A USMC Drill Instructor performs as he/she does in order to accomplish a specific training mission - preparing young men and women for service in harms way, potentially under enemy fire. The attitude and the stress levels generated in the recruits by that attitude are carefully calculated and taught during Drill Instructor school. It is designed to keep recruits under a specific level of stress/tension at specific times, while at the those times training them to perform specific tasks related to the mission of the Marine Corps.

Most of the men and women that serve as Drill Instructors are actually very decent people, without the power trip evident in the conversation you overheard concerning the recent LEO graduate. Take the Smokey Bear (nickname for the Drill Instructor's distinctive cover, or headgear) off, and they are, for the most part, very hard working, dedicated military personnel that believe in their mission - to prepare Marines for battle and give them the skills to provide them with the best percentage chance of surviving the battles they may face.