FORT JACKSON, S.C. Aca,!" Staff Sgt. John Doe reports for duty at 4:30 a.m., six days a week. He returns home to his wife and daughter at 9 p.m. - on a good day.
Sometimes, he has to perform additional duties. He has been on this schedule for 11 months - since he became a drill sergeant.
With the high demands that come with the job, the ability to bounce back from stress is invaluable.
A newly invigorated program on Fort Jackson offers drill sergeants the opportunity to do just that. The Drill Sergeant / Advanced Individual Training Platoon Sergeant Resiliency Program is mandatory for drill sergeants who are midway through their tour of duty and again one year later if they extend their tours.
The program was previously called Drill Sergeant Wellness and has been reworked in the past few months.
"The new program is focused on providing our drill sergeants and AIT platoon sergeants with a break from their day to day service," said Col. Jeffrey Sanderson, Fort Jackson chief of staff. "The program is designed to educate - or re-educate - them on several key resiliency skills that are critical while they execute a tough and demanding mission."
Drill sergeants who participate in the program leave work Friday afternoon and are exempt from all duties - including charge of quarters and staff duty - the following weekend. On Monday and Tuesday the Soldiers attend classes that are designed to help them cope with stress, improve their life skills and help them make the most of their time with their families. Wednesday is set aside for Soldiers to update their records or catch up on medical and dental appointments that may get pushed aside while they are training Soldiers. The week culminates in a four-day pass, which gives the drill sergeants and AIT platoon sergeants a total of nine consecutive days away from their units.
"Our cadre are working long and tough hours. They have a tremendous responsibility in transforming citizens into Soldiers," Sanderson said. "Many of our cadre are coming from overseas deployments only to be selected for the privilege of transforming citizens into Soldiers. Our obligation and focus as a chain of command is to provide them with the very best resiliency skills we possibly can in order to set them up for success. The training is focused not only on their mission obligations but on their family skills as well."
The training sessions are open to spouses as well, but most spouses are not taking advantage of the opportunity, said Staff Sgt. Frank Cortez, G3 training noncommissioned officer, who oversees the program. Cortez sets up appointments for the participants and coordinates attendance rosters with the brigades.
As part of the reorganization, the program was extended from seven to nine days and expanded to include AIT platoon sergeants. But the changes also affect the content of the classes.
Chaplain (Maj.) James Smith, family life chaplain, said the new program focuses more on the needs of the drill sergeants and AIT platoon sergeants.
"The whole program ... has been overhauled, but specifically the chaplain section," Smith said. "The areas that we cover now - resiliency, personal accountability and family fitness - address what's really happening to the drill sergeants."
Smith said that he sees the program as a means of establishing a stronger relationship between chaplains and drill sergeants.
"The chaplains on this installation, starting with the installation chaplain throughout the entire chaplain corps, are concerned about their well being," he said. "We will do whatever we feel necessary and that we're capable of to help them succeed and their families succeed, so that we can improve the climate and the quality of life here at Fort Jackson."
According to after action reviews, the program is a success with the drill sergeants and AIT platoon sergeants, Sanderson said.
Staff Sgt. James Madison, a drill sergeant with Company F, 3rd Battalion, 13th Infantry Regiment, said the program was very educational. Despite benefitting from the program, Madison said he felt conflicted about being away from his company.
"I'm looking forward to being at home, but we're short on drill sergeants in my company. So being gone hurts (the other drill sergeants)," Madison said. "After a while, you build that camaraderie with them, so you don't like to be gone."
While Command Sgt. Maj. Sean Watson, 165th Infantry Brigade, said he understands that sentiment, he encourages drill sergeants to make the best of their break without feeling guilty. Watson said the program has many benefits.
"The course has been designed to give drill sergeants and their families predictability," he said. "It guarantees them time away from the unit to re-energize mentally and physically. It separates them from the Soldiers. It separates them from all the issues of the cycle. And then they start fresh again."
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