But Pyle would man up and not make a big deal out of every little thing and surely would never write a complaint article in the local newspaper. There's a lesson somewhere in that.

Drill Sgt's aren't supposed to be nice n fluffy. They are supposed to get you ready for combat.

TexasPete:

Drill Sgt's aren't supposed to be nice n fluffy. They are supposed to get you ready for combat.

Of course. My point was that Gomer Pyle never completed a task (digging a ditch, marching 15 miles, pulling KP all day, etc.) then sat down and thought to himself "Gee, that wasn't necessary. The military lied to me." Much less would Gomer write an article about what how he felt like a chump after the fact.

I think the lesson is that our military is not full of Gomer Pyle's anymore. Considering the sort of judgments required by military personnel today, that's a really, really good thing. However, being higher functioning than a goober from the sticks does lead to more thoughtful consideration of the necessity of some training.

Just as businesses have to learn to work with digital natives, the military probably needs to find new ways of training. The nature of everything changes. Those that don't change with it will find themselves fighting a jungle war in the desert.

Was Pyle a Strategic Corporal?