Photo By Alan Nunn | GREAT LAKES, Ill. (Dec. 15, 2017) Musician 1st Class Joseph Moore gives instructions...... read more read more
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GREAT LAKES (NNS) -- After training for eight weeks at the Navy's only boot camp, recruits are every bit as excited to march in their Pass-in-Review (graduation) ceremony in front of their loved ones as much as their loved ones are anxious and excited to finally see their new Sailors at Recruit Training Command.
An average of 38,000 recruits graduate annually in front of a weekly crowd ranging anywhere from 2,000-5,000 who are so overwhelmed with pride as they watch their new Sailors march into the drill hall, moving many to tears throughout the ceremony.
While the guests are understandably focused on who is standing of front of them, it's who is behind the scenes at the ceremony that make this prestigious event possible: the Midway Ceremonial Drill Hall staff.
This 90-minute ceremony takes place with precision all thanks to the staff who orchestrate it 48 times a year. Guests might see staff helping to guide the divisions of recruits as they march into the drill hall; conducting the choir; cueing the drumline to begin playing; standing on the upper level of bleachers overlooking the hall to watch for any issues that need tending to; taking turns as the ceremony's emcee; assisting with guest speakers behind the scenes ensuring they know the protocol for their positions; and acting as crowd control and security.
This team of 12 personnel is comprised of chiefs and petty officers; most of whom are Recruit Division Commanders on hold and are led by Lt. Sinon Bennett, ship's officer.
"The staff at Midway Ceremonial drill hall delivers a consistently high performing product week in and week out for thousands of friends and family members both at the drill hall and telecast across the world," said Bennett. "Their hard work on weekends and throughout the work week ensures the recruits perform at the highest level and, despite new recruits performing in new roles each week, the level of performance is still exceptional."
The drill hall staff includes many RDCs who are on a one-year hold rotation from training divisions of recruits. While on hold, they typically assist areas of training as instructors. For those wishing to work in the drill hall, there is criteria that must be met in order to be successful behind the scenes.
"We look for someone who has a reputation to be able to train and drill; someone who is able to multitask; and someone who is always looking to make things as perfect as possible and not wanting to have shortcuts but make sure the job is done correctly the first time," said Senior Chief Fire Controlman Donald Ezernack, leading chief petty officer of Midway Ceremonial Drill Hall.
The entire process begins on the very night recruits first arrive to boot camp and doesn't stop until eight weeks later when the last recruit and guest has left the drill hall after the ceremony - beginning this same process all over again each week.
On the night of the recruits' arrival, drill hall staff will send screeners to canvas the recruits to find out who may have a performing talent such as rifle drill or band and choir experience. Those who do are pulled aside to be auditioned in the morning when the drill hall staff returns.
"We'll actually take our instruments with us to audition them. So, in the middle of all the instructors and Recruit Division Commanders shouting instructions to everyone, you'll hear recruits off to the side signing, 'La la la La La la lahhh!'" said Musician 1st Class Joseph Moore, recruit band and choir conductor. "If we decide they can be used, then we'll put them in a 900 division, which are our performing divisions, and the rest of them will be circulated back into the other divisions."
Drill hall staff work on Saturdays rehearsing the 900 divisions starting with the first Saturday the recruits are in boot camp. The recruits are brought to the drill hall to be issued instruments and assigned parts for their first rehearsal.
Moore explains there are exceptionally talented musicians and singers who arrive to boot camp who have already been pre-chosen to be part of the Navy Music Program in Washington D.C. He will receive a list of such recruits who have already gone through a rigorous selection process and audition.
"It's really nice to have the recruits that are going to the premier band in D.C. because their paygrade will be changed from E3 to E6 the day they graduate. With them, they'll go through an intense screening process and audition where there's typically 40 to 90 people who show up for one spot," said Moore. "It will be a day-long process as they cut through 60 people, send them back home while whittling the rest through second and third rounds and finally the final round. People will prepare for this for years. Most of them are in college or have a doctorate degree -they are some of the finest musicians in the entire country."
Moore and choir and band director Allen Miller will receive a list of such incoming talent and begin designing a show around that person, such as writing new music, and then begin rehearsals with them.
"They've already been through a tough screening process so they can handle the quick rehearsal because they're really good," said Moore.
The band and choir are part of the Triple Threat divisions, which also includes the impressive drill team who spin and toss rifles during their performance.
Staff will bring a rifle to the recruits' night of arrival to find out who may have any rifle experience as they are looking to secure a team of anywhere from six to 12 performers.
"We ask them if they have any rifle experience and we watch them spin. From there if we get say, 18 people that can spin, we take it from who knows their general orders, can pass their Physical Fitness Assessment, and keep them for the drill team," said Machinist's Mate 2nd Class Allison Ragin.
As the rifles weigh about 10 lbs., it's all about balance for the recruits who practice their routines for about four hours on Saturdays.
"We show them some footage from past graduations and tell them how long their routine needs to be and also give them direction, such as telling them, 'Okay, we're tired of seeing this same routine, come up with something new,' and they really come up with it on their own," said Ragin. "While they may not seem to get much time to practice, they do good with the time they do have."
One of the most prominent positions for the drill hall staff to train is the recruit review commander and adjutant who lead the divisions during the ceremony by issuing commands while standing front and center.
A great deal of scrutiny goes into choosing these positions as explained by Aviation Boatswain's Mate Handling 1st Class Kevin Marcellin.
"The review commander is chosen based on his presentation, appearance, demeanor, voice volume and pronunciation, military bearing and how well they follow instructions," said Marcellin. "About nine times out of 10 we try to get the divisional leadership and try to put them in leadership spots here in the drill hall."
The review commander is usually trained by the senior division that has already performed. The staff then provides quality assurance to the new review commander.
"As the staff unit instructors, we ensure they know how to speak as taught to them by the previous review commanders in peer-to-peer training," said Marcellin.
The recruit staff unit also is comprised of the side boys, time orderly, boatswain, support recruits, wardroom staff and rail guards.
"I look at being part of the staff unit as being privileged. A lot of recruits don't get to work in a 900 division or staff division," said Marcellin." When we screen for a staff unit we look for that military bearing, that confidence in them so I can put that recruit in front of the commanding officer, the executive officer or a four-star admiral, and I know they are not going to buckle down under pressure - they're going to maintain professionalism, military courtesy and bearing."
While graduation may be a joyous time for everyone, there are times when a recruit may not be feeling well or even faint and drill hall staff must immediately rush to their side to assist. Marcellin explains that recruits are given a safety brief at graduation practice the day before the ceremony as well as another reminder the morning of graduation.
"We tell them what to do in case they feel as if they are going to pass out or not feeling well so we tell them not to lock them knees. Locking knees affects their blood circulation and may cause them to feel light-headed and that's when they pass out," said Marcellin.
"We have recruit staff members, often referred to as "body snatchers," who are among the tallest recruits who go in between the divisions during graduation, and they will survey the recruits to ensure that everyone is not swaying or looking like they're about to pass out," said Marcellin. "If they do, they are instructed to grab them, take them and put them back in medical where corpsmen will tend to them. We always have corpsmen present at practice and throughout graduation."
As each graduation ceremony comes to a close, the drill hall staff is right back in the drill hall the following Saturday morning to continue preparing for the following week's ceremony all over again. With preparing for the same ceremony 48 times a year, Ezernack conveys why the staff continuously produces such a prestigious ceremony with pride in what they do.
"The job can get monotonous week in and week out but it's monotonous in a good way because each week we are trying to perfect what we are doing here," he said. "The boot camp graduation only happens once in a Sailor's life and each week we're keeping in mind that this is a special event for them and their families, so that helps break the monotony and put things into focus."
Boot camp is approximately eight weeks and all enlistees into the U.S. Navy begin their careers at the command. Training includes physical fitness, seamanship, firearms, firefighting and shipboard damage control along with lessons in Navy heritage and core values, teamwork and discipline. About 30,000 to 40,000 recruits graduate annually from RTC and begin their Navy careers.
For more news from Recruit Training Command, visit www.navy.mil/local/rtc/.
For more news from Recruit Training Command, visit www.navy.mil/local/rtc/.
| Date Taken: | 01.25.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 09.21.2018 08:22 |
| Story ID: | 293832 |
| Location: | NORTH CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, US |
| Web Views: | 366 |
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This work, Sailors Making Sailors: Midway Ceremonial Drill Hall Staff Key to Successful Boot Camp Graduations, by Susan Martin, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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