Photo By Tech. Sgt. Linda Burger | Sgt. Daniel L. Wegner, Company B, Recruit Sustainment Program drill sergeant. Wegner...... read more read more
By Master Sgt. Duff E. McFadden
The first thing you notice, is the hat.
Brown and broad-brimmed, with four distinct dents in each corner of its high crown, it serves as a very distinct badge of honor.
Only three Iowa Army National Guard Soldiers are qualified to wear “The Brown Round” – Sgt. 1st Class Daniel Wegner, of Oelwein, Iowa; Sgt. 1st Class Dale Boicourt, from Urbandale; and Sgt. Michael McKim, of Adel – and each one serves as an Iowa Army National Guard drill sergeant (DS).
According to Command Sgt. Maj. Mark A. Vasquez, the Recruiting and Recruiting Battalion Command Sergeant Major, drill sergeants have become an invaluable asset to Iowa’s Recruit Sustainment Program (RSP), which familiarizes new recruits with military fundamentals before they leave for Basic Combat Training (BCT) and Advanced Individual Training (AIT).
“In 2016, the Iowa Army National Guard decided to add drill sergeants to its Recruit Sustainment Program after visiting several surrounding states,” Vasquez said. “Each successful RSP we visited had one thing in common – they were all using drill sergeants at their RSPs.
“Our RSPs were having challenges with newly-enlisted Warriors prematurely tapping out before they went to AIT, or while at basic training. Our end goal was to increase our training success and increase the number of Warriors returning from training and making it to their assigned M-Day, or traditional weekend National Guard units,’ he said.
And it’s already paying dividends for Iowa’s newest Warriors, said 1st Sgt. John Stuart, the Company A, RSP first sergeant.
“Having a drill sergeant at RSP is definitely benefiting our Soldiers in learning their basic military skills,” said Stuart. “The goal for the drill instructor program is to make every Soldier successful at Basic Combat Training, so our RSP Warriors are now being exposed to a drill instructor right away in their Red Phase.”
The “Red Phase,” which is taught by McKim, takes place during a Warrior’s first RSP drill weekend. It begins with in-processing, integration, and instruction on Army values, rank structure, saluting, military time and much more. Warriors also receive their Battle Book and Challenge Coin during this phase.
“By utilizing trained drill sergeant cadre, RSP Soldiers are now becoming familiar with the demands that’ll be placed upon them while attending BCT and AIT,” said Vasquez.
Wegner became Iowa’s first drill sergeant after completing the U.S. Army Drill Sergeant School in 2011. Boicourt and McKim were the next to follow suit, graduating in 2016.
Wegner originally entered military service following graduation from Oelwein High School when he and five of his high school buddies all joined the U.S. Marine Corps together. Following a six-year break in service after the Marine Corps, he joined the Iowa Army National Guard in June 2001, becoming a full-time Active Guard and Reserves (AGR) Soldier in January 2003.
“I wanted to become a drill sergeant because I figured this was the way I could give our Iowa Soldiers an advantage when they go to BCT,” said Wegner, who also serves as the Readiness Non-Commissioned Officer for Company B, RSP in Waterloo, Iowa. “I thought, who better to train Iowa Warriors for BCT then a drill sergeant?
“My first year, I learned a lot. I pushed, yelled and trained, trained, trained. Drill sergeants on the trail have others to learn from. I did all my learning by trial and error.”
According to Wegner, he quickly learned drill sergeants need to be creative, so as not to leave any of their young charges behind. However, getting his Warriors to perform at the top of their abilities, he said, is easy.
“Every Warrior learns differently. They’re motivated differently and have different views. This generation is a very motivated generation if we, as leaders, can get their buy-in. We just need to explain the “why,” said Wegner.
“This can be very irritating at times, but it’s very important. I’ve found I can push my Warriors to perform to some very high levels, if I just explain why we’re doing this, and how it benefits them,” he said.
One thing he’s often found effective, is taking off the hat and talking with them as a regular person.
“I like to get their honest feedback as to why we train like this and what we can do better. Getting their buy-in and explaining the ‘why’ are the biggest things I’ve found to make all my Warriors more successful.
By the same token, when a corrective action is needed, again, don’t forget to again explain the “why.”
“Don’t beat a warrior down and leave them. You always motivate them to perform better. Let them know how you expect more out of them, or how you’re doing this because you see something better in them,” he said.
“I have always been a person who believes in proper mentorship,” Wegner said. “I love to take someone and give them direction to make them successful. That’s why I enjoyed recruiting for 10 years. I was giving someone an opportunity to make a difference for themselves and become a part of something bigger then themselves.
“I enjoyed seeing people I recruited become NCOs, officers, and obtaining degrees and meeting goals they’ve set in the civilian world. As a DS, I knew I would be able to help not just my recruits, but many others to obtain those same goals. This generation needs constant mentorship and direction,” said Wegner.
“The future of the Drill Sergeant Program is to establish at least two drill sergeants in each RSP site across the state,” said Vasquez. “We currently have six RSP sites, located at Camp Dodge (Company A), Council Bluffs (Co. D), Davenport (Co. F), Iowa City (Co. C), Storm Lake (Co. E), and Waterloo (Co. B).”
“Iowa ranks 10th among the 54 states and territories in the number of honor graduates from both BCT and AIT,” said Lt. Col. Randy Higginbotham, the Recruiting and Retention Battalion commander. “The only states that are doing better than Iowa, have had drill sergeants long-established within their RSPs.”
So, as Iowa continues with its drill sergeant innovations – whether it’s having a male and female drill sergeant within each of Iowa’s RSP companies, or establishing a venue for Iowa’s drill sergeants to share good practices and lessons learned – the true winners are the RSP Warriors of the Iowa National Guard.
The Soldier in the “Brown Round” guarantees it.
| Date Taken: | 03.01.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 03.01.2017 16:00 |
| Story ID: | 225375 |
| Location: | JOHNSTON, IA, US |
| Hometown: | OELWEIN, IA, US |
| Hometown: | WATERLOO, IA, US |
| Web Views: | 1,163 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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