SAN DIEGO -- Drill instructors teach recruits about the traditions of the Marine Corps, but before they are able to do that, they need to make sure they are perfect at it themselves.
Students of Drill Instructor School began their guidon training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, July 10.
A guidon is a flag representing a unit or command, and in recruit training, it represents platoons. It is an important part during recruit training because it is the only thing that separates the platoons. The recruit who carries it is known as the guide, and he holds the most responsibility of any other recruit in the platoon.
During recruit training, the platoons start out with just a bare pole until they begin training, when they receive a yellow guidon. Once they complete initial drill and move to phase II of training they receive a red guidon, which they will have until graduation.
Drill Instructor School students are learning the ways to teach and transform recruits, but before they can help recruits, they must practice it themselves.
“All of us know what a guidon is,” said Staff Sgt. Justin A. Bowers, student leader, Drill Instructor School. “We need to break the rust off and bring those skills back to life.”
Drill Instructor School students are all at least the rank of sergeant of above and since recruit training, have had little opportunity to conduct drill movements, including handling the guidon.
This is one of the biggest challenges for instructors at Drill Instructor School, explained Gunnery Sgt. Fernando Cervantes, drill master, Drill Instructor School.
During the practice, students learned the correct position of attention and drill movements such as dress-right-dress and double time, executing each move multiple times until every student got it right.
“They are going to be going over the guidon manual three more times during their curriculum,” explained Cervantes, a native of Porterville, Calif. “Ultimately, these students will become drill instructors, and they will be responsible for teaching the recruits, so we have to make sure they know what they are doing.”
Cervantes explained the students will receive a performance evaluation toward the end of the cycle to ensure they have retained the material.
Although the students of Drill Instructor School have learned the basics of the guidon manual, they still have much more to learn while striving to be future Marine Corps drill instructors.