Awesome Sh*t My Drill Sergeant Said: Wit and Wisdom from America's Finest Kindle Edition

Let me start out by making this perfectly clear, I AM A MARINE, and not just any Marine, I am an old Corps Marine. To make it worse, I went through Parris Island and my Drill Instructors were Gunnery Sergeants who had survived the Frozen Chosen,That said, this is an inter stung reminder of some of the things my DI's said way back in the dark ages. And I guess that if I had the maturity I have now they would have been funny at the time. But in the late 60's. Marine DI's DID NOT jest about slapping a guy around.Overall, Sh*t My Drill Sargent Said is a good read for a person who as served. I seriously doubt if my wife would see the humor, but I did.Semper Fi

Having worn the brown round hat, I roared and howled in laughter at the memories this book brought back to me. Social media has brought the life of young people undergoing the transformation from couch potato to hard charging soldier to light, and I think that is a good thing. I remembered my frustrations at having to teach teenagers how to march and how to shoot. Those young soldiers taught me patience, whether I liked it or not.Understand that a Drill Sergeant (and, in the Marine Corps, the Drill Instructor) has one of the most important jobs anywhere in our society. They have to teach young men and young women how to survive in a firefight. With this always in the back of his mind, the Drill Sergeant never lets up on the pressure, never slacks off, and demands the utmost from his soldiers.This book is a great read for anyone that has been through basic training, and especially for those who are headed to basic.

I read this book a couple of years back and decided to reread it so that I could review it. I’m not sure how basic training is now, but I experienced Army basic training in the early 1970s. I would say that at least some of the drill sergeants I met said similar things and worse than I found in the book. As a 17-year-old volunteer, I was definitely afraid of some of the drill sergeants. I agree that the objective of the drill sergeants was to make us a team. My basic training company primarily was made up of individuals from New Jersey. Well, one weekend a couple of members of our company were beat up by another company. The majority of members of my company went to war with the other company. When whistles from MPs were heard soldiers got to the barracks quickly. The drill sergeants came in and chewed on the company for a while, but they made it clear that they were happy we stood up for each other and worked as a team.

Awesome Sh*t My Drill Sergeant Said by Dan Caddy is a nostalgia book for any who have lived through the rigors of basic training. And yes, there are some who have not made it through for all kinds of reasons, including death. This book will not dwell on those unfortunates. Reading these anecdotes will be amusing for most of us who did survive it. Caddy declares the contents of the novel are “The Wit and Wisdom of America’s Finest.” There are similarities to all forms of “basic training.” Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines share this fun-filled adventure. I would not be surprised to learn that Coast Guard basic training is similar. There is military jargon, but Caddy explains most of it. Those uninitiated to military slang might wonder what a “profile” is but the context will give a reader the general idea.OK, TRIGGER WARNING if we must. Note the asterisk in the title. Can you fill in the correct letter to make a naughty word? Of course you can, but you won’t have to fill in any words as you read the text after the cover. Pretty much every way you can express sexual acts using explicit language is exposed. Was there a double meaning there? I didn’t find any racial epithets, but there were a couple of offensive remarks about named individuals that were unsettling. These show up in the “Ten Things” lists. Read the book to find out what I mean. I feel those comparisons to named individuals could have been left out with no damage to what Caddy wanted to express.An excellent chapter is “A Drill Sergeant As Seen By An Army Mom . . .” I found the perspective one overlooked especially since the subject trainee was a daughter, not a son. This novel has 182 pages but is a very fast read due to its formatting. I will leave that to the reader to discover. It is unique.The best part of the book surprised me. Pages 168-169 have author acknowledgments. Read past that to page 170, “Resources” where the author mentions his Facebook page and goes on to tell of his work and a foundation that helps veterans reenter society. Caddy mentions that his program has responded to more than five thousand requests for assistance. For me, this made the book worth reading. True, I was also amused by the anecdotes throughout the novel. Caddy writes of Iraq and Afghanistan era veterans; I am a Vietnam era veteran. Not much has changed as far as Drill Sergeants. I rated this novel at four stars. The book gets five stars for humor, subtract one for the unfortunate comparisons to named individuals.In the words (sanitized) of my drill sergeant, “There has to be a morning after.”

I was expecting a lot of funny stories from Drill sgts...my own BCT was far more entertaining and funny than this book, which I read in 15 min. I could write it better just from my own. Save your money.

Nothing fresh in this book. Maybe they using the funds from sales for the organization (Battle in Distress, Inc.) that helps veterans. That will make it a good thing, because the book isn’t worth it.

I liked this book’s style, and the way it was organized. It was overall very humorous in tone, but it sprinkled in heart and sincerity to make it more than just a funny book to read. I enjoyed the different stories sprinkled between the hilarious quotes. Some of the stories were really outstanding, like the Private who pretended to only speak broken English until the Drill Sergeants caught him on graduation or the letter from the mom who watched her daughter grow through her letters.I would recommend this book to anyone who is planning to join the military, anyone who has been through the BCT (Basic Combat Training) and fondly remembers their Drill Sergeants, and to writers or enthusiasts who want a little insight into the process of BCT, the different “phases” involved, and different aspects of it, like the infamous Shark Attack where all the fresh recruits get their first taste of the explosive charm that is their Drill Sergeant.I had a great time with this book. Well done!

Really enjoyed this book. A bit short on content but some seriously funny bits. Some genius banter.

Although from a different Army the humour translates.

Funny and witty book, a gift suited for every occasion!

If you are x Mil this book is for youThe references are all US but I think the drill Staff in Aust read from the same manual.Can remember trying to stifle laughter on the parade ground to some of these.Fun stuff, like reading Chuck Norris jokes

A nice little book, well done for ervery soldier no matter if from the US Armed Forces or Germany or any other nation. A nice read, many laughs!