European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 21, 1977, Darmstadt, Hesse Softening the role of the hard boiled i is now forbidden for a Drill instructor to have physical Contact with a Marine recruit. Actor John a by Bernari Weinraub new Vork times ii Mill instructor a folklore figure in the Marine corps who turned fumbling recruits into spartan disciplined fighters is qui etly losing his Primacy after decades upholding the tradition that the f i knows Best the Marine corps is now seeking to Blunt the role of thi1 Drill instructor an intimidating figure who sought to crush the civilian habits of recruits during ii grueling weeks of Basic training at Best the Marine corps found that Drill instructors were mean at the Start of Boot Camp and lovable at the end. As in a John Wayne movie at worst the Drill instructors were mean at the Start of Basic training mean at the Elul. And a bit sadistic throughout we just Hud too Many incidents too much completely unnecessary harassment thai had nothing Todo with being a Good Marine said maj. Gen. . I Dillon he commander of Paris Island a fall Patchwork of South Carolina marshes and swamps and open Fields that has served As a major training base since j9i3. There were some very stupid things that if carried to excess Enid be said i Nisun. A loan fray Tai Rcd. 52-year-old officer who took his Basic training As an enlisted Man at i Arris Island i4 years ago. Recruits were being Clu wed out by some i s and Sluffik. Do s had recruits lining pushups with their fingertips do s would put Lii Cir Mouths close to a recruit s ear and yell. I once walked into a squad Bay and anyone who wore glasses had having Cream All Over the glasses he said i never figured it out. But what the hell did that have to do with being a Good spurred by a series of incidents including the killing of a mentally defective youth during a training Drill at the san Diego recruit depot senior officers within the corps have overhauled training in an Effort to lower the stress and punishment endured by youths seeking to enter the once elite service. Beyond this the corps which has witnessed an embarrassing growth of disciplinary problems during and after the Vietnam War As Well As a Sharp drop in the Caliper of recruits has stiffened its require ments. At least 25,000 marines have been released in the last two years for disciplinary reasons or poor performance. Tougher standards were set on recruitment to Weed out obese physically unfit and illiterate youths. We did have a lower Quality people said Gen. Louis h. Wilson the Marine corps commandant. But we moved a lot out and we try to emphasize by next fall he said nearly 75 per cent of All recruits will have earned High school diplomas the first time in years that so Many marines have reached this level of Educa Tion. We be made some rather substantive changes in re Cruit said Wilson a 57-year-old medal of Honor Winner. It s absolutely forbidden for a Drill instructor to put his hands on a recruit in any Way. We be Cut the daily training schedule each recruit is now Given one free hour each evening we be reduced the hours that do s work with recruits we be insisted that no one work More than 80 hours. The f i had a Mission some of them saw it As sell imposed he said. There was just too much Auton omy Given to do s that had been built Over perhaps the most significant step advanced in the training of marines is that officers for the first time retaking a direct role in Boot Camp and supervise Drill instructors. Two officers Are now assigned to each series a grouping of 1.300 enlisted men. Before these changes officers were like a handle on a pot. But not in it said col. Gary Wilder the head of a task Force on recruit training at i Arris Island. A was to very satisfactory situation the Iii honestly believed one of his major roles was to separate the weak and unwilling from the rest to serve As a screen so that no unqualified recruit gets into he said. As soon As he saw a recruit slipping or thought he saw a recruit slipping he increased the physical and mental said Wilder. The recruit gut special at Tention. And of course when he finally slipped or broke the 1 1 said. I knew it i found one it became a self Ful filling nearby at a training school for Drill instructors sgt. Roger Roll a 34-Yt-ar-old teacher who has served As a i for the last four years said some of the older types really resented these changes. They said there goes the Marine corps Down the Drain these Guys thought the physical and verbal abuse the thumping the pushing and shoving made marines. Well it went too far As we caused our own heart he said. A kid got killed out in san Diego. We had to make some outside As he spoke a platoon of recruits ran double time toward a nearby training Field where youths climbed ropes and performed pull ups Sil ups push Upland squat thrusts. Sgt. Pete i Ogue a 29-year-old Drill instructor stood beside a pull up bar Barking orders to each squad that approached. Sound off. 1 can t hear you. Come on Desmund i want pull ups ready begin. Feet off the deck arms All the Way. Down. Up. Extended. Rizzo. What the hell Are you doing i want maximum Effort. Come on Washington if you can t pull up you just hang in there it s Good for your Muscles Kizzor pull up that s it pull up. As the platoon moved away and Logue awaited another group he said quietly a lot of do s say they can t do the Job but i Don t see it. When i went through Boot Camp the i was bad news. Racial and ethnic slurs that und of thing. That just does happen now. Itsou in l. Nearby. Sgt. Lee Dickinson a 24-year-old Drill instructor said some do s could t adapt to the new rules. They were Good marines and they went Down the tubes. There was a lot of overreaction marines saying that they were not leaching sunday school that they did t want to work with officers. These marines have gone the a i v the modern marines Are looking harder for Best Poge 14 the stars and stripes marines have de emphasized punishment Andl tuesday
