Can a Marine answer this?

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schadenfreude

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When Marines are drilling like in movies and such, what the heck is the DI saying?


I hear "right shoulder huh" and then the rest of the movements are complete gibberish.

giggity giggity goobity help collick help collick someting something huh.

I just was curious what all he was saying during the movements.


Thanks
 
I never understood iether. We had a mess of Marines stioned with us in Virginia. We asked em how they knew what to do cuz none of us understodd thier drill commands. They said that after time you can understand it.
 
It takes a long time to get used to the sing-song type of cadence.

In the beginning of boot camp, you basically march as a mob and the DI eventually starts getting you accustomed to cadence with the usual "Left, right, left, right" type of thing. After getting this down, it's on to the sing-song cadence which is pretty much unrecognizable to the untrained ear.

The best way to follow it is that if something SOUNDS like it starts with an L, it is probably when your left food should be hitting the deck. My Senior Drill Instructor did a great rendition of the Marine Hymn as cadence. If you're really interested you can buy tapes of Marine DIs singing cadence.
 
A Marine could most certainly answer it, but it would be very helpful to actually have the Marine watching the tape with you.

Some of what you are hearing is

Present arms! Order arms! Port arms! By the left flank...march! Right oblique...march! Company...dress right..dress! Your left....yo left..right..left...yo left! Etc.

Unless you already know what these particular drill movements look like when executed, chances are you won't be able to understand D.I. speak without an interpreter.

I'm former Navy, but I speak enough Marine to get by. ;)


Try this site. Don't skip the intro, it's a hoot!

http://www.rleeermey.com
 
Most give cadences in a very understandable voice. Some don't, but we can read their minds so it doesn't matter. It's a Marine thing. We don't care if you don't understand. You don't need to. Move. Get back. Freeze. Get your nasty eyeballs off me.
 
R Lee Ermeys site is hilarious. :D



Just always been curious what they were saying and now I have some answers.

Thanks
 
We Marines know exactly what is being said. In boot camp the instructions are given clear and slower, so us dumb recruits can understand them.

I remember watching the Marine movies before I went, think ing the same thing...what the hell is that guy saying?????

You learn, fast!

Semper Fi!
 
I GET it!

It's like toddlerSpeak(tm)!

Anna bla bla blah cookie, blah blah fell down went boom, blah bla bla doggy blah blah wah! blah blah more.

Translation:

I was eating my cookie, chasing my sister when I fell down and dropped it. The dog snarfed it up, and now I need another one.
 
Usually, you hear something like this.......

Ri........., ace... (right, face)

Orwa...........rch (forward, march)

Colu........ri.....rch (column, right, march)
 
I never had any problem understanding DI speak.
The language was, uh, er..., well, it was efficiently taught. Let's just leave it at that.
I can still understand it, by the way, twenty some years later.

Semper Fi.
 
I hear "right shoulder huh" and then the rest of the movements are complete gibberish.
Click to expand...

Mal H is correct it is "arms"...........and the entire sequence of movements is called the "manual of arms"........at least that's what it was called when I was in the service.
 
Every DI has his (or her) own flair. Some better than others, each effective though. I had a DI in boot camp that looked just like R. Lee Ermey. SSgt. Ketchum. And Ketch 'um he did. Nothing got by that guy. When on duty he'd go out and run at night while we were sleeping/standing fire watch. 10 miles or so. Just for fun. "Be back in about an hour private. Don't let the place burn down." Sure enough, about an hour later he was back. Now, did he really run 10 miles or just one??? Guess I'll never know but just based on the ******* factor this guy had, my bet is he did those 10 miles all with a big smile on his mug.

If I ever had to go into battle, I'd want to be surrounded by DIs.

GT
 
I'd tell you but then I'd have to kill you!:neener: :neener:

Each DI has their own style as said above. You get used to it. It's not as difficult as it sounds.

And for those recruits who DON'T "Get it", they are taken care of as well in many thoughtfull and subtle ways................and they DO learn it!

Amazing, isn't it?

All the best,

Art
 
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I like the jarhead style cadence. My old man was an assistant DI for a while, so I heard that stuff since I was a toddler.

For something really incomprehensible, listen to a Company Commander from the Philipines chew his company out. Even that you can get the hang of eventually, you pahking guys :)
 
You think you get confused listening to them doing the rifle manual of arms, listen to a DI marching his platoon and doing singsong sometime.

Sounds kind of like this:

"Loh ha da loh, ha da le (short E, there) ri (long I sound) lo ri le ri"

Marines hear:

Lord I dont know, how to left-right left right left right


If its not screwed up, it sounds REALLY good.
 
Commands are in two parts.

First the preperatory command such as "Right"

Next the command of execution such as "Face"

Comes out: Right - Face, Forward - March, Column Left - March, To the rear - march.

There is a simple method to the seeming madness.
 
Then there was the Roman Army DI, "Sinister --- sinister --- sinister dexter sinister".

That was from an old British comedy, "Carry on Cleo". It was one of the numerous "Carry On" movies and it was hilarious in a British sort of way.
 
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