Recruit love letters

The platoon recently wrote their first love letters. Love letters are anonymous letters written by recruits concerning likes and dislikes about the Drill Instructors. They’re used by the SDI as a gauge for platoon morale as well as identifying strengths and weaknesses (positive or negative trends) of each member of the Drill Instructor team. I didn’t think I’d warrant much mention due to my short time on deck, but results proved otherwise.

Platoon knowledge and discipline are my focus. I’m pleased the recruits feel I teach knowledge well and I’m fair. Unfortunately, I’m lacking in the discipline department. I need to start slaying more bodies. I should be hated, feared, unapproachable, evil.

My incredible sarcasm is also biting me in the ass. Recruits find my sarcasm hilarious even though it’s delivered to the sides of faces in a shower of spit. So when they giggle or smile from something I say to another recruit, it leaves me no choice but to jump up their asses for it. It’s only making my job more difficult.

If I wasn’t a Drill Instructor and not thinking as a Drill Instructor does, I would consider a vast majority of these comments as positive reflections of my performance thus far. Unfortunately, I am a Drill Instructor. Despite not necessarily practicing the things that are being pounded into my head every day, I know what I should and shouldn’t be doing to be a better Drill Instructor. Summation: I’m still garbage.

So, in their original text with unedited punctuation, spelling, and grammar, I give you every recruit comment. Please direct questions through the comment board.

He’s new, but from what I’ve seen he’s knows his stuff, and has been around knows his knowledge, were lucky to have him.

Should be called a discipline instructor because he doesn’t miss a thing.

Even though some recruits still can’t grasp the meaning of don’t move, he still manages to teach us knowledge that will get us through boot camp. He is also intense yet flips the knowledge we need to succeed which is what I like the most.

Good drill instructor.

Doesn’t really get on the nerves of many of these recruits, but can when we don’t sound off or stupid things like that.

A kill hat with a good sense of humor but sturn and strict on timing and will let you know and everyone when your wrong.

Tough as well as smart. It’s hard to get anything past him when he’s on patrol. He’s very quiet too so I try to be as disciplined as possible when I think he’s near. Even when no ones around it feels like he’s near.

We still cannot understand him on occasion.

Corrects and screams at those who jack everything up so they don’t do it again. He’ll catch a recruit moving a finger at attention. Good discipline.

Great guy annoying as hell when he wants to be. Great at making me lose bearing.

Really good with knowledge he breaks it down and helps get our ditties sharp and crisp.

Brings motivation and energy.

I just see him as a diddy teacher.

New to the platoon but has kicked everyone’s ass on quarter deck. (Good thing)

Methods of teaching make it easy to remember what a recruit needs to know. He knows his recruits and specifically targets ones who need help.

A good Drill instructor he know how to make us laugh at what he calls us and at the same time pushes us to the next thing.

A great DI he is very helpful at teaching us the knowledge he really helped me learn it before it was time for the test with his classes.

The shit.

Always watching every movement.

He is also a very good instructor he makes sure that you specifics are correct.

Also likes to give us knowledge which this recruit enjoys. Also this recruit like the speed of his countdowns just right not too fast or too slow.

Nice and fair. No special treatment. Quarter deck’s everyone for the same reasons. Good with teaching knowledge.

Hard ass. Enjoys pitting recruits. Does his job well.

He cool and all but he gotta stop showering me wit spit.

Has a sharp eye for recruits that are doing the wrong thing on line and in formation.

Good Di helps out a lot and tries to teach platoon in a good way. Glad to have GySgt Kohler as a DI.

He was weak when he first came, but now he’s getting demanding, recruits are getting scared of him now.

Teaches knowledge great, works hard and diligently. Wants this platoon to succeed.

Needs more experience. Doesn’t always know what he’s doing.

GySgt Kohler is good, he cracks me up all the time, because somethings you can’t help but smile at the comments he makes to the recruits are sometime hilarious. He does a good job of helping keep the platoon inline but he is not excessive with his discipline. He does his job very well.

Discipline enforcer best described. Catches about everything, fair consequences.

Seems as if he just runs around a lot kicking random knowledge out when ever he doesn’t have us playing games.

Teaches us knowledge the best and has a way of pounding it into our heads and breaking it down barney style for the recruits.

He is a good DI and he is always teaching us knowledge, he also knows when to make a good joke.
Excellent instructor with knowledge, fair, keeps to the motto: time and place for everything, teaches us ditties we need to know at a pace even an idiot can learn, good at helping you speak up.

Sees everything. Sometimes focusing on discipline, but more often than not, on completing the task at hand in order to move to the next.

Firm and consistent. Loves his job.

Fine.

He is cool. He helps us out a lot with our ditties. I like the way he teaches. I hope he sticks around.

He is good to go, no complaints, gets his point across and is fair all the way around.

He seems to want to teach us knowledge he passes and pushes. He is also fair and pitts the people who need 2 get pitted. I happen 2 be one of them but I got pitted for a right reason. I think DI Gunnery Sgt Kohler earns and gets a lot of respect from the platoon.

Good at going over knowledge. Remember the most information when he does it.

Seems a little out of it on the IT side of things until he starts writing in his book. Dangerous to recruits because he’s hilarious and prone to making them smile when it could mean the quarterdeck.

Don’t really know much about him yet. But he seems to know his shit.

It always seems like he has eyes in the back of his head that catch the slightest mistake.

What I like about Drill Instructor Gunnery Sergeant Kohler is just the way he is. When it’s time to relax, it’s time to relax, when it’s time to train, it’s time to train, and he trains very well. Awesome leader.

Very good di. Its very well he knows when to quit but also how far to push recruits to the limit.

Very good according to this recruit. He lets us get head calls almost all the time. Very good at being serious and helpful with knowledge.

Our typical cousin. He gives a lot of information… To be continued…

Very comical and critical this recruit thinks he takes an excealent approach to being a drill instructor.

He good at what he does he knows how to push people to get it right cuz if you don’t ur getting quarter decked or seeing the pit.

A good motivator he helped push me threw the confidence course.

Can tell he’s new – but catching on for sure!

Does a good job at teaching knowledge and making sure recruits are doing what they are supposed to be doing. Catches (or at least verbalizes that he catches) recruits moving on line/scratching/etc. Best of all DI’s.

Is great at teaching ditties cause sum of the thing he puts with them makes you remember them.

He’s cool he doesn’t realy make us work physically to scream I do cause I respect him.

Good instructor makes knowledge easy to learn!

Great personality but can tell he is a new green belt full of helpful knowledge from hands on experience from his Marine Corps lifestyle and career.

Pertickler about quality willing to go the extra mile to see to it that we become the best Marines possable.

Brings motivation and energy.