abused.

Being a Drill Instructor is not for everyone. Your almost like an actor, because you have to assume a certain persona that implies a tough exterior and a committment to excellence. And again, this cannot be achieved by implementing abuse, which would detract from your character, and defeat your purpose and mission.

I spent 18 months as a Drill Instructor and was extremely proud of my troops and my service. I also knew many of my trainees would be spending a tour in Vietnam...it was inevitable. Fortunately, I also knew that I had provided them with the best training possible to insure their survival. Their gratitude was forthcoming on Graduation Day when, I was showered with gifts and well wishes from my entire platoon. Knowing their fate was now in God's hands, I tried hard to retain my emotions, and remarkably, somehow I did. There was comfort in knowing that my troops were trained, not abused.

My only regret is that I would not be there to protect them from the real abuse they were about to face, in a tiny place called hell...Vietnam.

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