Learning from Experience

“This recruit’s first general order of the sentry is to take charge of this post and all government property in view,” I yelled for the third time. Then without delay forty-five different voices reverberated the same line back to me. Their throats hurt; I knew this because they all sounded hoarse at least two days ago from their constant yelling, or “sounding off,” of the General Orders, Jody Calls, and marching ditties. We still pushed harder. And they really did need to push harder if they wanted to get through the last ten days on top. We had been denied the Esprit De Corps award for two days by Bravo Company and the title of Honor Company given at the end of Recruit Training seemed to have taken too many steps away from us. So we had to sound off to remind the Battalion Commander who really deserved the daily award. It was my charge to be a leader to the forty-five recruits in front of me and I performed with all of my ability.

         I was the Company Commander of Delta Company. It was my responsibility to ensure that forty-five recruits, age fourteen to eighteen, from the US Naval Sea Cadet Corp’s region eleven and twelve learned basic drill and knowledge of the navy over a two week period. It was my personal goal to mold them into a refined team which would put the other four units to shame. I was sixteen and I was to work with two other cadets my age, but of lower rank, which would serve as my partners. We had no previous experience commanding such a group, but we had one thing in common: we weren’t about to show any one of these recruits a sliver of hesitation. So the day they showed up we stood and yelled straight into each recruit’s face even when we had to jump up to reach his height. My throat was hoarse the first day.

         I woke up each morning and woke my designated Assistant Company Commander (ACC) and my Master-At-Arms (MAA). We put on the same navy dungaree uniform each recruit wore and the US Navy issued and then we picked up the trash cans and watched the clock, ready to wake the recruits at 0545. As the Company Commander it was my duty to ensure that Delta developed on schedule. I ensured each recruit woke, washed, made their rack, creased his uniform, polished his boots, or the company would push the deck until each recruit learned. Despite every responsibility I held, I knew I could not effectively lead a group through micromanagement so I assigned as many leadership roles as I could. On the third day I dropped the Drill Instructor attitude and Delta began one of the greatest transformations I have ever seen. We adopted the philosophy of “one family” instead of one unit. I enforced strict rule, but also held constant periods of peer bonding to facilitate learning. We won Esprit De Corps eight times after that day.

While leading Delta I learned through experience when the iron fist was necessary and when it became beneficial to change style. I learned to how to properly praise effort, punish failure, and care during moments of weakness. I gave Delta the chance to create their own unique Jody Calls (marching cadences) as rewards, made PT (physical training) a living hell with the help of Marines on hand when inadequacies became apparent, and encouraged peer bonding with group discussion when the young recruits became “homesick.” When Delta won Honor Company designation I felt a great weight lift from my shoulders. Several recruits and even my ACC began to cry at the position of attention; I even let a smile loose after I called the command “Fall Out.”

Being a leader during Recruit Training was one of my greatest experiences. I set my goals on arrival and in the end I felt that I had accomplished each one. I taught my company as best as I could and they learned as I had hoped. In the end I took away a lot of knowledge and experience of teamwork from being a leader. I felt as though I learned how to properly adapt to changing environments and help others cope around me. In those two weeks with Delta Company I became a different person, as if I found a whole new store of potential I never knew I had, which I can now carry with me anywhere I go; even better yet, I felt the same thing in my recruits as we separated  ways.