COLUMBIA, S.C. — U.S. Army Drill sergeants demonstrated their mental and physical abilities on Tuesday at Fort Jackson during day two of the four-day Drill Sergeant of the Year competition.
“The purpose for this is to become that representation of the installation,” said Staff Sgt. Alexander Rudd, one of the competitors.
The competition is designed to test drill sergeants' strength and resilience, as well as their skills in coaching, teaching, and mentoring new trainees.
The events over the four days include tasks commonly taught at basic training, such as rifle marksmanship, camouflage skills, land navigation, the Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT), and more.
“It definitely shows the total aspect of what the U.S. Army is looking for in a drill sergeant,” Rudd explained. “The first event is the ACFT, and you could get a 600, which is a perfect score, but then you could go out and not know anything about how to instruct, so it caters to every facet or every approach that you're supposed to do as a drill sergeant.”
Winning the title of Drill Sergeant of the Year requires not only expertise in training soldiers but also excelling beyond the competition, according to one of last year’s winners, Sgt. Arbor Bowden.
“I like to work hard and be the best I can be in everything, so I think that might be one of the reasons why they looked at me and thought, ‘Hey, he might go far if we give him the ability and opportunities,’” Bowden said.
For this year’s competitors, the event is a reminder of their reasons for joining the Army, said Staff Sgt. Danielle Kline.
“You're reminded why you want to do this and why you want to be the face of the Drill Sergeant Academy as the Drill Sergeant of the Year. So, I definitely think it hones in on the whole mental aspect of what it can give,” Kline said.
After the four-day competition, winners and runners-up will train for several months to compete in the U.S. Army competition in September at Fort Jackson.