FORT DETRICK, Md. – Lots of yelling.
That was Staff Sgt. Vontrella Jeffries’ first memory of drill sergeants when she arrived at basic training 13 years ago.
“That’s always your first interaction. You get off that bus and they’re there to transform you from a civilian to a Soldier,” Jeffries said.
Never did she imagine that one day she would become a drill sergeant herself, yet on April 10 she graduated from the U.S. Army Drill Sergeant Academy at Fort Jackson, South Carolina.
“Everyone was like ‘Oh, I could see you being a drill sergeant,’ but I still doubted myself because I’m more of a laid-back person and I don’t too much care to yell,” Jeffries said. “I had to channel a whole different side of me.”
The Drill Sergeant Academy is a nine-week course that turns noncommissioned officers into drill sergeants. Jeffries had considered attending the school for a while, as several of her mentors are former drill sergeants themselves and thought she’d be a good fit.
The course prepares NCOs to train new Soldiers, so they must not only review and refine their skills in areas such as rifle marksmanship, drill and ceremony, rappelling and physical readiness, but also learn how to effectively teach these skills to others.
“I think of myself as an introvert, but I had to push past that. There were times I had to get up front, I had to give commands, had to march the formation, had to call cadences,” Jeffries said. “So, I think the course brought me out of my comfort zone.”
Jeffries said she was able to remain true to herself throughout the process.
“That whole stereotype that you have to be a certain way to be a drill sergeant, it’s kind of false, because I don't feel like I changed anything about myself,” Jeffries said. “I feel like I’m still the person I was when I arrived to the academy, but I’m just a little better. I didn't have to change anything about myself to fit in.”
Before going to the academy, Jeffries served with U.S. Army Medical Materiel Agency's Force Projection Directorate. Her primary duties focused on supporting operational medical logistics and the sustainment of medical prepositioned stocks around the globe.
“The … environment is just always a positive at USAMMA,” Jeffries said. “I love this place. It’s going to be tough when it comes down to leaving, but I’m pretty sure I can make a phone call and I’ll be able to still reach back out for advice and mentorship.”
Next, Jeffries will head to Fort Sam Houston in Texas, the same place she received her job training, where she will serve as a drill sergeant at the advanced individual training program for the next crop of Army combat medics.
“It’s a great feeling to see that transformation,” she said. “I was once that scared kid, so it’s kind of a full circle moment. You get to help transform lives, just like someone helped transform yours. It’s a different type of pride.”
USAMMA is a direct reporting unit to Army Medical Logistics Command, the Army’s Life Cycle Management Command for medical materiel.
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