You can submit your questions to Dr. Drill via e-mail to : DrDrill@CadetStuff.org.

Yo Peabody!

Thank You

Dr. Drill responds...

Good morning, Sherman.

Of course, Dr. Drill doesn't know that your name is Sherman, but you didn't sign your letter and, since you called me Peabody, I guess that makes you Sherman. Frankly, of the two, Dr. Drill would rather be the cultured pooch than the pet boy with this shorts pulled up too far.

Anyway, on to your question.

Hmm... Didn't Dr. Drill just answer a question much like this? Oh yes: set the Wayback Machine to my answer to Lieutenant Oden, where I told him that he should probably spend some quality time with the D&C Manual. I'm going to make the same suggestion to you, killer.

If you had perused the table of contents, you would have found that the Air Force has anticipated YOUR question and created a section titled "Forming the Squadron in Line". Let's set the Wayback Machine for Section 5.3!

Ooh! Pretty pictures! Hey! Those are football diagrams! Isn't that the symbol for wide receiver?

No, actually, the ones Dr. Drill is looking at are squares with a cross at the top - that's the symbol for flight sergeant. And if you study Figure 5.1 for a brief second, you can see that the correct position for the flight sergeant is on the left flank of the last element.

One question down!

Your next question was "What does the Flight Commander report to the First Sergeant during opening formation?"

Quick answer: Nothing!

Slow answer: the First Sergeant should NEVER be at the head of the formation when the Flight Commanders are in front of their flights.

Let's take a look at the sequence of events when forming a squadron:

1. The first sergeant takes position and commands "FALL IN".
2. The flights fall in.
3. Each flight sergeant takes a post three paces in front of and centered on his flight.
4. The flight sergeants then command REPORT.
5. The element leaders in succession from front to rear of each flight salute and report.
6. The flight sergeants then face about.
7. First sergeant then commands 'REPORT'
8. The flight sergeants, beginning with the right flight, successively salute and report.
9. After all flights have reported, the first sergeant commands POST.
10. The flight sergeants face about and move by the most direct route to their positions in the ranks.
11. The squadron commander takes a position 12 paces in front of, centered on, and facing the squadron to receive the report of the first sergeant.
12. The first sergeant faces the squadron commander, salutes, and reports.
13. Without a command, the first sergeant faces about and moves by the most direct route to the appropriate position.
14. Flight commanders immediately take their posts after the first sergeant has reported.

Got it? The first sergeant automatically posts after reporting to the commander and, while he's walking off, the flight commanders walk on. Also, the appropriate responses for everyone when reporting are listed in the manual. Just for fun, why don't you see if you can find them on your own.

Dr. Drill is actually pretty disappointed in you Sherman. If you're a Cadet officer - and have been one for a couple years? - then you should know the basic concept of falling in as a squadron. At the very least you should know the D&C manual well enough to be able to find the answer to your questions. Perhaps all the officers in your squadron were passed up for command for a reason? Hmm..?

Looks like it's Obedience School for you!

Good luck,

Dr. Drill