McMillan

With DS Annoyed reassigned to a different platoon, we got a new DS today – DS McMillan. He’s one interesting character, and a great Drill Sergeant. He’s very tough when the situation calls for it, but he can turn around and motivate you to do your very best. He brings a great deal of energy and experience to the job. He has a very direct approach. Some other DS’s like him, while some others really seem to have a problem with his style. Pretty much all of the soldiers in my platoon like him, except for the ones that continually do the wrong thing – he’s very hard on them, but always tries to tailor punishment to promote learning and behavioral change.

One thing that particularly stands out with him is the cadences he sings. Cadences are the songs that are sung while marching soldiers. Some of them are very creative. Some can’t be sung anymore (at least not within earshot of officers), but those tend to be very funny. Darn PC is everywhere these days… DS McMillan is very musical, and very motivated, and that combination gets the whole platoon fired up. We turn heads around the Battalion when he marches us by.

We learned many cadences at BCT. Just one example follows (it is one that makes sense without knowing the music, but the music makes it all the better).

Around her neck…she wore a yellow ribbon.
She wore a yellow ribbon… in the merry month of May.
And if you asked her… why she wore that ribbon.
She wore it for the soldier who was far, far away.

Around the park… she pushed a baby carriage.
She pushed a baby carriage… in the merry month of May.
And if you asked her… why she pushed that carriage.
She pushed it for the soldier who was far, far away.

Behind his door… her daddy kept a shotgun.
He kept his shotgun… in the merry month of May.
And if you asked him… why he kept a shotgun.He kept it for the soldier who was far, far away.