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Platoon Commander aka Senior Drill Instructor

Platoon Commander aka Senior Drill Instructor

If you’ve never heard of a Platoon Commander while in Boot Camp, it’s not my fault. I didn’t write the book, I didn’t publish the book. I simply purchased the book sometime during my internment at MCRD San Diego. The Marine Corps, or the Navy, recorded my experience for me during those two plus months. I was much too busy to take pictures. My book clearly shows the Senior Drill Instructor listed as “Platoon Commander”. I don’t recall the Senior DI wearing a different style belt than the other Drill Instructors except while drilling toward the end of training, preparing for “final drill”. Then he wore a black leather belt with scabbard, otherwise it was the standard canvas cartridge belt with first aid pouch. SF
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Comments

CThomas, 68-72 - June 8, 2020

Sgt. Newby was our junior Drill Instructor, Plt-2019) during my stay at MCRDSD, initials G.H. Sgt. Newby became SSgt Newby shortly after we began training. Re, the black belt; Upon further review I discovered a platoon picture taken at the armory in Edson Range. We were having our rifles inspected prior to live firing, and GySgt Ponder, the Senior Drill Instructor, aka, Platoon Commander, can be seen wearing his black spit shined leather belt. And, I found one picture of our Junior Drill Instructor, where he is not wearing the cartridge belt. I believe though we were still checking in and receiving our initial equipment draw.

bob crosby - June 8, 2020

sept, 1967. platoon 3052, honor platoon with no streamers. ssgt. aguilar was our platoon commander, and was addressed as such. sgt, brown and sgt smith were addressed as drill instructors. platoon commanders wore the polished black belt, other drill instructors wore the web belt.

Harry - June 8, 2020

I got out my Plt. book from P.I.The chain of command was as follows :Bn. Commander,Co. Commander, Series Commander,Chief Drill Instructor, Series Gy/Sgt,Senior Drill Instructor (SDI) and two Assistant Drill Instructors (ADI) Harry

Gerald - June 8, 2020

I had the “pleasure” of going thru San Diego in Platoon 328 of March/1964 Or Senior DI was a S/SGT yes he had the black spit shined duty belt until while at Camp Matthews Rifle range he had the misfortune of breaking the back of our right/guide while jumping up and down on him because he had tripped while running down the stairs of the wooden hard backed tents at Camp Matthews and letting our platoon colors and ribbons hit the ground. The following day we had a new Senior DI a Gy/SGT he was a change as he wouldn’t reach and touch you (if you know what I mean) he had the Jr. DI do it instead.

John Randall - June 8, 2020

I meant to say SDI’s addressed as Plt Commander.

John Randall - June 8, 2020

DSI’s at MCRD San Diego were addressed as Plt Commander, Plt 111 Grad Date April 1963 .

Thearle James Lacey - June 8, 2020

I was in PI jul 7, 1961 Plt# 339. S/DI was S/Sgt Rushing, who I have always wondered how he made out after I left Boot. One A/DI sgt Fox left our platoon late in our training, was apparently promoted and became S/DI to a new platoon. A/DI Sgt Patterson who joined us about a third of the way through boot I seen went on to become Master Sgt (although I forget what his duty became). He was fair and laid back sort of person who saved my butt twice. Without him, I don’t think I’d have graduated when I did. I had just missed being house mouse and being of “slight frame,” as the Corps described me physically, even though I had lifted weights for a couple of years before PI, my wrists, hands and forearms were not big. Having exercises that pointed to them was difficult to say the least as I had always used my full physique to do anything heavy. Like pull ups. The Corps then had us limited to French grips, wrists facing forward. I could maybe do three. To curl as I did when warming up lifting weights, I would do one handed curls with free hand grasping the pull up arm. Somehow I was able to do more that way then French pulls. I went into boot weighing 134#. I left boot weighing 174#, but still had trouble with my hands and wrists. I never saw a Corporal DI. They were all E5 Sgts. And Rushing always wore a black belt and the ADIs wore the green belt with the bright gold buckles. (Those really became guides for shining anything brass with the Brasso. It gave you the idea what was expected of you.) We also wore the three pointed utility covers and not the five. As for my grad book, a huge thanks to Sgt. Grit for forwarding my need for to add my pic to my Dad’s and my son’s. And thanks to Wheeler for providing all he did to make that possible. And he did one hell of a job at his expense.

Dan Post - June 8, 2020

Plt. 354 of MCRD 1965 Senior DI was always listed as Platoon Commander and always wore a spit shined black belt. The DI’s wore web belts. He always remembered our plt. and I believe we never forgot him either. That plt. would have charged into hell for that Marine.

Jim McIlhenney - June 8, 2020

Platoon Commander is a “Hollywood Marine” thing. I have researched a lot of red Platoon books to recover photos of our Vietnam dead over the last two decades. The PI books list instructors as SDI for Senior Drill Instructor and JDI or ADI, depending on what years, for Junior Drill Instructor or Assistant Drill Instructor. SD Senior Drill Instructors were listed as Platoon Commander followed by his Drill Instuctors. Just how it was, East Coast-West Coast. And the Black belt told the difference between Senior and Junior, one of my Seniors first things to remember, just so we knew the difference and who was in charge!

BV Schultz 70-73 - June 8, 2020

Plt 2090 MCRDSD 7/70-9/70 SSgt. M.J. Spiller Platoon Commander, Black leather belt, regular brass buckle (both shined to mirror like shines) with both utilities and tropical. Sgts Q.L. Brown , J. S. Slawson Drill Instructors, web belts with M-Nued snaps and grommets. (Sgt. Slawson became Corporal Slawson and departed during phase three; related to an incident where a recruit was sent down two flights of stairs in a garbage can, way beyond the necessary level of correction needed and the Corps acted swiftly.) Spiller and Brown were as different as two people could be but both seemed to share a strong desire to turn out good Marines while at the same time shaking their heads at some of the SNAFU’s that only Marine Corps boots could preform. Slawson was sadistic and we all felt he got what he deserved and no one who was interviewed about the garbage can (and other’s that came to light) incident suffered memory loss or loss of vision.

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