Unofficial punishments given to recruits by drill instructors for minor infractions of the rules. While at the time some of them may sound cruel they are, in fact, essentially harmless and are good tools for teaching a lesson.

Some of them are:

• Duck Walk
  Walking with the knees bent 180 degrees
• Extended Port
  The recruit is ordered to port arms and then directed to extend the arms until the elbows are not bent. In this position the weapon becomes heavy and the arms ache. (Ca. 1962)
• Funeral Services
  A recruit at attention does not move for anything unless an order is given. Some times a bug or, at Parris Island, a sand flea may cause a recruit to flinch or smack at the pest. On seeing this a drill instructor would order that the pest be given an honorable funeral. Sometimes they were then later ordered to dig it up and reenter it somewhere else. (Ca. 1955, from the movie “The DI” starring Jack Webb)
• Group Tighteners
  The entire purpose of the first portion of weapons training is to fire and make tight groups on the target. From there it is simple to adjust the sights and account for wind to bring the group onto the bull’s eye. After the first day of live firing a drill instructor might ask if anyone would like to be issued “group tighteners”. On lining up the hapless recruits received some form of painful reminder to tighten their groups. (Ca. 1962);
• Watching TV
  A series of uncomfortable positions that the recruit is put into. (Ca. 1962)
• Channel 1
  The recruit lies on the tile or wood deck on his or her stomach and elevates on the toes and the elbows.
• Channel 4.
  The recruit backs to the edge of his or her rack, grabbing the outside bars with both hands while moving the feet far enough forward to keep the rear end off the bed and suspended in air.