His drill sergeant hat may have been traded in for a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers hard hat, but retired Army drill sergeant Benny Apuya still demands high standards be met by everyone he oversees.

In 1964, the hat was reintroduced to become a proud symbol of the drill sergeant. The female drill sergeant hat came into being in 1972. It was designed by Brig. Gen. Mildred C. Bailey.

Of four drill instructors assigned to the 40-man platoon, Glass was the least experienced and the so-called “kill hat,” Marine slang for the one assigned to mete out punishment.

SAN DIEGO -- A former Marine drill instructor was sentenced by a military jury Thursday to six months in the brig and a bad-conduct discharge for abusing Marine recruits.

Drill Instructors are the constant driving force in recruits' lives for all 12 grueling weeks of basic training. Recruits are told when and where to stand, sit, eat, drink, talk, walk, and run.

Newly promoted Marine Corps Master Gunnery Sgt. Thomas Draffen stood at attention in front of the Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron 1 building here April 1.

On Wednesday, Dec. 16, three women made Marine Corps history by becoming the first females to graduate from a gender-integrated drill instructor course at the 100-year-old Marine Corps Recruit Depo… ...

Marines going through Drill Instructor school open up about why they chose the path, and what the program is like. Sightline (Video) How to become a Marine Drill Instructor.