Photo By Spc. Ryan Stroud | First Sgt. Harold Hall, Company B, 3rd Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 3rd Brigade...... read more read more
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By Spc. Ryan Stroud
3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs
BAQUBAH, Iraq - When 1st Sgt. Harold Hall joined the U.S. Army in June 1987, he wanted only one thing – to become a drill sergeant and teach civilians how to become the best Soldiers they could be.
He finally reached his goal of becoming a drill sergeant in 2000, when he first placed the infamous round-brimmed hat on his head and took charge of new recruits at Fort Knox, Ky.
But while Hall was enlightening and guiding some of the Army's brightest minds, the rest of the Army was getting ready to head to war.
Now in Iraq himself, Hall has been selected to be the first sergeant of Company B, 3rd Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division.
Once teaching Soldiers how to fight in battle as a drill sergeant, Hall is now leading Soldiers in the heart of the Diyala province and reaching back into is bag of experiences as a drill sergeant to make sure everyone of his Soldiers comes home alive.
For Hall, becoming a drill sergeant has not only shaped his life, but also shaped the way he looks at situations throughout the Army. He said he shares his experiences with his Soldiers in hopes that they will make the right decisions in life and on the battlefield.
"Basic training is what made me want to be a drill sergeant," said Hall, a Valdosta, Ga., native. "That was one of the many aspirations that I left basic training with.
"I admired the drill sergeants; I admired their knowledge, their experience," he continued. "I admire anybody that can do things that I can't do. That gives me an incentive to try and to aspire for something. I think that's very important.
"That basically boils down to leading by example, setting the example, and giving your Soldiers an example to strive for," said Hall. "If you don't have something to strive for, it makes the world a very boring place because there is no excellence."
Once Hall graduated from drill sergeant school, it was time for him to apply his leadership skills that would shape him to this day.
"I was very weary and apprehensive [about my first time in front of new recruits] because I was so proud to wear the hat. I was so proud to be a drill sergeant that I wanted to live up to all the expectations that I had of what a drill sergeant should be," Hall said. "I had a picture of how a drill sergeant should act and how they carry their Soldiers, and I really wanted to be that drill sergeant and be myself at the same time."
Hall found his comfortable norm with leading and began applying it to his new recruits.
"I didn't do a lot of yelling; I spoke in a very loud voice, but I didn't yell a lot," he said. "I learned, in my opinion, people get used to yelling. There is a desired effect when you can talk to someone and reason with them. It was easier and more effective to get a trainee to do what you wanted them to do, through leadership, without all of the yelling."
Though not everyday was a good day for Hall, he said there were many payoffs to the job and he never regretted becoming a drill sergeant.
"The ultimate payoff is graduation day when you see those Soldiers graduating in their Class A's, their families coming to see them, they are now Soldiers," said Hall. "At the end of every cycle, I had a renewed vigor for the job.
"I never once regretted becoming a drill sergeant," he continued. "I never regret anything that I've done in the past, whether good or bad. Anything that I've done in the past, I take the lessons learned from it and that is what makes me who I am.
"I did the best that I could," he confidently said. "I never once gave up on a Soldier. I have no regrets. I would do it again the same way I did before."
A few years later, Hall now finds himself in a position he never thought he would obtain, a company first sergeant. With his Soldiers deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom 2006-2008, Hall said he now, more-than-ever, finds himself reflecting on his drill sergeant days to guide his Soldiers to success.
"I apply lessons [I learned as a drill sergeant] every day," said Hall. "Everything from combat training, weapons, to medical training.
"As a drill sergeant, rule number one is attention to detail," he continued. "That will always stay with you, never lose it, you'll never forget it. You have trained your eyes to be able to see the world and you expect it to all look the same, and you pick it out when it's not the same.
"If you have Soldiers lined up, you have been trained to look at all their uniforms and you have been trained to see the things that are out of place," he said. "Everything that you look at, you are expected to see a standard; and if you don't see that standard, then it's either above the standard or below the standard. You embrace what's above the standard and you fix what is below the standard.
"That is life as a drill sergeant, that's also life as a first sergeant," he said.
While in Iraq, Hall said he has made a direct effort to mentor everyone of his Soldiers and to apply another huge lesson he learned from being a drill sergeant, leading from the front.
"One of my many goals is mentoring," Hall said. "I mentor at all levels. Some leaders will tell you that mentorship should only be at a certain level. I disagree with that, I think mentorship goes all the way down. You never forget where you came from and I think as long as I can relate to a private, I can be an effective leader.
"I also believe in leading from the front," he continued. "If I set a standard to be physically fit, then I first must achieve that standard.
"It is okay for a leader to hold themselves to a higher standard, but they must hold their Soldiers to a realistic standard," he said. "If you expect a standard from your Soldier, you must first show them that standard and then live by it. You never ask your Soldiers to do anything that you would not do or are not willing to do.
"If you are asking your Soldiers to improve on their weaknesses, then you should be improving on your's as well," said Hall. "Everyone has weaknesses, and I'm no different than those Soldiers.
"I'm always striving to better myself and that's what I'm instilling into any Soldier, not just my Soldiers," he continued. "If I'm expecting you to do something, the way I will show you is by doing it first, or with you. And if you see me doing it and the way I'm doing it, then you will know how I want you to do it."
Hall said he believes everyone should always try to become better and help those around them, as well. He also encourages all non-commissioned officers to take the chance at leading Soldiers or mentoring them.
"Leading Soldiers is one of the most wonderful and rewarding experiences an NCO will ever have," he said. "You won't know how much you will miss it until you no longer have any Soldiers.
Yes, there are challenges, but without those challenges, you wouldn't improve as a person, as a Soldier."
Hall also hopes that any Soldier that comes into his life leaves with something special – the power to be a good leader, he said.
"I want them to take away the impression of an overall outstanding and dynamic, total leader," he said. "The leader that is good in all areas, not good in some and weak in others, but strives to be good in all areas.
"That's what I ask of all my Soldiers - be a total Soldier," said Hall. "I don't expect you to be an expert in anything; I just want you to be good at everything.
"Strengthen your weaknesses and continue to drive on," he said.
| Date Taken: | 05.21.2007 |
| Date Posted: | 05.21.2007 10:56 |
| Story ID: | 10465 |
| Location: | BAQUBAH, IQ |
| Web Views: | 473 |
| Downloads: | 393 |
This work, First Sergeant Uses Drill Sergeant Skills to Lead Soldiers in Iraq, by SPC Ryan Stroud, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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