June 13,2008:
The U.S. Army is cutting back on
the number ofDrill Sergeants (also called DIs, but that's actually a USMC term),
closing one of the three schools for training them. There are currently 5,300 Drill Sergeants, but 57
percent of them are reservists. It's the active duty
Drill Sergeants
that handle the
training of the 80,000 new recruits that enter the army each year, and the army
is putting more
Drill Sergeants
into that, and far fewer into AIT (Advanced Individual
Training). The army has found that, with so many combat experienced NCOs
available, and better recruits coming out of revamped (because of wartime
experience) basic training, it can get away with regular NCOs handling AIT
training. In some respects, this approach may even be better, because the kind
of NCOs now encountered in AIT will be much like the kind encountered in
regular units.
Drill Sergeants
can be, many trainees will agree, a bit unreal.
Only the
top ten percent of army sergeants (usually E-6 and E-7) qualify for
Drill Sergeants
school. This lasts nine weeks, and there are some washouts. After
that, the
Drill Sergeants
serve 2-3 years training new recruits at basic training (nine
weeks long), or those attending their AIT. This is another nine weeks for the
infantry, but varies (usually less than nine weeks) for other specialties.
Serving as a
Drill Sergeant
is a big help in getting promoted, as
Drill Sergeant
duty is considered a
worthy accomplishment. NCOs, for example, have a much better chance of becoming officers (via Officer
Candidate School) if theyhave served two years as a
Drill Sergeant
.
Finally, with
a war on, the army wants most of its best NCOs with the troops, either in
combat, or getting ready to go there.