Hey there future battles. Just stopping in to say good luck in DSS and we can't wait to get your asses out here on the trail. Get ready for the long days and even longer nights. Enjoy school!!! SoldiersAreAtlas, you might wanna bring that trenchcoat. I know when I was in DSS we ended up wearing it when it rained.

Tango Mike Regulator....

SoldiersAreAtlas,
I will give you my absolutely unofficial advice and repeat my disclaimer at the end of this.

I too jumped through certain orifices to find my black AW coat and field jacket. I even spent almost $200 at clothing sales to complete the clothing list.

Then on day 2 our DS’s told us they are going to treat us like big boys (and 1 girl) and not have us dump our bags. While there is a chance we will wear the field jacket because some guys have yet to be re-issued a gortex from CIF, we have yet to. We were told there is little to no chance the black AW coat will be worn at all. (it was raining the day of the class A inspection and were not told to bring it).

So to sum up my answer, it’s a crap shoot. Your platoon (class date) may do a bag dump. You may actually have a really cold day and wear one of them. Your decision, I just know they were unnecessary for me to bring.

NOTE: if you by chance buy a field jacket to come here, take pleasure in the fact you will be issued an ACU one half way through the course.

Repeating theme:
FINNAL NOTE (disclaimer): Due to the very recent change of DSS it appears that there are significant variations of treatment between the different platoons (class dates). My opinions and advise are only based on my experiences and yours may be different.

ArmySarge,

Yeah, I kinda figured as much. Well, I guess on the plus side....the fact that you went out and forked out the cash to make sure you had everything, and the fact that I even bother to ask is probably a good thing, right?


Stay cool bro....

ArmySarge,

Im glad that you just told me that cause I just went and bought an ACU field jacket. lol Im going to to take it back first thing in the morning and get my money back. I was also told that I will possibly get a bag dump along with a very detailed inventory. Better to be prepared though I always say.

so....no bag dump/inventory (as of day 5, 18MAR08)....got our 1st module today....SPT is a lot harder than it looks IF YOU DO IT RIGHT....and b/t blanket RBI's for everyone and the hours....i've gotten about 12hrs sleep in the past 72hrs....i'm actually gettin' pumped now cause its really kinda suckin', but now its like i'm actually gettin' more motivated the more it sucks....shame its gonna turn into BNCOC all over again in about 4-5 more weeks....

(tomorrow = change direction of a column to right, from the halt....wheeeee!!!)

quote:

1) Put down your module book.

There is much less focus on modules then as I have heard in the past. That dirty word is not even mentioned until around day 5-6. Knowing all of them before you get here would be great, but unnecessary. You will be tested on ONE module for each of the 3 methods of instruction and these will be tested on different days. You will be given an example of all modules in that MOI and will then do station training on those modules. Later that night the module you will pitch is randomly selected (dice or picked out of a hat, guess which type of hat…) and you will be given 1-1.5 days to prepare for that ONE module. The process is then repeated until all 3 MOI’s are tested. No shark attack on day 0 where you will have to recite up to 3 modules on command.

NOTE: It is highly, highly recommended that you know at least one module in order to memorize the format. Once you learn the format they are in you can just plug the new information in and go.
*****

As I said before, you don’t get dropped much nowadays, you just get RBI’s like they are going out of style. You work 16+ hour days 6 days a week, but if you looked the wrong way during “COVER” you know have to HAND WRITE the module, forming and aligning the platoon in column formation.

I am currently in the USAR version of drill sergeant school at Ft. Knox and, if you are Army reserve there are some differences worth mentioning. First, modules are still a BIG issue here - you need to know the first 3 modules (attention/rest positions/hand salute) before coming because we pitched all 3, back to back without stopping, on about day 3 of DSS and 44% of the school had to re-test. We also pitch another modules about every 3-4 days and we roll to pitch one module from each set (stationary drill, facing movements, steps & marching, basic manual of arms, advanced manual of arms, squad drill and platoon drill). Yesterday we finished re-testing no go's on squad drill, which is the major killer for those who rolled the dice and got "Count off, Stack Arms and Take Arms" or "Forming, Aligning, and dismissing the squad." Tomorrow we pitch 2 SPT modules back to back, then take an SPT written test, followed by a test over TRADOC regulation 350-6. Later in the week we pitch our final module, Platoon Drill. I luckily rolled for Column Right during Squad drill and got a first time go.

Also, be prepared for a slightly different work week. Our days have run from 12-20 hours (we literally have had first formations at 3:30 am some days) and this school is 58 days (including in-processing and graduation) 7 days a week (we have 1 guy getting POed because they don't even give an option of going to church on Sunday - formation at 5-5:30 and go straight through until 18:30-19:30). The training schedule shows 3 days of during the 58 days - today for Easter and 2 days in April for Sunday training holidays. Our DSL read us the TRADOC guidelines for the active duty school which was something like 49 days, with Sundays off and 10 hour standard work days, but I assume they go above that level some. We tend to get ahead of the training schedule some days, because things tend not to take as long for sergeants as the training schedules standards, so we are hoping to get some days off or early days in Phase III. Yesterday they let us off at 2:00 (8.5 hours) to get an early start on the Easter holiday, so this is the most time off I've had. Anyhow, after Phase I you get the idea that you can make it through and after not drawing the 2 hard modules in squad drill I am pretty sure of it.

On the plus side, another month or so and I won't have to wear a beret anymore.

To let all of yall know, you do need to learn the first 3 modules in the book. Believe it or not, modulating helps you to learn how to instruct. Although you will never modulate again once you are on the trail (unless you're going for DSOY of course)it helps you to understand how to better train a Private by breaking down the steps in your head and allowing you to see how you can modify the wording so that an 18-year old Private New Boot fresh off his mama's couch can understand what you are teaching them. So although it's no longer a requirement to do in BCT land, keep current with it because it will make you a better teacher and a better Drill Sergeant.

Thank you for the input regulator. I know this is just the first step in getting on the trail and appreciate any advice. I like what one of the DS's said durring an embedment. "DSS only prepares you to be a DSS graduate. You realy learn out here."

Looking forward to it.

Hello all,

I am new to this forum. I am in the process of leaving the Guard to join a Reserve Drill Sergeant unit after 16 years in the Infantry.

Don't know if I will be sent to the reserve school or an active duty one.

I notice that Leonard Wood breaks down training time into hours and there is 93 hours for marksmanship. Is that nomenclature, disassembly, zeroing, and qual, or have they added more to the POI, like reflexive fire?

Thanks. After all these years, I'm sure I'll need to watch my language and the unapproved cadences, but I'll get squared away . Thanks guys.

Hey MM, thanks for keeping the topic alive!

Not to repeat myself but I was at the Jackson DSS, which at this point should be the only AD DSS open.Our Rifle Marksmanship was a bit of a mix of the old and new. Our people bought on to the Asymetric warfare group and army marksmanship unit method of teaching and POI's. This included minutes of angle, different grouping and zeroing, shooting positions, reflexive fire, and a whole lotta plain ol range time. Assembly/ disassembly was an implied task.

From what I've gatherd the reserves still do their DSS old school, so enjoy either way.

Thanks, armysarge72. I compared the POIs of the FLW, Benning, and Jackson schools to get an idea as to what I need to do to pass. They all vary, I know Lost in the Woods closed recently, and TRADOC changed the school POI also (I read some of your previous posts---very informative).

Stupid question here, bear with me, I'm a half-deaf Mortar guy who's been to Iraq , but do they want us to coach a trainee to actually zero and then qual---or do they want us to zero, then qual? I'm not sure what's being asked of us as candidates. It would suck no-going that task because some nintendo generation whiz kid can't shoot, and I know as a drill, I'll be dealing with tons of them during BRM.

Thank you for your time.

I'll be there at Jackson in a few weeks for the school, now I have a question, how if it is turning into something like a "gentleman's course" as some of my fellow NCO's call it are NCO's being made to sleep on the floor? My BN has someone going through now that called back and was like I was just made to sleep on the floor like a basic trainee for a week. Now I was never made to sleep on the floor, I had lights out at a certain time every night, lets get real here is there really a need to treat DSS NCO's worse then a new soldier is able to be treated? Yes there are more things that a DSS has to do that we did not see all the time, and you have to pack being a instructor into what my school orders say is like 60 days so I get the long hours, but cmoe on. Guess I am in for a rude awaking at the school in a few weeks.

Being infantry all these years, I have always understood "gentleman's course" as defined as a course that lacks a ton of field time, like PLDC (or Warrior Leader or whatever it's called now), BNCOC, or ANCOC. I guess you can still sleep on the floor and still make first call for the daily dose of "Death by PowerPoint." Who knows. I'm told the Drill Sergeant course is like all NCOES courses rolled into one.

My biggest adjustment will be transitioning to the mindset of a trainee and getting smoked for minor infractions, if that's how they run it. Hopefully not. The Big Boy rules approach would be greatly appreciated. That's how I roll with my men as an NCO. Treat everyone like men and sit on that one guy who doesn't get it, doesn't care, or has a bad attitude. Being on the Trail must be a little different, I would imagine, however.

Another question for anyone on the Trail who has recently completed the course---apologies if it has already been posted:

Do you eventually memorize all of the modules and what worked for you when you tried to memorize all that stuff? Any tricks or methods? That's a lot of modulating to memorize and instruct. I am only going to memorize the stationary modules.

Thanks again.

Hello Everyone,
I'm currently scheduled to attend DSS in March of '09, what can I expect as a SFC at DSS. All the informaiton listed above is very helpful, and if anyone has recently graduated from DSS, what are, if any, the most recent changes. I have been waiting four years to attend DSS, but my deployments have been an obstacle. After hounding branch, I am finally on order to DSS and then duty to Ft. Knox. Any information would be greatly appreciated.

SFC "Audie"