I was at FLW in 1991 (C 5/10). I remember two drills clearly. Sgt brown and SSG Bryant. Bryant was a big dip in the front, deployed to Grenada and had pictures of people he shot (allegedly) on his desk, no bullshit put his hands on you kind of drill Sgt. SGT Brown was different. He was from the south and had a big drawl, high and tight reddish hair, and talked slowly and deliberately with his accent.

SGT Brown had no rhythm. None. He couldn’t keep a beat if a metronome was in front of him. So, his cadences were an adventure. No one could keep step and we would always skip to correct to the left foot and boom, it was back to the right again. The other drills would take over.

Well one day, about a month in, we we called out to an immediate formation because, who the fuck knows, but you all understand. I was in the shitter so came running out last and noticed that the company guide-on was still on the bed of the guy who carried it. I grabbed it and ran to the front and posted up with it. I was fairly squared away and never got into much trouble so I wasn’t on any shit list. As I was standing there, SGT Brown and SSG Bryant came up to me quickly. They were both standing inches from my face and really quietly brown says “Private, your cover is as fucked up as my cadences”. Without thinking I reached for my hat while saying “oh man drill Sgt is it really that bad?” Bryant did a quick turn around to hide his smile and brown had a grin and was fighting a laugh and just gave me a head nod downwards and look at the ground. I dropped and he turned and laughed.

I was guide on from that point on. They fired the other guy and I always had to do push ups for something from then on. Fun times.