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December 4, 2014 - Drill sergeant candidates at the
United States Army Drill Sergeant School are fitted and issued their
hats just days before graduating from the prestigious course. The
olive drab headgear worn by male drill sergeants today has a flat
brim, Montana Peak and bears a gold disc of the Great Seal of the
United States on its front. Infantry Soldiers wear an infantry blue
disc under the seal. Drill sergeants first wore this hat in 1964 as
a way of distinguishing themselves from those whom they were charged
with transforming into Soldiers. It has been their proud symbol ever
since. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Brian Hamilton) |
FORT JACKSON, S.C. - For citizens making the leap from
civilian life into military service by way of the Army, one
symbol of excellence stands above all and exemplifies all of
the qualities those future Soldiers desire to acquire- the
drill sergeant.
For aspiring drill sergeant
candidates at the United States Army Drill Sergeant School
at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, that symbol is the drill
sergeant hat.
“It's amazing! It's pretty surreal.
This is the first thing that civilians see when they step
off that bus. In psychological terms it symbolizes
discipline. It almost has a legend to it,” said Army Reserve
Sgt. Enrique Hernandez, 98th Training Division (IET).
Hernandez, was one of 97 noncommissioned officers who
were fitted with the coveted headgear just one week before
graduation at the Drill Sergeant School. Together they make
up less than 18 percent of the total Army force that is even
qualified to be a drill sergeant.
“I was honored to
be selected for this position. It shouldn't change you. I'm
not going to let it change me. I still have to perform my
primary mission, and that is to take care of Soldiers. But
the hat is a symbol and I proud to have it,” Hernandez said.
The olive drab headgear worn by male drill sergeants
today has a flat brim, Montana Peak and bears a gold disc of
the Great Seal of the United States on its front. Infantry
Soldiers wear an infantry blue disc under the seal. Drill
sergeants first wore this hat in 1964 as a way of
distinguishing themselves from those whom they were charged
with transforming into Soldiers. It has been their proud
symbol ever since.
The female version of the drill
sergeant hat came into existence in 1972 as a beige version
of the Australian bush hat, when six noncommissioned
officers from the Fort McClellan, Alabama, became the first
females to successfully complete the Drill Sergeant Course.
It was later changed to a green color in 1983 but retained
its general design. The difference in the male and female
drill sergeant hat versions has become a topic for
contentious debate in recent years.
“The time has
come to provide the initial entry Soldier with the immediate
facial recognition and perspective of what and who a drill
sergeant is, not a female or male drill sergeant, but a
drill sergeant. A drill sergeant who happens to be male, or
female. One standard issue drill sergeant hat for all drill
sergeants will aid in this continuous, inclusive
transition,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Lamont Christian,
Commandant at the United States Army Drill Sergeant School.
“The Army female drill sergeant hat came about during a
period of historical social changes needed to highlight the
presence of women in the Army. Women have served proudly as
noncommissioned officers and drill sergeants for more than
40 years. As we move forward we will ensure females continue
to be respected equally with their male counterparts as
premier teachers, coaches and mentors in the Army,”
Christian added.
The drill sergeant course consists
of nine weeks of intensive training with long days, longer
nights and ridiculous amount of stress. Noncommissioned
officers at the course are trained to master every skill
that a new Soldier coming into the Army is expected to
perform.
For those that complete the training, the
day they receive the hat symbolizes that they have finally
achieved that standard of excellence they have desired to
emulate for so long.
Sgt. 1st Class Jordany Urbano, a
mobilized Army Reserve drill sergeant leader at the United
States Army Drill Sergeant School said, “This hat means that
you are the best at what you do. You are a leader, a mentor
and the epitome of a professional Soldier. You can't take
away the excitement of graduation because that means you've
finally finished everything you have to do, but for a lot of
the candidates here this lets them know they've made it. I
think for most of them this day is just as good if not
better than graduation. It certainly was for me.”
The
campaign hat is a universal, iconic symbol of authority. Of
all the organizations that don this particular piece of
headgear - from law enforcement, to corrections officers, to
park rangers - none wear it with greater distinction than
the U.S. Army drill sergeant.
“Once again, historical
social changes are being made as we move toward removal of
gender specific titles, labels and restrictions in our Army.
As a military, we have worked very hard to achieve an
inclusive shift in uniform nomenclature, occupational
specialties and now small unit infantry courses,” Christian
said.
No matter what your view of these two versions
of the legendary headgear, be it the Montana Peak campaign
hat or the Australian bush hat, they both have two traits in
common - they both command discipline and demand excellence.
As a side note, the United States Army Center for
Initial Military Training, or USACIMT, has initiated a Drill
Sergeant Hat survey that will be available in the near
future.
For more information about becoming a drill
sergeant with the United States Army or Army Reserve please
go to
http://www.army.mil/drillsergeant/.
More photos available below
By U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Brian Hamilton
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2014
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