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Competition seeks out best drill sergeant

The Army’s top seven drill sergeants will gather June 22-26 at Fort Monroe, Va., to compete for the title of 2009 Drill Sergeant of the Year.

The roster of participants took a nose dive two years ago when hundreds of drill sergeant positions were eliminated from Advanced Individual Training sites across the Army.

As a result, only five active duty and two Army Reserve drill sergeants get to compete.

There are approximately 2,300 drill sergeants in the active component and 3,000 in the Reserve, according to Training and Doctrine Command, which trains drill sergeants.

At 6 a.m. June 22, contestants will take an Army physical fitness test at Continental Park to kick off the four-day event.

During the competition, candidates will also be tested on their knowledge of soldier tasks and how they teach those tasks to new trainees; they also will be required to demonstrate their knowledge of the warrior skill tasks.

The active Drill Sergeant of the Year will receive the Stephen Ailes Award, established in 1969 and named for the secretary of the Army from 1964-1965 who was instrumental in originating the first Drill Sergeant School at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.

The Reserve winner receives the Ralph Haines Jr. Award, named for the commander of the Continental Army Command, the forerunner of TRADOC, from 1970-72.

Drill sergeants train new soldiers at Fort Benning, Ga.; Fort Sill, Okla.; Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.; Fort Knox, Ky.; and Fort Jackson, S.C. Reserve component drill sergeants represent training divisions located across the country.

TRADOC, which his headquartered at Monroe, will host an awards ceremony to announce the winners at 9 a.m. June 26 at Continental Park.

The ceremony is free and open to the public.

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