Jonathan Calderon Professor Fuentes English 11/14/13

Drill team

This ethnography is the study of a high school Drill Team. There is little research showing the complexity, high expectations, and demanding nature of Drill Team. A Drill Team is a military platoon, which is a group of individuals in the military who belong to a certain area or unit. Using facing movements, such as turning the body left or right in a specific order, Drill Teams create a very precise performance of military discipline and accuracy. Platoons contain three or more "squads", or three or more rows of Cadets aligned or "dressed" in an orderly fashion. The Drill community uses a very distinguished and orderly ranking system containing three factions of command. There is the Commander, who is the leader and has say over every individual on the team. There is the XO, orwho stands for Executive Officer, he or she is the Commanders right-hand but still must report to, and is a subordinate to the Commander. Finally, there are the Cadets. These are the individuals in the platoon who follow the commands of the Commander. The Cadets report to the XO as well as the Commander, while the XO can take charge of the Cadets, but still reports to the Commander. The Commander takes charge of every individual, including the XO. This ranking system keeps order while the team completes their training exercises and practices their movements.
Comment [J1]: No

The team is made up of multiple units, including the Platoon, (which can be armed or unarmed), the Squad (armed or unarmed), and the Color Guard; the Color Guard carries the United States flag in a respectful and ceremonial manor. Within each of these units is a complex lexis, which also includes multiple factions such as: marching with a weapon or marching without a weapon. "Marching" is a synchronized movement of Cadets standing up straight, hands folded, arms swinging and looking forward. When marching, the Commander will say commands such as: "left face", "right face", "about face" and "forward march". These commands tell the Cadets which way they must turn. To start a Squad or Platoon into a march, the Commander will call "forward march", which means to start marching forward. A command is made up of two parts. The first part of any command is called the "preparatory command". This command tells the Cadets what type of task they are going to complete. In the command "left face" the command "left" tells the Cadet that they will be turning left, and that they must prepare to turn. After that the "execution command" is called, this tells the Cadet that they must now complete the task. In the same command "left face" the phrase "face" is the "execution" command. When this is called the Cadet must follow the command swiftly and precisely. Marching with a weapon is similar to marching normally. The differences are when marching with a weapon Cadets are carrying an M1903A3 Word War Two rifle, forty two inches long and weighings approximately ten pounds. This rifle can only be marched with using certain techniques and commands that are onlythat can only be used when a rifle is present in a Platoon or Squad. the commands are virtually the same Wwhen marching or preparing to march, while holding a rifle, based on observation the commands are virtually the same. Though there are 2

some changes and preparations that Cadets must complete before they can properly execute the command. When Cadets have rifles the command "attention" brings them into formation and prepares them for the Commander. They must place their rifle one inch away from their right foot and pointing straight up the side of the Cadet's right leg., tTheir left hand must be folded and placed along the seam of their left pant leg.; theyThey must be looking straight forward and silent while they await orders from the Commander. When the Commander gives the Cadets a facing movement command, such as: left, right or about face, they must lift their rifle up one inch from the ground during the preparatory command. This allows the rifle room to move without dragging it across the floor, keeping the routine neat and precise. Then, once the Commander has paused for a brief moment allowing Cadets to prepare, he calls the execution command, wherein which Cadets moves swiftly and accurately. While turning, Cadets are required to keep control of the rifle not allowing it to swing out or drag on the pavement. Once they finish this, they must place their rifle back onto the floor silently and await further orders, thus completing the command. Finally, there is a form of initiation that Cadets go through on the Drill Team. This is called "Hell Week". This is the time where Cadets are taught extensively on commands and movements. This is where Cadets learn their basic terminology and are trained specifically on precision and reactions times. When a Cadet makes a mistake theyhe or she is are required to do push-ups. This form of punishment instills in them that they must be perfect with every movement. Through this, the Drill Team is a "well oiled machine" and runs as efficiently as possible. When interviewing the Commander of the Drill Team, he was asked about the lexis the team uses, how long it took to learn it, was it hard to remember, and how haves his commanding 3

skills, his precision and his timing developed over the years on the team. When asked about the language the Commander, Cadet Emanuel McGill uses, he replied saying, "At first, it's all new information., You're trying to learn every word and make sure you get it down pact before practice, but you start remembering and it becomes second nature." He was asked how he has developed his precision and skills over the years, he replied saying, "The more you train and practice, the better you get simple as that. The better you get, the more things you can do, like Color Guard and Squad Fancy, this means you need to learn more commands and fast because I have much higher expectations from you." (McGillPersonal interview).This shows that the community is unique and that in order for a Cadet to learn, Cadets must be an active member of the team and practice terminology in order to fully become a part ofmember on the team. An interview with two-year Cadet, Alisha Donely, was also conducted. Alisha was asked a series of similar questions. When asked how long it took to start learning the language used during practice, she replied saying, "I have only been on Drill for a year and a half, but I still dont know it all, I want to command when I'm a sSenior so I have a lot to learn until then." She was also asked how have her skills and precision changed since the first day at practice to today. Cadet Donely replied, "Well, I have gotten a lot better thats for sure, but I still have more to learn, I still have years of Drill ahead of me, which means more learning and training." In closing, the Cadet was asked whether time spent on the team matters, and she replied saying," I think it does and doesn't, because Mathew Cook who was one of our main rifle spinners on the team, he joined our junior year. I think that it matters on how much you're dedicated and how much you practice. Though there are also those who have been here since freshman year, and they're just as good, practice is what makes perfect, not just time alone."(DonelyPersonal

interview) This interview showed that time can be important, but that anyone can join Drill Team as long as they train and practice the information. This paper shows that tThough the Drill tTeam uses complex language and requires time, the community can be joined and the discourse learned, even if someone only stays for a couple of years. You simplyThough you still need to train and practice to be taught the language and terminology used throughout the team. It also explains that in order to understand the inner workings of the community, you must take part and be on the Drill Team in order to understand and become part of the community.; Thus, making the Drill Team, is a unique and diverse community.of practice.

Work Cited "Emanuel McGill Interview." Personal interview. 2 Nov. 2013 "Alisha Donely Interview." Personal interview. 2 Nov. 2013