Recruits take on Initial Drill

20 Feb 2009 | Lance Cpl. Ed Galo Marine Corps Training and Education Command

On Training Day 25, recruits step off for their first test on the Peatross Parade Deck.

Initial drill pits platoons against one another in their company.

Recruits must learn discipline, bearing and confidence. Drill is one of the best ways for recruits to learn these important traits on their way to becoming a U.S. Marine.

“Drill helps them work as a team,” said Gunnery Sgt. Jose D. Modesto, the senior drill instructor for Platoon 2018, Golf Company, 2nd Recruit Training Battalion. “It teaches them discipline and camaraderie. It definitely brings them together.”

Initial drill is the first team hurdle recruits  must overcome since arriving on the Depot, and possibly one of the most meaningful.

“I think it’s important because it shows how much they’ve done during first phase,” said Gunnery Sgt. Donnie Dickerson a drill instructor for Platoon 2018. “It’s almost like a sport. The recruits get real competitive.”

Throughout their training, recruits practice the art of close-order drill. They start off with the fundamentals and slowly move on to more complex and advanced movements.

“Drill is the first thing we teach them,” added Modesto, from Pawtucket, R.I. “It’s the first step toward teamwork.”

The recruits’ sense of teamwork and pride lead some of them to feel more confident in themselves and each other.

“It was fun,” said Rct. Evan Newcomer, a recruit with Platoon 2022, Golf Company, 2nd Recruit Training Battalion. “I was nervous in the beginning. I was also confident. I knew what I had to do.”

Initial drill isn’t only about the recruits.

“It also helps the new drill instructors gain confidence,” added Dickerson, from Norwalk, Conn. “Sometimes it can be a big thing for the new drill instructors.”

One can see a noticeable difference in the recruits during their initial drill compared to when they first arrived at the Depot.

This change is the first of many along their three-month journey of earning the title U.S. Marine.


Marine Corps Training and Education Command