The Drill Sergeant Academy Hall of Fame has grown by four names, doubling the number of inductees.
The Hall of Fame began last year to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the U.S. Army Drill Sergeant Academy on Fort Jackson. But not all inductees must be drill sergeants, said Command Sgt. Maj. Dennis Woods of the U.S. Army Center for Initial Military Training at Fort Eustis, Virginia.
The process, as he explained it to the ceremony audience last Friday, is a simple one. A member of the Drill Sergeant Association must make a nomination and submit a one-page explanation of the nominee's merits. After that, the board will votes on whether to add a name to the rosters of the Drill Sergeant Academy Hall of Fame.
"(They don't) necessarily have to be a drill sergeant, but they do have to have impacted the drill sergeant community," Thomas said.
The U.S. Army Drill Sergeant Association was founded in 2014 as a tool to link active and retired drill sergeants within a nationally recognized association.
Command Sgt. Maj. Thomas Campbell, operations/plans/training sergeant major for the U.S. Army Center for Initial Military Training at Fort Eustis, also addressed the audience.
"You were a drill sergeant once, and you never really left," he said. "Until the day you're in the ground, I expect you to be out there searching, motivating and helping the Army enforce standards of discipline."
Inducted last week were:
Retired Command Sgt. Maj. James E. Walthes
Walthes was commandant of the Army Drill Sergeant School at Fort Jackson from April 1999 to June 2000. After retiring in 2001, he was selected as the first chief of the Proponent Integration Development Division, where he oversees the proponent programs of instruction for Basic Combat Training, Drill Sergeant and Advanced Individual Training Platoon Sergeant programs.
As the senior civilian, he also is principal consultant providing advice and assistance in mission accomplishment over the Initial Military Training Programs. During his tenure, he has led the Drill Sergeant Program through revolutionary changes in terms of how drill sergeant candidates are trained and developed.
Sgt. 1st Class Ryan J. McCaffrey
McCaffrey is a co-founder of the U.S. Army Drill Sergeant Association and a key leader of the first National Association for U.S. Army Drill Sergeants. McCaffrey also was instrumental in setting up the USADSA Scholarship fund, which awards scholarships to Family members of current and former drill sergeants.
As the 2013 Drill Sergeant of the Year (Reserve Component), McCaffrey assisted in making multiple changes to the Drill Sergeant Program and to the Basic Training Program of Instruction. The changes not only improved the quality of life for drill sergeants throughout the Army but changed the way Basic Training Soldiers are taught.
Retired Sgt. 1st Class Gerald Simpson
Simpson has spent more than 14 years working in the Drill Sergeant Program in roles varying from drill sergeant, Drill Sergeant School Operations NCO, Drill Sergeant Proponent training developer and quality assurance NCO, and Drill Sergeant Program training specialist.
Simpson also helped transform the Drill Sergeant Program and the consolidation of the Drill Sergeant Schools into the present-day Army Drill Sergeant Academy. He has also been a principal driver behind revisions of the Drill Sergeant School's Program of Instruction, Course Management Plan and Individual Student Assessment Plans.
Sgt. 1st Class David E. Stover
Stover is a co-founder of the U.S. Army Drill Sergeant Association and a leader of the first National Association for U.S. Army Drill Sergeants. Stover helped set up the USADSA Scholarship fund, which awards scholarships to Family members of current and former drill sergeants.
Stover also has helped change the way drill sergeants are taught rifle marksmanship at the Drill Sergeant Academy, and helped change the training methodology used by today's drill sergeants.
As the 2013 Drill Sergeant of the Year (Active Component), Stover assisted in making multiple changes to the Drill Sergeant Program and the Basic Training Program of Instruction. The changes improved the quality of life of drill sergeants and other Soldiers throughout the Army.
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