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....."