By Sgt. 1st Class Reginald P. Rogers/TRADOC News Service
FORT MONROE, Va. (TRADOC News Service, June 20, 2003) – A computer-aided designer and avid physical fitness guru from Louisville, Ky., became part of history today by being named as the U.S. Army’s 2003 Reserve Component Drill Sergeant of the Year.
Sgt. 1st Class Corenna L. Rouse took home the Reserve title, while Sgt. 1st Class Billie Jo Miranda, who represented Fort Jackson, S.C., earned the same honor for the Army’s Active Component. Their achievements marked the first time two women will hold the titles in the same year.
Rouse said despite her confidence, winning the competition was a bit of a surprise.
“The guys are so much better at looking hard and showing no emotion,” she said following the competition. “They have that posturing thing, and there were some people who looked so sure they were going to win. They showed so much confidence that I started believing them.”
During the competition, the competitors were required to write an essay on “how the Army could generate more volunteers for the drill sergeant program.” Rouse, who admits to being a strong writer, said it was a question that really didn’t apply to the Reserve drill sergeant program because there is no problem with finding volunteers in that component. But she did have ideas for the active-duty drill sergeant program.
“As a Reservist, looking at it from an active standpoint, we can’t just throw incentive out there like additional money,” said Rouse. “That’s not going to attract people. We have to address what keeps people from the program.
“When I was on active duty, one of the things that kept people from the program was the fact that it was intimidating,” she continued. “Drill sergeants were the best-of-the-best. They’ve got such an outstanding reputation for keeping the highest standards that some people are initially afraid of it. Not really going from the format of the schoolbook, but (afraid of) being a drill sergeant and not doing well. … Drill sergeants have the image that they’re not perfect, but they’ve got it so together that they’re almost untouchable.”
She said another reason for the low volunteer rate is because there is really no one available to teach prospective drill sergeants on how achievable the standards are for passing the school.
She added that another thing that would help the drill sergeant program is if drill sergeants were given a break following a continuous string of training cycles.
Rouse works as a computer-aided drafter for Dant-Clayton in Louisville. She has also formed her own company, Back to Basics, which provides regimented physical training to its clients.
She said she found happiness in the Army using a skill her father taught her as a teen.
“My drill sergeant motivated me,” explained the 33-year-old Louisville Cardinals fan. “I’m petroleum supply and my dad is a truck driver. He taught me to drive a truck when I was 15 years old. So when I went into the Army a POL person, they gave me a five-ton tractor and a 5,000-gallon fuel tanker and I was like ‘yeah!’ I was so happy!”
Rouse said she was influenced by the first sergeant of a training company while attending the Basic Noncommissioned Officers Course. He saw her during a PT test and encouraged her to become a drill sergeant.
She explained that every drill sergeant has his own reasons for going “on the trail.” But she offered encouragement to any NCO who is considering it but may be unsure.
“In the Reserves, we have the other problem,” she said. “We have so many people wanting to (become drill sergeants). Usually if I talk to someone, I tell them don’t even think about doing this unless you’ve got good support from your family or your (unit’s) staff.
“They have to know how much time you’re going to sacrifice to study,” she continued. “Pretty much, just know what you’re getting into and be willing to do it. (Drill sergeant) is not just one of those schools where you say ‘Hey, let’s do it just to see if I can pass it.’ It shouldn’t be just a little challenge because passing the school is one thing, but when you finish and realize that this is now my job, a lot of drill sergeants have 'stage fright.'”
Rouse said being a drill sergeant does have its rewards.
“It has been extremely rewarding,” she said. “There is nothing better than working with privates and watching it click. It’s got nothing to do with yelling at them. It’s got nothing to do with being in a position of power. In fact, it’s just the opposite. It’s a very humbling experience to be around these kids. The kids coming in the Army today are not stupid. They are a lot smarter and, in a lot of ways, they are wiser in what they expect from the Army.
“So to train high-speed civilians and turn them into Soldiers, watch them really finally grasp a task that they didn’t think they could do,” she said, “to me that is the best feeling in the world. Watching their confidence grow, I guess, is similar to what teachers do. To me, there is just no better feeling in the world.”
Rouse will return to Kentucky’s 100th Division, which supplements drill sergeants in training units at the U.S. Army Armor Center, Fort Knox, Ky.