When the brown round campaign hat became the standardized headgear for all Army drill sergeants it was an end of an era and the merger of one standard.
Two bush hats were encased at the Basic Combat Training Museum in a ceremony, Jan. 22.
While the bush hat may not be seen on the heads of Army drill sergeants it will live on in a display at the museum.
Since 1964, over 142,000 NCOs have proudly served as drill sergeants, with over 38,000 of those donning the bush hat.
Sgt. 1st Class Edjenik Uzcategui and Staff Sgt. Heather Woodward ceremonially removed their bush hat and had campaign hats placed on their heads during the ceremony.
“The military was always something I wanted to do,” said Staff Sgt. Heather Woodward, a senior drill sergeant with Company E, 1st Battalion, 13th Infantry Regiment. Her parents both served in the military. Her father was an infantryman and drill sergeant.
Her father “always bragged about how being a drill sergeant was the best part of his career,” she said. Her father said it was “very eventful but all very rewarding.
“I knew that was something I wanted to be a part of.”
My drill sergeants “went out of their way to help me the day I stepped off the bus until the day I graduated. I really wanted to be that kind of drill sergeant. “
Across the board all Army drill sergeants will have the same headgear and present a unified appearance.
“For me, it was a huge moment,” Woodward said about the encasing of the female bush hat and transitioning to the campaign hat.
“One uniform means one Army,” she said, “one common goal that we are working towards.”
Henry Howe, director of the Fort Jackson Museum Community, said “remembering and chronicling our history is to pay respect and honor those who came before us – from the obstacles they faced and how they overcame those challenges.”
The Fort Jackson Museum Community comprises the Basic Combat Training, Adjutant General, Finance, and U.S. Army Chaplain Corps museums.
“You are standing at the threshold of a new era,” Howe said about the retirement of the bush hat.
“Now all drill sergeant hats look the same and we all wear the same campaign hats,” Howe added.
It shows the Army has one standard for drill sergeants just like all Soldiers have one standard for drill and ceremony.
Sgt. 1st Class Samuel Matlock, the Army’s 2024 Drill Sergeant of the Year was quoted in a Center for Initial Military Training article as saying, “Every member of society understands the importance of the U.S. Army drill sergeant and the iconic headgear associated with the time-honored position as a symbol of excellence. This single standard will eliminate any confusion among the training population, the American public, and cadre regarding all standards for serving as a drill sergeant.”
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