Drill Sergeant, Why Dont You Leave Me Alone?

A lot of things have changed since I first went through basic training as a private three years ago. So my advice is based off my own experiences. Let me start off by saying that the Army Drill Sergeant has one of the best jobs in the army. They should not be feared, but RESPECTED. They are your mentor, advisor, teacher, and disciplinarian all in one.

The Drill Sergeants job is to train you to be a soldier, to do things the right way – the army way. You will remember your drill sergeant for the rest of your military career and beyond. You will share stories with fellow soldiers from time to time about your drill sergeant. You will look back upon basic training as one of the best times you had.
You may be nervous right now, or be thinking “what have I got myself into?” That is natural. We all have a built in fear of the unknown. Trust me on this; basic training is not all that hard. When I went through, I told myself it was a game, a game I was going to play and win. In the end you are the ultimate winner, a warrior in the greatest army of the world. You have completed something that not everyone will step up to the challenge for. Your reward: You are a Soldier Now!
Drill sergeants can not physically touch or harm you. They can however make you wish he or she never knew what a push-up was. Yes, there has been drill sergeants who have went out of line before. But that is the rare instance. Don’t let the media, or movies scare you into thinking otherwise or that it is a common thing. Drill sergeants do talk loud; contrary to popular belief they do not yell and scream at you. They project their voice so that everyone can hear. They are the ultimate public speaker who needs no microphone.
Now can you image a dill sergeant trying to give directions to his platoon talking in a soft voice? It would not work. Half of them would be hearing one thing; the other half hearing another and nobody would know what is going on. (note: a platoon is a unit of thirty to forty soldiers typically commanded by a lieutenant assisted by a non-commissioned officer)
But if you heard in a voice that all within ear shot could hear “Attention!” you would know exactly what was being commanded and exactly what you needed to do as would everyone else.
You will go through different phases while in basic training. When you first arrive and finish with in-processing (more paperwork) and actually get assigned to your company, platoon and drill sergeant you may find yourself a little nervous as well as have the feeling of not knowing what you are doing. You are not alone. This is where your drill sergeant will be looking over his troops. Figuring out who is a leader, who will require more assistance, etc. Your drill sergeant actually does want you to succeed and graduate from basic training. This is also where the game will start.
Now when I went through basic, before I left a lot of people told me “Don’t volunteer for anything”. Their reasoning was that if you volunteered you would be stuck doing jobs nobody else was doing; as an example, mopping the floor. I can tell you right now, you will have your chance at mopping the floor and other cleaning details that you don’t want to do even if you attempt to not volunteer. So don’t get it in your head now that you will slide through basic training without doing such things by not volunteering. Everyone will be assigned various jobs when not training, and you may have them more than once. Make the most of this opportunity and get as much out of it as you can. Your drill sergeant is a highly knowledgeable NCO. He is one of the best of the Army.
Take the information he has to offer and learn. Knowledge is power, and someday that knowledge will help you in situations you may find yourself in from your military career to your personal life.
So don’t listen to the “don’t volunteer” statements. Step up to the challenge and do the best job that you can no matter what you are doing. Your drill sergeant will notice these things. You may get the opportunity to be a squad leader or platoon leader. Accept those challenges. They are a rewarding position. Will you make mistakes? You may, but it’s OK, you are learning and basic training is all about learning. This is the time to learn. Don’t be afraid to make a mistake, and don’t be afraid to ask for advice. Your personal goal should be to go through basic training with the thoughts that you are going to be the best troop that your drill sergeant has seen. Each graduating class has a “Soldier of the Cycle” which is a good honor to have and can possibly help with a promotion in basic training.
I would recommend picking up a book on military cadence. A cadence is sort of like a song that is sung, chanted to keep you in step while marching, running, etc. If you learn one or two before going, you may get the opportunity to march your squad or platoon. Knowing a cadence ahead of time will help. You will sing many cadences in basic training, so even if you don’t do this now, you will learn some of them.
Here is one of my favorites:
Listen to a story that’s seldom told.
About 12 soldiers, brave and bold.
About 12 soldiers wearing green berets
Trapped in the valley by the enemy.
Late at night while they sleep
Awaken by the sound of an M-16
Flare goes up, an one cries out… Victory, Victory that’s our battle cry.
V-I-C-T-O-R-Y (spelled out)
Victory, Victory that’s our battle cry.
S-O-L-D-I-E-R (spelled out)
Soldiers, soldiers, that’s who were are
C-O-U-N-T-R-Y (spelled out)
Duty, Honor, Country, for that I’d die
So by now you might be thinking, Sergeant Augustson, did you do anything dumb when you were in basic? Yes, I made mistakes, and I felt dumb. But I learned from them.
One day when we were in line to go into the chow hall for dinner. I was at the head of the line. We lined up on the left and right hand side of the door. The drill sergeant would stand in the middle. When it was time for us to go in, he would yell out for example “File from the left, column left!” and if you were the squad leader in the left line, you would notify the rest of the line by repeating that, and then “march” to move in. If you were in the other line, you would yell out to your line “Stand Fast!” which meant for them to hold their position. Once the last person in the left line moved close to your position, you would call out to notify your line to begin their march. From the right side, it was impossible to go straight in, we needed to move left first so in my head I am thinking “File from the right, column half left, march!”
The drill sergeant called for the left line. However, both I and the left line leader (who was correct to move) called out at the same time and we commanded both of our lines to move in. It was what is known in the army as a “Cluster Muck”.
My drill sergeant and I became up close and personal that day. He spoke to me from a distance that I was not use to, he was so close to my face I could tell he had recently drank a cup of coffee. He asked “Private, do you know your left from your right? “ “Drill Sergeant, Yes, Drill Sergeant!” I quickly said. “If you know your left from your right, why are you in the right side line trying to come into my chow hall when I want the soldiers from the left?” he replied.
“Drill Sergeant, No Excuse, Drill Sergeant” I answered back with. I soon realized that statement worked for a lot of things. It is proper when speaking with your drill sergeant to address him or her as so before your answer and end your answer with drill sergeant as well. Later on in basic they didn’t mind if we dropped the Drill Sergeant at the end of our question or answer. But we definitely started every conversation with them using it.
How can you survive basic training? A few ideas I have for you are simple. First, respect your drill sergeant. Second, keep your items neat, clean and orderly. Your drill sergeant will provide you with a SOP (standard operating procedure) on how your wall locker and living space will be kept. Don’t be afraid to accept new challenges and opportunities that arise. Help your fellow soldiers. Retain what you learn. Don’t get bent out of shape or hung up on something one of the Drill Sergeants may have said to you. Don’t take it personally.
Just remember that basic training is like a game, once you figure out the rules and how the game is played, it makes it a lot easier to win.
– SGT Shawn Augustson