MCB HAWAII, KANEOHE BAY, Hawaii -- A white bus heads toward the gate of the base early in the morning. The sun has not yet peeked over the horizon. Inside are a group of young men and women told to keep silent - heads facing forward.
As the bus slows to a halt, the confused and somewhat terrified people watch as the figure that picked them up debarks the bus. With the door to the vehicle open, nothing can be heard, not even the song of birds.
Then, a whirlwind of confusion strikes these civilians, turning the quiet atmosphere into a storm of yelling and running.
"Get off my bus and on my footprints," yells a drill instructor nearly every week at Marine Corps Recruit Depots San Diego and Parris Island.
The new recruits quickly match their feet up to yellow footprints where millions of other recruits once stood before them to begin the transformation from civilian to Marine.
For the first time, they all meet a Marine who will not only train them, but also imbed the Corps' ideals into their minds forever.
The Marine Corps drill instructor: A near brick wall standing straight up - no imperfections. The hair - neatly groomed or always freshly cut to a high-and-tight. The face - taut, rigid or cleanly shaven with piercing eyes. The uniform - meticulous. The presence - intense.
But probably the most memorable feature about the DI is the voice. A loud raspy sound that at first seems like another language. After three months, recruits learn to understand it.
Now the future of the Marine Corps rests in the hands of sergeants and above to mold these clueless individuals into Marines.
"I will develop them into smartly disciplined, physically fit, basically trained Marines, thoroughly indoctrinated in love of the Corps and country," reads an excerpt from the DI Creed.
Drill instructors did not always train Marines. Prior to 1911, new Marines received basic training from the senior Marines in their unit.
However, since there were no set training standards, one Marine may have never been given the same knowledge as another Marine from a different unit.
So to remedy this problem, Maj. Gen. William Biddle, the 11th commandant of the Marine Corps, centralized recruit training into four depots. These four were condensed with the opening of MCRD Parris Island, in 1915, and MCRD San Diego, in 1923.
Now, DIs train the Corps' future with the same standards on both depots, but it would still be a few years until training was completely regimented into a set schedule.
When America became involved in World War II, recruit training was only a few weeks long in order to get more Marines out fighting. By 1947, training was back up to 10 weeks in length, but it would again be cut short when the Korean War started.
This brought about a change in the type of Marines that served as DIs. Many Marines remember a sergeant or staff noncommissioned officer turning red in the face as either yelled and stomped around. During the Korean War, a select group of privates first class and above trained future Marines.
In 1954, the Marine Corps DI billets were once again held by noncommissioned officers and staff NCOs.
Currently, any Marine wanting to become a DI must be at least a sergeant and show high levels of maturity, leadership, judgement and professionalism.
"Some of the benefits of being a drill instructor are that you're working with some of the best Marines in the Corps and probably some of the finest individuals America has to offer," said Staff Sgt. Mark Byrd, series gunnery sergeant for Hotel Co., 2nd Recruit Training Bn., MCRD San Diego.
Marines can usually describe their DI as looking perfect; both in their uniform and grooming, but a trademark that defines DIs is their cover. "The Hat" or "Smokey" campaign cover that shadows a DIs face was never worn by DIs prior to 1956.
In the past, DIs wore the green garrison cover, but in 1956, the recognizable "Smokey" cover was issued to all male DIs.
For 40 years, only males were authorized to wear the cover; all female DIs had to wear a scarlet shoulder cord.
Former Commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. Charles Krulak, authorized the wear of "the Hat" to all DIs, male and female, in 1996.
"It was a much needed step and we were behind the times," said 1st Sgt. Kimberly Bush, first sergeant for Headquarters and Service Co., Headquarters Bn. She was a DI from 1995 to 1998, during the time when females wore the shoulder cord and when the transition was made allowing all Marine DIs to wear the same uniform.
Now, the intimidation of the hard shadow cast by the brim of the low riding Smokey can push civilians to their limits and help them earn the right to wear the eagle, globe and anchor.
Even though all DIs have gone through "boot camp" upon enlistment, they go through another 12 weeks of rigorous mental and physical conditioning to learn how to mold kids off the streets into "one of the few and proud."
Much of DI school consists of ameliorating the basic knowledge each Marine has of the Corps' history, regulations and values. This advanced knowledge will allow each to answer questions from recruits and train them as Marines.
The experience of transforming close to 100 recruits into Marines can be rewarding, but the job of a DI can take a toll on that Marine's family.
"You can spend seven days a week and as much as 130 hours of that week with recruits. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that once you add in some sleep time, your family doesn't add into the equation," said Gunnery Sgt. Robert Bell, the 2nd Recruit Training Bn. operations chief for MCRD Parris Island and a former DI, senior DI and series gunnery sergeant.
Although the time apart from his family may be hard, knowing that he is responsible for making young, confused recruits into the next leaders of the Corps is the reason that Bell chose to be a DI.
Nearly every week, a new group of Marines graduate. The mission of a company's DIs is complete. These new Marines can bring the standards that were taught to them to every station they go to and every job they perform.
"The drill instructor is absolutely vital to the process of making Marines," according to Marine Corps Order P1326.6D. "The drill instructor is the first Marine a recruit meets when reporting for active duty and the last Marine the recruit should ever forget," it continues.
For the recruits, basic training is now over.
Now Marines can go to their MOS schools to learn about their jobs.
The DIs will have another group of recruits to train. Another batch of wide-eyed, bewildered individuals to turn into part of the Marine Corps team awaits them.
At the graduation, only one command remains until the drill instructor's next cycle.
"Platoon, dismissed," says the senior drill instructor of each platoon, sending his newly sculpted Marines out into the Corps.