Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego -- Platoon 2166 marched onto the parade deck in the midst of the morning and gave everything they had one last time.
Recruits of Company H, 2nd Recruit Training Battalion, laced up their boots for Final Drill aboard the depot, Nov.18.
From the day recruits stepped on the yellow foot prints, drill became part of their daily routine while in recruit training.
“Teaching recruits drill is to instill that discipline and instant obedience to orders,” said Sgt. Jeffery C. Dorsey, senior drill instructor, Plt. 2166.
According to Dorsey, a native of Snow Hill, Md., Final Drill was the last drill test recruits faced to show how far they had come since the beginning of recruit training.
Before Final Drill began, the senior drill instructor was instructed to pick a drill card with a specific set of drill movements for his platoon to execute.
The first half of Final Drill consisted of in-place movement and rifle manual, which are drill maneuvers such as port arms, order arms, about face, left face, right face, and others.
Recruits were graded on the precision of each movement and small detail such as excessive movement that would cost the platoon points off their score.
“We know drill is a team effort, so when we go out there we can rely on each other to execute the right command and hopefully make us win the competition,” said Pvt. Jacob A. Williams.
The last half of Final Drill was the marching portion. Recruits needed to stay in step with each other and execute each part of the maneuvers correctly while they stayed aligned and covered.
Throughout recruit training, recruits of Co. H thoroughly practiced all of the possible drill card movements. Therefore, regardless of the card picked, recruits would be prepared to properly execute any drill command.
“We practiced drill everywhere we went while the recruits were training,” said Dorsey. “We practiced while we marched and also inside the squad bay with something we call the mini grind.”
According to Dorsey, the “mini grind” is when recruits transformed the squad bay into a large area by moving their racks for the platoon to practice in-place drill movements.
The platoon has improved since their initial drill competition during first phase, according to Williams, an Aurora, Colo. native.
“We did well. They looked good from the front,” said Williams. “I can definitely see an improvement with our platoon when it comes to drill.”
Although Platoon 2167 received a trophy for their accomplishment in winning Final Drill, recruits who did not win took away the valuable experiences as well as the discipline that comes with drill.
“If I learned anything from drill it is team work and how to move as one,” said Williams. “It will be something I remember for the rest of my life.”