U.S. Army Reserve drill sergeant trains future officers

Fort Knox, Ky. – Several U.S. Army Reserve drill sergeants of Task Force Wolf led 268 Reserve Officers’ Training Corps cadets across Brooks Field on July 11.

The ROTC cadets of 2nd Regiment, U.S. Army Cadet Command, earnestly marched in front of family and friends who gathered to attend their Basic Camp graduation ceremony.

“I feel a great sense of pride and accomplishment in the ability to train somebody, who may not know anything about the military, and prepare them for the challenges of the Army,” said Sgt. 1st Class Randal Monroe, a native of Gladys, Virginia. Monroe is a drill sergeant assigned to 317th Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 104th Training Division.

TF Wolf from the U.S. Army Reserve 104th Training Division at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, supports the cadet command in training and developing future Army leaders.

Although developing future leaders can be rewarding, it is often demanding.

“It’s trying at times,” said Monroe through a smile. “Some of the cadets have a military background, but many others have never done anything like this before.”

“They require a more hands-on approach to instill the military discipline required to lead,” added Monroe.

Cadet Basic Camp is a 31-day leadership course held throughout the summer at Fort Knox and designed to introduce cadets to the Army. The training focuses on leadership development and is intended to push the Army’s future leaders to their physical and mental limits while challenging them to discover their true leadership potential.

Monroe, who also serves as a police officer when he’s not molding future leaders, brings his civilian skills to the Army Reserve.

“As a police officer, you interact with a broad range of people. You begin to identify individual needs based on where they come from. This skill helps me to better understand the cadets,” he said.

Monroe’s contribution to the U.S. Army and U.S. Army Reserve is not lost on his cadets.

“He’s incredibly motivating,” explained Kyle Johnson, a cadet at the University of Hawaii at Manoa ROTC program and recipient of The Association of the United States Army’s Warrior Ethos Award, which she earned for achieving the highest marksmanship score in her class.

“He’ll never ask you to do something he isn’t willing or capable of doing himself,” she explained.

Task Force Wolf partners with U.S. Army Cadet Command to train ROTC cadets enrolled across 274 colleges and universities from 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

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