Us Army Drill Commands
Vinnie Frevert
Drill commands are generally used with a group that is marching, most often in military foot drills or in a marching band.[1][2][3] Drill commands are usually heard in major events involving service personnel, reservists and veterans of a country's armed forces, and by extension, public security services and youth uniformed organizations.
In the Commonwealth countries, the following saluting on the march commands are ordered with a preparatory command of Saluting on the march.... For example, Saluting on the march, to the front salute and always called on the left foot.
In the United States, the command for saluting on the march is "Eyes, right/eyes left". The parade formation commander and other officers execute the hand salute or execute sabre salute if available (especially if full dress uniform is worn) (and if present on parade the company guidon bearers dip them in salute about 90 degrees above the ground), while everyone but the right file or left file in either case turns their heads to the right. The command for recovery is "Ready, front." If the command does not have rifles, they will salute if given the command Present arms. The arms will be lowered back to their normal position on the commands Order arms. They can also salute if given the command Hand salute. The salute is raised when the parade leader finishes saying "salute", and is lowered in after being held for the same amount of time elapsed between the words "hand" and "salute."
In the United States, salutes at a halt are given on the command "hand salute". They are lowered in the same amount of time elapsed between the two words. The command "present arms" will cause the command to salute if the command is not given rifles for the ceremony, but the salute will be held until they are ordered to lower it with the command "order arms".
Cavalry drill had the purpose of training cavalrymen and their horses to work together during a battle. It survives to this day[update], albeit in a much-diminished form, in the modern sporting discipline of dressage. The movements sideways or at angles, the pirouettes, etc., were the movements needed for massed cavalrymen to form and reform and deploy. Of the proponents of classical dressage from which modern dressage evolved, probably the best known[original research?] are the Lipizzaner Stallions of the Spanish Riding School in Vienna. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police's Musical Ride gives an inkling of what massed cavalry drill at speed would have looked like.
Other tasks may be broken down into drills; for example, weapons maintenance in the British army used the rhythmic "naming of parts" as a memory aid in the teaching and learning of how to strip, clean, and reassemble the service rifle.
"The importance of drill and ceremony is rooted in tradition during the Revolutionary War from Baron von Stueben," Staff Sgt. Gene Lucas, Chaplain's office and Army Sustainment Command color guard. "The importance of drill and ceremony is the basic things, our lineage, and our forefathers that marched in World War II, but do the same things that we do now. It is about passing it along to the next generation and the generations to come."
The winter of 1777-78 was a dark time for the Continental Army. Gen. George Washington chose to winter at Valley Forge, Pa. There was a lack of food, clothing and other basic supplies for the Army during this time. The training the Soldiers received at this point was haphazard and fragmented leading to issues with discipline and uneven performance against enemy forces.
Friedrich Wilhelm Augustus von Steuben, chiefly known in America as Baron von Steuben (1730-1794), was an officer in the Prussian Army from 1746-63 and a major general in the Continental Army from 1778-84. Baron von Steuben benefited from being part of a special cadre trained by Fredrick the Great of Prussia and serving as his aide-de-camp.
He received a letter of introduction from Benjamin Franklin and presented himself to Congress in Philadelphia. Shortly thereafter, he travelled to Valley Forge, Pa. and was assigned as the temporary inspector general by Washington.
Von Stueben saw that everything was lacking except for the morale of the army. Once his inspections were complete, he set about writing his Regulations for the Order and Discipline of the Troops of the United States, commonly known as the "Blue Book." This manual was the foundation of discipline, drill and ceremony in the U.S. Army. This manual established the military training and maneuvers that helped the Army become the premier fighting force that it is today.
"Drill and ceremony is all about military bearing and how you conduct yourself in a military manner," Sgt. Mitchell Sta. Ana, material management non-commissioned officer for Rock Island Arsenal. "It dates back to the American Revolution War."
"Drill and Ceremony has always been a part of the Army," said Roberts. "It is a way for us to show honor and respect for someone ranging from heroic deeds to the burial of a military person who has passed away. Drill and ceremony is one of the first things Soldiers learn when they enter the military. It helps develop pride and confidence in their actions, learning professionalism and most importantly, it teaches them how to work as a team. As a senior leader, drill and ceremony is important to me, because it is and always will be a part of the military. It continues to honor the tradition of those that have come before us. It builds esprit de corps: a common spirit of comradeship, enthusiasm, and devotion. A lot of training goes into executing drill and ceremony. It bonds us together as on, so no matter who is giving the commands, we all understand how it is supposed to be carried out."
"Conducting ceremonies does not get attached to discipline very often, but you must be disciplined in drill and ceremony," said Sgt. 1st Class Jared Clapper, mobility NCO. "You do not want to be that person who is out of step or the one who misses a movement. You want to show the proper respect, namely, when you are holding those flags and strong upper body when dipping the flags and standing there.
"It helps when respecting those that came before us, and teaching the new Soldiers that are coming in, the proper way to respect the flag and ceremonies and why we do things the way we do," said Clapper. "It gives them a chance to be a part of a ceremony instead of just sitting and watching. Going behind the scenes and working the ceremonies, understanding why they are marching up to the flag and the procedures of such events."
"It allows us to keep up our traditions, show pride, respect, and honor, for example during a change of authority ceremony," said Clapper. "It is symbolic of the outgoing sergeant major handing the guidon to the colonel and then the colonel passing it to the new sergeant major, that going of power, going of authority. It is very interesting to see. When flags are displayed, the Army flag is placed in the middle with the American flag on the right side higher than the other flags, in the place of honor. The Army flag is displayed with the first campaign streamer in the front, along with the latest or most current campaign streamer."
In addition, the Blue Book places in writing the duties of non-commissioned officers. These updated guidelines are still in use today, in Field Manual 7-22.7, The Army Noncommissioned Officer Guide and Training Circular 3-21.5, Drill and Ceremonies. Sergeants of the U.S. military are members of the premier NCO corps in the world today. Many nations send their sergeants to American NCO academies to learn the way we train our sergeants, so they can go back to their militaries and attempt to establish their own NCO training programs.
"Throughout the work week you will hear Reveille and Retreat being played," said Roberts. "This honors the American flag, daily, as it is raised and lowered on military bases. If you are outside and you hear reveille or retreat being played stop what you are doing and pay honor as well."
The retreat ceremony has two parts. First, the bugle plays "Retreat", after the firing of the cannon, the music changes to "To the Colors." Once the song changes the American flag is lowered and this signals the end of the official duty day. All personnel driving on the Island should stop, exit their vehicles and render honor to the American flag, this including service members and civilians. The appropriate salute should be rendered when the song changes. These honors are another example of the legacy that binds the 21st century Army to its foundations in the Revolutionary War.
Each of the three services in the United Kingdom has its own drill manuals. Most commands are the same across all three services, but there are significant differences in the way movements are carried out.[2]
The commands in English are very similar to British Drill commands while the commands in French are generally translations of the English. The Canadian Forces sometimes call weapon drill in French while march commands are called in English. This is done at units such as trades schools where both English and French are used. Unilingual English units and unilingual French units generally use their own language for all commands.[3] Commands are broken up into two parts: the "precautionary" (i.e. "Squad, single file from the left quick -") followed by the "executive" (-MARCH). There is a standard pause of two paces in quick time or one full second between the two commands, as well as between all drill movements.
For turns, basic precautionaries are "Advance/retire/move to the (right/left)" where turns to the right and left flanks are "move to the right in threes (three ranks) / in file (two ranks) / in single file." Inclines do NOT use directive precautionaries unless on a parade, where the chain of command will deem it appropriate.
The Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Germany, the Bundeswehr, use a basis of commands for all three service branches. The Army (Deutsches Heer) and Air Force (Luftwaffe) use the same commands; the German Navy (Deutsche Marine) has a number of additional commands for duty on a ship. The German "Guards Battalion" of the Federal Department of Defense ("Wachbataillon" beim Bundesministerium der Verteidigung) also have additional commands for honorary duties (Protokolldienst). The Wachbataillon commands mentioned below are only an excerpt of the latter's regulations.
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