Drill sergeants competing for 2012 title maintain high spirits on second day of competition
June 26, 2012
FORT EUSTIS, Va. (June 26, 2012) -- "I know you're beat up, you're tired, but you're in good spirits."
On the morning of day two of the ongoing Drill Sergeant of the Year competition, the noncommissioned officer in charge of grading events, First Sgt. Robert Moss, offered this acknowledgement of competitors' efforts.
"We are good to go," replied Staff Sgt. Jarod Moss of the 95th Reserve Division as he rose slowly from a bench and walked off toward the firing range with a slight limp in his gait. "That's how we roll."
After marching nearly nine miles with full rucksacks from their field training exercise site to a firing range for their first competitive event of the day, Moss's and his cohorts' feet became intimately aware of Fort Eustis terrain.
But sore feet likely went to the back of the drill sergeants' minds, as they went through another day of events testing their knowledge of Warrior Tasks and Battle Drills and their ability to impart this knowledge to Soldiers.
The competitors spent their morning at two ranges, demonstrating disassembly and assembly of M240B and M249 machine guns, and instruction on how to fire an M209 grenade launcher.
An afternoon round of urban orienteering tasks included evaluations of how the drill sergeants reacted and resolved situations where Soldiers refused to be trained, as well as grading their ability to communicate effectively while interacting with news media.
The day concluded just like it began at a firing range, where the competing drill sergeants underwent M16 rifle qualifications.
The competition runs through June 28, and the active and reserve-component Drill Sergeants of the Year will be announced at a ceremony June 29 at 9 a.m., Jacobs Theater, Fort Eustis, Va.
For updated stories and photos of the competition, visit www.army.mil/drillsergeant/competition.html.