Drill Sergeants Just what is a Drill Sergeant? I would think that to the civilian, this is the biggest mystery of all. Whenever anyone thinks about joining the military, they think about the initial training they receive, and with that training comes the endurance of putting up with a being that is all muscle and fury, all knowing in everything military and short of temper. One must never cross a Drill Sergeant or else they will find themselves doing push-ups until their enlistment expires. Well, when I joined, this is about what I pictured a Drill Sergeant to be. The fact is, Drill Sergeants come in all shapes, sizes, temperments, and personalities. They are human and they even *gasp* make mistakes (though they're loathe to admit it) For some reason, i didn't picture Drill Sergeants capable of making mistakes when I joined the Army. Well, in order to fully understand the Drill Sergeant, you must understand what the purpose of a Drill Sergeant is, and why they do the strange and somewhat twisted things that they do. When you first join the military, in this case Army, you are a civilian. You have led a civilian life all of your life, and in this great and glorious country we call the United States of America, you had a lot of freedom. Most people who join the Army are right out of high school. They have had mommy and daddy behind them to support them and take care of any needs or worries that they might have had. A lot of times in being a civilian, you lacked responsibility and discipline. And of course, there are those people who are out there who join the Army after living life on their own. They have dealt with hardships and have become independent. The point is, you are an individual when you join the Army. The Army attracts all walks of life in this country, everyone with distinctly different personalities who have lived distinctly different lives. This is when Mr. Drill Sergeant comes into the picture. The purpose of the Drill Sergeant is to break you down from your civilian life, whip you into shape, degrade you, humiliate you, pound you into the ground, and then build you back up into a soldier, amongst other soldiers, all of whom have a common purpose,a destiny so to speak, called the United States Army. He takes the many individuals who are thrust into his care and turns them into a team with one goal and purpose. He builds discipline and respect for yourself and your fellow soldiers. Of course, it's this journey from Civilian to Soldier that has most people cringing in fear. -Risawn: # 4:28 PM 4:28 PM