Drill sergeants set tone for Cadets

By Mark Payne
Staff writer

They’re loud, bossy and sometimes feel like a Cadet’s worst enemy. They’re drill sergeants.

Sgt. 1st Class Daisy Severino, a drill sergeant, keeps Charlie Co. busy by having them sound off with the Army values while they wait to be issued Kevlar helmets and other gear outside the Central Issuing Facility. Photo by Mackenzie Reiss

Although drills are portrayed as harsh by Hollywood, their true role is one of great significance.

“They’re the first person that you meet in the Army,” said Sgt. Maj. Timothy McGregor, operations NCO for Co. A 1/46th Inf. “They set the tone right off the bat, as far as discipline, morale and how the Army works.”

Cadets are guided through the Soldier First phase of the Leader’s Training Course by drills, although squad tactical officers also play a role earlier in the course. But drills set standards and indoctrinate Cadets to the Army way of life.  

For some Cadets, interaction with drill sergeants is something they never go through, because the college course does not demand the presence of drill sergeants. Cadets who go through LTC do get the experience, which offers them a chance to interact with drills.

The goal of drill sergeants at LTC is to give Cadets a taste of what drills and Army life is like.

“We bring the drill sergeants in to show them what a regular private would see,” McGregor said.

Co. A. 1/46th (Co. 7) Cadet Michael Good said the exposure provides a valuable experience.

“It’s more experience, and that’s what you’ve got to learn through,” the Johns Hopkins University Cadet said.

McGregor said it’s not necessarily a bad thing that some Cadets never experience drill sergeants, but he feels it would be better if they did because it gives them a chance to learn the role of drills.

“I think everyone should get to experience that,” McGregor said.

Co. A. 1/46th Inf. (Co. 7) Cadet Derrick Gessler enjoys the discipline drill sergeants teach.

 “You’ve never had someone push this hard before, but you know they’re doing it because they care,” the University of Central Florida Cadet said.

Drills have a lot to offer, Good said.

“They have a very wide knowledgeable base and they’ve been doing this for eight or nine years,” he said. “They obviously know what they are talking about.”