Army drill, platoon sergeants test physical, mentor skills

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Wire Reports

FORT JACKSON, S.C. — The Army’s top drill and platoon sergeants are wrapping up a friendly competition of their physical and mentoring skills.

The four-day event at Fort Jackson ends Friday with honors handed out at an afternoon ceremony.

The senior enlisted men and women must show how they are able to teach soldier-trainees in multiple tasks and drills. Those include distance runs, marches, obstacle courses, physical training and knowledge of Army values, among others.

The sergeants must show how they are able to endure physical and mental challenges, even as they maintain poise and emotional focus while they teach more than 50 basic skills to new soldiers.

The winners of the grueling competition will have the 2016 title as Drill Sergeant of the Year and Advanced Individual Training Platoon Sergeant of the Year.

“We’re looking for the ultimate trainer,” said Sgt. Jacob Miller, the winner of last year’s competition. “There are over 40 events that these competitors are graded on.”
 
The competitors do not find out what the event is until they get to the station.
 
“Once they get to those stations they get 30 seconds to prepare themselves,” Miller said.
 
Every station tests them physically or mentally.
 
“They’re having to perform this under stress as well,” Miller said. “They hear the background noise, and it’s loud and it’s dark.”
 
“It’s a very unique way of seeing how diverse in how someone could react,” 
 
Sgt. Daniel Barsi says competitions like these help him be a better leader.
 
“In basic training, we are their first line of leadership that they understand the army,” Barsi said. “It shows them that ‘yes, your leader can do this,’ versus me just barking orders.”

 

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