Drill Down

Back at my good old alma mater CGA, cadets participated in a few different military-specific events and carried out some activities designed to hone our military precision. Or poise. Or something. Point being, the Coast Guard Academy is indeed a military service academy and we cadets were expected to behave accordingly. We had room and wing inspections once a month, marched to classes, attended formations, and conducted military parades pretty much every Friday. When you're a freshman, or fourth class (4/c) cadet, you also participate in Drill Down.

You know the drill teams who spin their rifles and stuff? Well, we did something like that. Every Friday morning we marched in formation with our companies and our weapons ("Sir, my piece is a U.S. rifle, M1, gas-operated, clip-fed, air-cooled, semi-automatic shoulder weapon!") and every Friday afternoon we showed off those skills to visitors on the parade field. Drill down was something a little more special and intense though. Each company sends two cadets to the competition. My memory is a little vague, because it has been fourteen years since I was a 4/c, but you dress up in a parade uniform and get inspected, along with fifteen of your peers.  Then a more senior cadet goes down the line and takes the rifle from each freshman, and spins it and opens and closes the bolt and throws indoctrination questions at the freshman. The 4/c, while at the position of attention, has to sound off while answering those questions, which could be anything from the chain of command to the movies playing at the local theater, while paying attention to the rifle. When the senior offers the rifle back, it must be right-side up and with the bolt the way it was when the 4/c handed it over. (I forget if that is open or closed). If the 4/c accepts the rifle back in anything but the perfect condition, they are docked points. They are given points for uniform and military appearance, and their ability to answer all the questions correctly. In the next round you practice all the various rifle and facing movements. After the third round, there are only a few cadets left, and the points are tallied. Winners are announced and they get special privleges as well as bragging rights for their company. (Here's a recent post someone else wrote about her experience: http://www.uscga.edu/blog.aspx?id=5791)

 I think I only participated in drill down once or twice, but I really enjoyed it. It was stressful, but definitely one of those traditions that I look back on fondly. I was really good with the indoctrination, but only average at the rifle skills. I made it past the first round of competition, but I never placed. Here are a few pictures of Baby Cadet Cherry, circa 2000 or 2001.

*I edited these stupid things to make them right-side-up, and after I uploaded them the first time they were still sideways. So then I went into my Picasa album and edited them there, and uploaded them again. They're still a little wonky, but I give up. You can go look at them on my Facebook page if you're super curious.*