do the drill sergeants ever say anything funny?

Drill Instructors are some of the funniest people around. Expect to do some push ups for laughing.

Sure it is all part of the mind game they play. They know that saying certain things will get a reaction out of you. It is your job to resist the temptation to laugh, argue, or say something other than Yes Drill Sergeant and No Drill Sergeant. After the first couple of weeks of being smoked, most people learn how to control themselves.

Basic training is just as demanding for the DI's as it is for the troops. We are graded and evelauated based on the the other instructors. It can be quite a cut throat job, and often is. You need a thick skin and always be on your toes. You've heard every excuse in the book after you first month. And you must maintain an impecable appearance day in and day out. In at 0300 out at 2200 for three months straight. Its a tuff job and you make many enemies that remember you and you can't remember them. It is a very serious job. Not really much to laugh about. But we all enjoy a good laugh as often as possible.

The Drill Sergeants will make you laugh a lot. They're not Drill Sergeants 24/7, unless you get asshole ones. Sometimes they'll come in the bay, sit their hat on the fire guard desk, and tell jokes and share stories.

Hell yes they do. Depending on when they say it though is the key to knowing if you can laugh. If you are in a formation and not "at ease" or "rest" then you better not laugh. If you are in formation and "at ease" or "rest" and they say something funny then it should be ok to laugh. It's also generally ok to laugh if you are just talking to them, yes, they are people too. Through 8 weeks of basic and about 5 months of AIT I never saw anyone get punished for laughing when it was the appropriate time, see above. The key is if it looks like a trick, smells like a trick and walks like a trick, then it's a trick. Just use common sense and if all else fails and you laugh, they are only push-ups and or sit-ups. Hell, I used to get mad at the people in my unit for being lazy and would smoke them during our regular PT sessions worse than any Drill Sergeant ever gave it to me. I hated lazy soldiers and they paid for it, maybe that's why they stopped letting me be in charge of PT. HAHA

Heck yes!! They are always cracking jokes or poking fun at something or someone. Sometimes it is actually to get a laugh out of you. However, it can also be a test of your military bearing and attention to detail. I use to bite the heck out of the inside of my cheeks to keep from laughing, during an inspection or when the DI has us at attention, when they would say something funny or fart etc.

Sometimes they just like to relax things a bit and they enjoy a good laugh as much as anyone else does.

Every damn day. My Drills were incredibly funny and a few times I did laugh, of course pushups and mountain climbers followed, but totally worth it. Sometimes the punishment is worth it, I miss basic training somedays.

sure, the best DIs are the funniest people I've ever met. They know they are playing a role, the best ones go way over the top (I had a bloody lip in basic from biting it so hard to keep from laughing)

All the time. Well, in my experience, usually a recruit does something really stupid, and the DS will react in a manor that can be pretty hilarious.

But yeah, don't laugh. Hold it in and laugh about it later.

Oh yeah. It's been over thirty years and my arms still hurt from the push ups because some idiot laughed.