Training the trainers: How drill sergeants hone their craft

Drill sergeants are the gatekeepers into the military. For any aspiring soldier, Marine, sailor or airman, drill sergeants embody the transition from the slow-paced civilian life to the rigors and discipline of the military. Throughout their first months in the military, recruits are shepherded by the drill sergeants who have a great responsibility on their shoulders: to turn raw civilians into war-fighters. It’s essential, thus, that drill sergeants know their craft.

Recently, more than 100 drill sergeants and support personnel from the Army Reserves participated in a battalion-level exercise in an attempt to hone their war-fighting and teaching skills. More specifically, two units participated in the training event: the 2nd Battalion, 389th Regiment (Basic Combat Training) and the 3rd Brigade, 98th Training Division (Initial Entry Training). The exercise took place at the New York State Preparedness Training Center in Oriskany, New York.