Former drill sergeants live by the creed

Photo By Sgt. Mahlet Tesfaye | Former drill sergeant Master Sgt. Clyde Harris, deployable command post noncommissioned officer in charge with U.S. Army South, poses in front of one of many platoons he trained during basic training at Fort Benning, Ga. Harris was a drill sergeant from 2003 – 2006 mentoring, training and molding new recruits into combat-ready Soldiers during Basic Combat Training. He uses some of the same skills he taught during his duties at Army South. (Courtesy photo)  

FORT SAM HOUSTON, TX, UNITED STATES

12.01.2015

Story by Sgt. Mahlet Tesfaye 

U.S. Army South

FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas - The first lines of the Drill Sergeant Creed states “I am a Drill Sergeant. I will assist each individual in their efforts to become a highly motivated, well disciplined, physically and mentally fit Soldier, capable of defeating any enemy on today's modern battlefield.”

Incorporating this ethos in to a staff job might be difficult for some, but for a handful of former drill sergeants now assigned to U. S. Army South the lessons learned on the trail are still applicable.

“Being a drill sergeant was the best assignment I had and what I’m most proud of in my Army career,” said Master Sgt. Tomas Fernandez, human resources plans and operation noncommissioned officer in charge with Army South, who served as a drill sergeant from 2005-2007.

Fernandez added the training and leadership techniques he learned as a drill sergeant allows him to teach and mentor his Soldiers even now as a human resources noncommissioned officer in charge.

A drill sergeant plays the most vital role in the Army: building future Soldiers.

Drill sergeants are entrusted with the task of mentoring, training and molding new recruits into combat-ready Soldiers during Basic Combat Training.

Master Sgt. Clyde Harris, Army South’s deployable command post noncommissioned officer in charge, was a drill sergeant for three years and remembers not only the long days he spent training new recruits but also remembers how gratifying it was to see the transformation.

“The best part about being a drill sergeant was seeing the hard work and effort you put into a civilian [future Soldier] who had little to no knowledge of the Army for 14 weeks and seeing them transform into a Soldier,” said Harris. “It was a very rewarding and humbling experience.”

A drill sergeant spot is reserved for the best qualified noncommissioned officer who is an expert in all warrior tasks and battle drills, lives the Army values, exemplifies the warrior ethos, and most importantly, is the epitome of the Army as a profession.

Harris has been in the Army for 27 years and a leader for most of those years. He knows being a drill sergeant helped him master different styles of leadership skills he uses to this day as a deployable command post noncommissioned officer in charge at Army South.

“I learned that you have to find different ways to motivate Soldiers since we are all so different,” said Harris. “The same tactics I used on one Soldier might not work on another so I had to be very creative in getting Soldiers to perform to a certain standard.”

Drill sergeants are role models not only to new recruits, but to everyone in the Army, signifying what it means to be a Soldier and what it takes to be a Soldier.

According to Fernandez, as a drill sergeant, he was fortunate enough to mentor and help transition new Soldiers into the best warriors they can be. After 22 years of service he said if he gets the chance to be a drill sergeant again he would “take it in a heartbeat.”

• Date Taken: 12.01.2015
• Date Posted: 12.01.2015 16:05
• Story ID: 183207
• Location: FORT SAM HOUSTON, TX, US