Awesome Sh*t My Drill Sergeant Said: Wit and Wisdom from America's Finest

by Dan Caddy

The official tie-in book to the wildly popular Facebook page, featuring brand-new crazy, off-the-wall, outrageously funny, and downright “awesome” pearls of wisdom from real-life drill sergeants and instructors from all branches of the military.

Sweat dries. Blood clots. Bones heal. Suck it up, buttercup.

After his deployment in Afghanistan, Dan Caddy began swapping great drill sergeant stories by e-mail with other combat veterans—an exchange with friends that would grow into the dedicated Facebook page, “Awesome Sh*t My Drill Sergeant Said.” But what began as a comedic outlet has evolved into a robust online community and support network that conducts fundraisers for and donates to military charities, has helped veterans struggling with PTSD and other issues, and on numerous occasions, literally saved lives.

Now, Caddy shares more great DS stories—most never before seen—in this humorous collection. Often profane, sometimes profound, yet always entertaining, these rants from real life soldiers are interspersed with lively sidebars, Top 10 lists, stories from fans, one-liners, and more.

For anyone who has suffered a hard-ass manager (in uniform or not), Awesome Sh*t My Drill Sergeant Said will add a much needed dose of humor to the day.

Genres: Humor, Nonfiction, Military Fiction, Comedy, Biography, Ebooks, War

192 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 10, 2015

Reviews

[Angela Verdenius · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was quite funny. A light, entertaining read with a deeper underlying meaning.

[D · Rating 5 out of 5]

There really isn’t much to this book except drill sergeant stories, which are hilarious. But there isn’t much to critique. I’ve never been in the military, but I’ve had people around me grace me with a number of hilarious-in-hindsight stories about basic training (among other things) that certainly fall in line with what’s in this book. It’s a super fast read; I read it in about an hour on a train from Philadelphia to New York. And I was laughing my ass off doing it. Don’t know if people were giving me weird looks or not and I don’t really care. A lot of this is absolutely hilarious and I couldn’t hold it in.

This is a good stocking stuffer little book that, unless you’re a corpse or just entirely without a sense of humor you’re going to find AWESOME SH*T MY DRILL SERGEANT SAID funny.

4.5

[Shawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book gave me laughs and smiling for days! As a veteran who remembers his days in Basic fondly (looking back is always fondly, not so much while in the middle of it.), this book was a breath of fresh air and a much needed laugh. Dan Caddy - and the rest of the ASMDSS staff (I follow their Facebook page) have such an immense sense of humor and sense of duty all wrapped into one. I'm glad not only that I follow their Facebook portal but that I spent the $10.99 to get the book. All vets need a copy of this book, and it should be mandatory upon exiting the service.

[Jim Razinha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Warning: Do NOT try to read this just before going to sleep! Literal laugh out loud. So much that my cat gave me looks and then tried to nip me to get me to stop. Anyone who has been enlisted in the military can relate, although while colorful, the Navy Company Commanders weren't as colorful as the Drill Sargeant in this collection of priceless gems...

[Ashley Stock · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hilarious... Read most of it out loud to my husband who went to an ROTC high school. He loved it. Wish it was longer, but they have a Facebook page with more contributions

[Kevin Hogan · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was a book. I read it. I think I smiled twice. Fast read.

[Robert · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nothing extraordinary or mind blowing, and a few stories that strain credulity. Watch Full Metal Jacket instead, or even better, watch Jack Webb in The D.I.

[Truejollygirl · Rating 4 out of 5]

After my husband completed Basic, I picked up this book in the airport for the flight home. It's a short read and gave post-basic insight into some of the ridiculous things the Drill Sergeants say and even more outrageous things soldier-in-training (SITs) did during their 10-week stint. It's one of the ways I got a glimpse into the pressure-cooker that creates our U.S. soldiers.

Admittedly, I guffawed, teared up, and shook my head in disgust (a few times). I enjoyed this and look forward to expanding my awareness of soldier and family-issues as our journey begins.

[John Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Out-f*cking-standing read. I couldn't put it down and it had me in stitches from laughing so hard.

[Megalion · Rating 5 out of 5]

About as hysterical as you can imagine. DS can be extremely creative.

[Rick Cheeseman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Damn funny; quick read. Highly recommended, just for the fun of it!

[Laela · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe you need to have had a
drill Sergeant for this book to be fun?

[Tam French · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very funny

This was a hilarious book! Thoroughly enjoyed reading it. My son is in the Army and could relate to some of the quotes!

[Kari Napier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny little book. Brought me back to the stories my Dad would tell.

[Yongyoon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Long live the Drill Sergeant. 9.0/10

[MagicDave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome is the word

I am a Army veteran and I have experienced some of the stories that the author has related in this book.
And having been a Private, all I can say is "Thank God for Drill Sergeants"!

[Michael L Wilkerson (Papa Gray Wolf) · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you've been in the military then you can probably relate to much of what's in this book. If you've never been in the military nor been a dependent or close relative of someone who is or was you may still find this book interesting and quite funny. As a U.S. Army vet I easily related.

One of the aides here at The Ardmore Veteran's Center thumbed through the book after I finished it and was astonished that a drill sergeant would use such language. Trust me, they do.

Humorous, enlightening, nostalgic; it's all that and more.

If rude and crude language offends you, stay away. If you enjoy finding things in the real world that are funny as shit, read this book.

[David Devine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A hilarious look at life in Army Basic Training and all the outlandish this Drill Sergeants say/yell at their trainee charges.

[Miramira Endevall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short, but fun!

[Charlie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Having been through basic training myself, I'd have to say there are a few chuckles her, but very few. I don't believe I've ever seen F**K printed so many times in so few lines of copy. Disappointing. It's true I learned a helluva lot in basic that I still use to this day (Ha! 40 years ago!), but this book truly doesn't reflect that. It kinda reminds me of the fart books for kids. Little boys like to say fart a lot, and when they get to be big, they like to say f**k a lot.

[Kamas Kirian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very funny, but way too short. There are some truly great anecdotes here, but just not enough of them. There are just too many pages of short, one or two line quotes, and not enough actual stories. Funny as hell though. If you are looking for something to amuse yourself for an hour or two some day, grab this up. But I wouldn't pay more than a buck or two for it, there just isn't enough meat there.

The eBook was formatted fine with no obvious spelling or grammatical errors.

[Lainey Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

F*cking Awesome!!! Rang so true of the boot camp experience, and I experience flashbacks to shit MY drill sergeant said. Very few books make me literally laugh out loud. I read this in one sitting and my stomach muscles ached from laughing afterwards. Regardless of which branch of the military you served, you will enjoy this book (and the FB page it was taken from), and I can think of 3 quotes that i KNOW are going to make you chuckle out loud, if nothing else.

[Timothy · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you haven’t served, you may find the language abusive, crude, profane, a little vulgar. If you have served this will bring memories, perhaps nightmares. Basic Training isn’t summer camp and the job isn’t to mollycoddle recruits. It’s to unf**k the civilian and turn you into a Solder, Sailor, Marine, or Airman. And a drill sergeant or CC has weeks to do it. Their language in the process is colorful.

[jaime preciado · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious and Inspirational

This book made me laugh out loud but also made me realize the importance of drill sergeant in the life of a brand new recruit. From the first day of basic training to their graduation day. A great read and amusing insightful look at the life of recruits and the their drill sergeants. Thumbs up!!!!

[Ted · Rating 4 out of 5]

46 years after Boot Camp and I still remember my DI. He "quit" around week 9 or so because we were all a bunch of "f--- ups". We were all shook up because we thought next DI would be far worse and were so happy our DI showed up the next morning that we went on to be best company in regiment. In hindsight he probably did that with every recruit company he commanded.

[Patti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Crude rude, and hilarious

Being an army wife I found this book hilarious. Drill sergeants shape young soldiers in a way that no one else can. They are not often given the praise they deserve.

[William Corder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. Awesome read.

Even as someone who hasn't served it put stories i heard from my family who did in context. So glad i gave this a try its been one of my favorite books this year

[Paul Townley · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the funniest books I've read in years.

If you liked R. Lee Ermey in "Full Metal Jacket", this book is for you. A couple of times this book had me in tears a nd helplessly laughing.

[arnoldj · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick and to the point

It is the military, so if salty language is an issue for you steer clear. Past that admonition, this is a decently organized humorous collection of screaming drill Sergeant insults and motivational phraseologies. A fun read.

[Brian Southards · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hilarious!