A Marine Drill Sergeant, known for his
insensitivity and tough demeanor, during roll call one day ended
his talk with, "Oh, by the way, Kowalski, your mother died
last night."
A couple of weeks later, he told another troop in the same
manner.
"Don't bother calling home this week Johnson, your house
burned down last night and killed your entire family."
Word of these incidents leaked to the Commanding Officer, who
called in Sergeant Pyrczkovich and counseled him, instructing him
to be a bit more sensitive to the men. So, after receiving news
of the death of Private Lazinsky's grandmother, he decided to try
another ploy. "Okay, men. Everyone whose grandmother is
still alive, take one step forward. Not so fast,
Lazinsky..."