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Stomp in the name of love!

Dr. Drill

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

Dear Dr. Drill,

I have a big problem. I am in my second year, and I'm on drill team. I have to do alot of marking time, but I am short and c'ant make loud bangs. I think short legs are what's causing the problem, because our drill team commander is really tall and has long legs can make bangs that sound like gun fire. Do you have any suggestions? Please answer quickly, I think compitions are in Febuary.

Thanks.

Tiny.

Dr. Drill Responds

Dear Tiny,

Sorry to hear you're having problems. Dr. Drill has a doctorate in D&C, not physics or engineering, but I'd guess that it has to do with the size of his feet, his weight and the length of his legs. Or maybe he has a hollow leg...

But, who cares?

I take it you're in some flavor of ROTC, since you said you're in second year. You didn't mention which flavor, so I'm going to assume it's AFROTC. So, we'll use our old and trusty friend, the AFMAN 36-2203.

Let's take a look at the section on 'Mark Time', shall we? You kids at home follow along...

3.12. Mark Time:

3.12.1. The command is Mark Time, MARCH. When marching, the command MARCH is given as either foot strikes the ground. The airman takes one more 24-inch step with the right (left) foot. He or she then brings the trailing foot to a position so both heels are on line. The cadence is continued by alternately raising and lowering each foot. The balls of the feet are raised 4 inches above the ground. Normal arm swing is maintained.

Hmm... Looking for the word 'stomp', not seeing it. Anybody? Anybody? Bueller?

Tell me, Tiny: why are you stomping? It says "...lowering each foot...", not stomping each foot.

Well, let's do a little more analysis, shall we? Yeah, let's! Hmm...

v. lower v. low·ered, low·er·ing, low·ers v. tr.
1. To let, bring, or move down to a lower level.

v. stomp v. stomped, stomp·ing, stomps v. tr.
To tread or trample heavily or violently on.

Okay, sport; I see a definite conflict between the drill manual's instruction that you should move your foot down and your desire to trample violently. This sounds like more 'geurilla drill' to me. Do you guys have violent tendencies? Are you not getting enough time off? Stuck home alone on Saturday night?

Anyway, the Doctor's done a lot of marking time in his day and in every style of drill practiced in the U.S. military and he's never heard or seen anyone stomping during mark time. CAP Cadets tend to do so - as well as speeding up past Quick Time, but this is something the Doctor has been trying to cure since he took up his stethescope and reflex hammer lo' these many years ago!

So, my advice to you is to do your drill by the book. Because when you're stomping during Mark Time, you're not just stomping on the drill manual, you're stomping on Dr. Drill's heart...

Good luck, little fella!

Dr. Drill

Caution: Dr. Drill isn't always one hundred percent serious. Please activate your Joke Detectors. And don't call us when you find yourself explaining to a membership termination board why you used a staple gun to keep a cadet's hands at his sides during "To The Rear, March". All we're going to say on your behalf is "Duh!"

And if you find yourself on the bad end of a serious counseling because you decided to go toe-to-toe with your squadron commander over the position of the guide during a squadron-in-mass formation or something similarly trivial, well, we're just going to point, laugh and call you names!

Dr. Drill welcomes comments and corrections. Nothing herein is to be construed as official policy unless quoted from an up-to-date regulation or manual and Dr. Drill is not to be used as a blunt instrument to reshape the pointy heads of your superiors. Dr. Drill has made an extensive study of the drill and knows some people who know some things, but he's not the Final Authority on what happens at your unit. That Final Authority is? That's right, kids! Your UNIT COMMANDER.

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