Dear Dr. Drill,
Recently in my squadron, the point has come up as to where the
Flight Commanderss are to be posted at the beginning of the formation as the NCOs are
reporting (Element Leaders to the Flight Sergeants, Flight Sergeants to the First
Sergeant, First Sergeant to the Cadet Commander, the whole bit). I have seen no
provisions for this in the beloved AFM 36-2203 and we were wondering what is supposed to
be done for this.
C/Capt COLIN C. CARMELLO, CAP
Bethesda Chevy-Chase Composite Squadron,
MDWG, MER, CAP
Dr Drill Responds
Dear Cadet Carmello,
Dr. Drill has searched his photographic mental database (which
contains the latest revision of the AFMAN 36-2203) and, in 0.9 nano-seconds, has returned
a response which reads:
Error – no reference found.
Bummer. You're hatin' life. AFMAN 36-2203 can’t
answer your question specifically.
But it does suggest the following, in the very first paragraph:
1.1.1. This manual includes most Air Force
needs in drill and ceremonies, but it does not cover every situation that may arise. For
unusual situations, using good judgment and taking into account the purpose of the
movement or procedure can often provide the solution. (See AFR 900-6.)
Which means you're pretty much almost on your own as it pertains
to situations not covered in the D&C manual.
Of course, now you're deep in despair.
"But Dr. Drill!" you wail, "There just has to be an
answer someplace!"
To which I would say: Sorry, trooper, it appears that the Air
Force doesn’t care if your flight commanders have their fingers in their ears, eating
the wax, waiting for the sergeants to say, “Hey – SIR! Time for
formation… get your pips over here!”
Or, perhaps… this is just a MAYBE here…. Could it be
that there’s ANOTHER reference that answers your question? NAAAH! AFMAN
36-2203 is the be-all, end-all of military drill and ceremonies, right?
WRONG.
Have you ever heard of the United States Army? It’s
this little band of soldiers that’s been around since 1775, more or less ensuring
your freedom along with the other branches of the US Military. They have this little
book called the Field Manual 22-5 (FM 22-5 for short). This manual is the Army Drill
and Ceremonies reference, and it’s about twice as thick as the Air Force
Manual. In fact, the AFMAN 36-2203 is derived FROM the FM 22-5. Take a look at
it online at it here.
It’s pretty good readin’.
So, as it says in AFMAN 36-2203, para 1.1.1, you have to exercise good judgement, why
not let our buddies over at the US Army exercise it for us? I mean, after all, they went
to the time and expense of writing this great manual, we might as well get a little of our
tax dollars back, huh?
To answer your very good question about where officers should
stand when NCOs are assembling a formation, let me define a few terms for you, and
we’ll dispatch that question of yours with CadetStuff efficiency. Ready?
Here we go…
The Army calls an Element a SQUAD
The Army calls a Flight a PLATOON
The Army calls a Squadron a COMPANY
The Army calls a Group a BATTALION
The Army calls a Wing a BRIGADE
The Army calls an Airplane an INFERNAL CONTRAPTION
The Army calls your sister -
Let's leave that last one alone, shall we? Dr. Drill doesn't want
to burn any bridges just before prom season...
Now that you’re fluent in the Army’s lingo, we can refer
to FM 22-5, Section 7-3, d… and I quote (CAUTION – ARMY SPEAK AHEAD)….
d. The company may be formed by the first sergeant (platoon
sergeants) or by the company commander (platoon leaders). When possible, the platoons
assemble near the formation site before the arrival of the first sergeant or company
commander. If the company is formed by the noncommissioned officers, the platoon leaders
normally observe the procedures from a position to the rear of their platoons.
And you thought the army was low-crawling the whole time!!
Oh, how wrong you were! Oh, and don’t worry… Dr. Drill will not try to
describe the screwy language of the US Navy without adult supervision and parental
controls…. That language gets REALLY weird.
Let’s get back to that formation thingy again. Many
believe that officers should stand off to the side of the formation while NCOs do the
forming and reporting. Continuing, officers should march on together from the
respective sides of the formation, pause, and all face to the front together. Just
curious – where’d you all hear that? I’m not sure I’ve seen it
written anywhere. Why not insert a couple of side-straddle hops (military jumping
jacks) while you’re at it?
This is yet another case of what Dr. Drill calls, “Vigilante
Drill.” The book doesn’t say how it’s done, so we’ll make up our
own way that looks pretty cool and is usually extremely cumbersome. Wrong
answer. (I can just see the three red Xs on the screen a-la Family Feud, can’t
you?) Remember, drill and ceremonies are supposed to look sharp and crisp and
military… but they’re also supposed to be relatively simple! Getting a
group of people to execute a maneuver together in an EFFICIENT manner! Keep that in
mind, and you’ll be all set!
I’ve saved this final point for last, because I feel it is
the most important. All kidding aside – this is serious!
Have you ever had a question about drill and ceremonies and
brought it to your squadron commander? Then you were unsatisfied with his or her
answer, so you asked Dr. Drill…. And when Dr. Drill came up with something different,
you went back to your commander and said, “Sir, you’re WRONG ‘cause Dr.
Drill said THIS!”
CAUTION… WARNING… WHOOP, WHOOP – PULL
UP!
What we've got here is a failure to communicate - tactfully!
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 Manual and knows some
people who know some things, but he's not the Final Authority on what happens at your
squadron. That Final Authority is? That's right, kids! Your SQUADRON COMMANDER.
So, here's what you do: if you find that Dr. Drill tells you
something different (Editor's note: Or Drill for Dummies, etc.), then what you
should do is get some reference materials, prepare your arguments and PowerPoint
presentation so that a 3 year-old could understand it (We are talking about squadron
commanders here!) and go to the Old Man and say, "Sir, I've been doing some
research on that. Can I show you what I found?" Then, if your commander insists that
you should still do it wrong: Drive on, trooper! After all, you're the one holding the
cold stethoscope at your squadron, not Dr. Drill!
Until next time, sports fans…
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 the policy of Civil Air Patrol
unless quoted from an up-to-date Civil Air Patrol regulation. Even then, it may not
be the policy of Civil Air Patrol. ALWAYS CHECK WITH YOUR CHAIN OF COMMAND AND REVIEW THE AFMAN 36-2203! |
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