The Making of a Drill Sergeant: Transforming Civilians into Soldiers
U.S. Army Reserve Sgt. Alycia Perkins, a drill sergeant and all-wheeled vehicle mechanic from Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 485th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 98th Training Division (Initial Entry Training), watches over Basic Combat Training recruits at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. As a U.S. Army Reserve drill sergeant, Perkins augments Active Duty drill sergeants for one of the three phases of BCT. The Columbia, South Carolina resident says she finds the last phase of BCT the most rewarding as a drill sergeant. “It is not so much of the yelling and the teaching them anymore, it’s more about helping them understand who they are and what kind of Soldier they CAN be, and then helping them realize their goals.”