A military training instructor’s job is to turn a civilian into a soldier. Depending on the training course assigned, the military training instructor has a variety of responsibilities. The bottom line is that transforming untrained civilian recruits into trained, intelligent, and lethal war machines is a difficult task.
A basic drill instructor is the first military training instructor most recruits meet. This is the person who gives orders to the recruit. This is also the instructor who teaches the raw recruit the fundamentals of military philosophy. Most recruits are attracted to the drill instructor because he or she is the first real military person they meet.
The recruit will not only learn from the drill sergeant, but also from other military training instructors. Each military task is taught a military training instructor who specializes in that task. An array of expert military training instructors handle everything from map reading to marksmanship.
A common misunderstanding is that all training instructors are military personnel. Many of the top instructors are civilian employees of the Department of Defense. These instructors are usually retired military personnel or, in the case of modern computer warfare, college professors or experts in their fields. These civilians are treated with the same respect and courtesy as military instructors during training.
The most important requirement for a military training instructor is that he or she be at the top of their field. Many more people apply for the basic drill instructor school than it can accommodate. Only retired military personnel are allowed to train new soldiers in some countries.
In the military community, the military training instructor has a high status among his or her peers. It is understood that the training instructor is responsible for the military’s education and continuation. Military instructors are treated with the respect and courtesy due to a returning war hero, and in many countries, civilians regard them as movie stars.
The military does not want robots, despite trying to instill the same basic principles in each recruit. A military needs soldiers who are well-trained and can follow orders and lead troops if necessary. They want soldiers who will be able to decipher intelligence and information and make decisions based on it. A military training instructor provides the necessary foundation of knowledge for each soldier to perform their duties in the field.