Reserve drill sergeants from the 3rd Bn., 415th Regiment, were brought in by the RTC to make the experience as much like Basic Combat Training as possible. The battalion has been assisting with Devil’s Warrior Brigade for the last four years, and this weekend provided the drill sergeants an opportunity to hone their skills on tasks required from them when they serve at basic training rotations. In addition, drill sergeant candidates who have not been to Drill Sergeant School were given a taste for the level of proficiency they must reach.
Drill sergeants and drill sergeant candidates team up to instruct trainees in a number of areas including physical training, marksmanship, drill and ceremony, urban operations, fire-and-maneuver drills, and an obstacle course.
Sgt. 1st Class Wade Parker, a drill sergeant with 3rd Bn., 415th Regiment, and a Missoula, Mont., resident, explained that he and his team of drill sergeants condensed the nine weeks of Army basic training into one weekend in order to help the Solders overcome their fear of the unknown.
“The important piece is not only the skill sets that the warriors learn here but what to expect at basic training,” said Parker.
He explained that prior to basic training, trainees do not know what to expect from the drill sergeants, how they will be treated or how their bodies will feel after a full day of training. However, those who participate in the Devil’s Brigade Challenge have a better idea of what to look forward to.
One Soldier who took part in the challenge feels more prepared for basic training.
“I think this weekend will really set us apart from the kids that don’t have anything like this,” said Pvt. James Irvine, a Belt, Mont. resident.
During the course of the weekend, the Soldiers engaged in a competition between the eight companies, similar to the process in basic training. They were allotted points based on individual and group performance on each task. At the end of the weekend, they participated in an award ceremony where the company, which scored the highest in each of the events, earned a battle streamer to be placed on their unit guidon.
The RTC named the training exercise in honor of the First Special Service Force, a U.S.-Canadian Special Forces unit that trained in Helena for combat in World War II. The unit was later nicknamed “The Devil’s Brigade.”