Those words are carved into the minds of moviegoers and military personnel around the globe and with good reason. Drill sergeants are the ones who transform soft civilians into the proverbial mean, clean, fighting machines of the United States military. These individuals are respected everywhere for their ability to bring out the best in others.
Qualifications For Drill Sergeant School
You must be a graduate of the Basic NCO course and meet height and weight considerations. You must have 4 continuous years of service and pass the specific military branch Physical Fitness Test (PFT). You need a minimum score of 100 on the GT segment of the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) and qualified with an M-16A2 within 6 months. You must also be a staff sergeant or sergeant first class.
If you meet these qualifications, you can apply for admittance into one of the most prestigious military schools in the world where you will learn how to train and mold tomorrow’s soldiers and leaders. Being a drill sergeant is a major responsibility and must be approached with all seriousness. Extensive background checks are conducted before you can be accepted into Drill Sergeant School. With most of today’s warriors opting for front line service, the demand for drill sergeants has never been higher.
Relearning The Basics
At Drill Sergeant School, you will review all of the basic skills and abilities you were introduced to by your Drill Sergeant when you first enlisted. This time, however, you will learn these skills as teachers, mentors, and leaders. Your days will be full of physical fitness and academic training geared toward forming you into someone who can pass the necessary skills on to new warriors. You will review skills in marksmanship, hand-to-hand combat, and drill and ceremony protocol in addition to the responsibilities specific to Drill Sergeants.
You will learn how to manage a team of recruits and mold them into an effective fighting unit. You will gain skills in stress management and personal relationship counseling to help you to become a better mentor and teacher.
Performance, Prestige, And Professionalism
As a Drill Sergeant for the United States military, you will garner the respect and admiration of thousands. Your skills will help to protect the lives of soldiers and civilians in today’s world. When you are ready to retire from the military, your skills will be a great asset to middle and high school students across the country, many of whom lack a strong adult leader in their lives.
As a member of the military, you will enjoy a wide range of benefits unavailable in the civilian world: free housing, food and clothing allowances, full medical and dental coverage, free and discounted entertainment and travel, and much more. As a Drill Sergeant, your days and nights will be long, your family will be safe and secure and well-provided for, and you will rest easy knowing you have made a significant difference to better our world today. You can find out more about what the U.S. military has to offer by clicking HERE.
Photo courtesy of US Army Korea – IMCOM
Some of the Information you have listed for U.S. Army Drill Sergeant School is incorrect and misleading.
Examples
1.) You must be a graduate of the Basic NCO course (This was changed to WLC Graduate years ago)
2.) You must also be a staff sergeant or sergeant first class (Incorrect SGT / E5’s were authorized to be DS’s until 1997 and then suspended until 2005 and are again authorized to attend DSS and be DS’s)
3.) Qualified with an M-16A2 within 6 months (Being Changed and will no longer be required)
4.) At Drill Sergeant School, you will review all of the basic skills and abilities you were introduced to by your Drill Sergeant when you first enlisted. (Incorrect DSS Program of Instruction changes every year and is not the same, DSS does not review and / or teach NCOs tasks that they have already mastered)
Master Fitness is no longer in the program changed to SPT in 2004, Hand to hand combat was changed to modern Army Combatives and completey changed, the list goes on and on to much to list
5.) Personal relationship counseling (We have never had a lesson on this subject; DSS teaches Counseling Techniques and how to conduct a counseling session but never personal relationship counseling)
There are many things you are missing. But these jumped off the page at me. If you are going to list information about the U. S. Army Drill Sergeant please do so with current up to date information.
Just FYI The U. S. Army Drill Sergeant Program (DSP) begain in May-June 1964 with a 5 week pilot course at Fort Jackson SC and the DSP was authorized 10 Sep 1964 and increased to a 6 week course. The Course was increased to 8 weeks in 1980 and then increased to a 9 week course in 1986. With the 2005 BRAC Decision there is now only one Active Army Drill Sergeant School located at Ft Jackson SC and is a 9 week course.
Thank you