Fort Jackson NCO is 2021 Drill Sergeant of the Year
Fort Jackson NCO is 2021 Drill Sergeant of the Year
Sgt. 1st Class Travis Burkhalter of Fort Jackson, South Carolina, is the Army’s 2021 Drill Sergeant of the Year.
Burkhalter, a drill sergeant leader at the Army Drill Sergeant Academy, was selected for the honor on July 30, after a grueling four-day competition. During the Drill Sergeant of the Year Competition, 12 NCOs were tested on their physical strength, rifle marksmanship, land navigation, written exams and essay evaluations, to determine who was the “best of the best.”
“First, I’m thanking my family,” Burkhalter said during the award ceremony. “Without the support of my kids and my wife, I wouldn’t be here. Next, we’ve got the competitors, you guys are all outstanding NCOs. I look forward to spending the next 12 months working with you.”
As the Drill Sergeant of the Year, Burkhalter will spend the next year working at the Army Training and Doctrine Command headquarters at Fort Eustis, Virginia.
“Hopefully I can … have a bigger impact on the Army,” Burkholder said at the beginning of the competition, adding that he “decided to compete for a chance to better myself and bring pride to the Drill Sergeant Academy.”
Maj. Gen. Lonnie Hibbard, commander of the Center for Initial Military Training, said the 12 NCOs competing for the title were “participating in a part of history of the Army.”
“The reason we are the role model for every other country in the world is because of what we do here with our drill sergeants, and what we do every day and the way we do our training,” Hibbard said. “Drill sergeants are the first leader, trainer, mentor and coach, and in my mind, the most important one, that inspiration and role model for the future of our Army.”