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I was on the drill team in ROTC and in the middle of one of our maneuvers where we needed to make some adjustments to the rifle strap, my buddy’s just completel

I was on the drill team in ROTC and in the middle of one of our maneuvers where we needed to make some adjustments to the rifle strap, my buddy’s just completely fell to the ground in about 3-4 pieces. It made a huge clatter. He stood there stone faced and unmoving, at attention while the rest of the platoon finished the maneuver. The judges, three intense USMC gunnery sergeants, just stared at my friend. When the rest of the team was done, our commander calmly said “MIDN X, fix yourself.” He bent down precisely, threaded the strap and snapped back to attention. Then we moved forward with the drill card. We got first place among 150+ teams. It’s what happens amidst the unexpected that defines success.

p1esk 7y ago
But this is surely not the optimal behavior during a battle, right?
- Aloha 7y ago
  The skills practiced in a drill competition and battle are not really the same (though related, calm under fire, preciseness, etc)
- freedomben 7y ago
  Going stone-faced and leaving your rifle, no of course not. But, maintaining military bearing under pressure, absolutely imperative.
- bkohlmann 7y ago
  The military term is called “bearing” and what its intended to teach is to “keep your head” even in the midst of the unexpected (which pretty much defines combat). Instead of freaking out, take stock of what’s happening around you and make a decision that accomplishes the strategic directive. In close order drill, it’s maintaining discipline and conformity. In the fluidity of the battlefield, it may be different, but the mindset is the same.
zcrackerz 7y ago
I was in a pretty competitive high school marching band. We had two parallel lines moving in opposite directions, and I watched the slide of a trombone get its spit valve caught on someones shoulder strap and pulled off. The trombone player kept on making the motions as if the slide was still there, and the other marcher-with-trombone-slide-still-attached continued on until the end of the show. Fortunately we were in the last movement, but the point is that the show must go on.
- Nannooskeeska 7y ago
  As my middle school band director once said, "Even if I let go of my baton and it stabs someone through the eye, you must keep playing!"
fmihaila 7y ago
Your story reminds me of another very inspiring one about similar circumstances that someone retold in great detail on Slashdot a long time ago. I found it, here it is: https://news.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=61640&cid=5792772 https://news.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=61640&cid=5792772

p1esk 7y ago

But this is surely not the optimal behavior during a battle, right?

Aloha 7y ago
The skills practiced in a drill competition and battle are not really the same (though related, calm under fire, preciseness, etc)
freedomben 7y ago
Going stone-faced and leaving your rifle, no of course not. But, maintaining military bearing under pressure, absolutely imperative.
bkohlmann 7y ago
The military term is called “bearing” and what its intended to teach is to “keep your head” even in the midst of the unexpected (which pretty much defines combat). Instead of freaking out, take stock of what’s happening around you and make a decision that accomplishes the strategic directive. In close order drill, it’s maintaining discipline and conformity. In the fluidity of the battlefield, it may be different, but the mindset is the same.

zcrackerz 7y ago

I was in a pretty competitive high school marching band. We had two parallel lines moving in opposite directions, and I watched the slide of a trombone get its spit valve caught on someones shoulder strap and pulled off. The trombone player kept on making the motions as if the slide was still there, and the other marcher-with-trombone-slide-still-attached continued on until the end of the show. Fortunately we were in the last movement, but the point is that the show must go on.

Nannooskeeska 7y ago
As my middle school band director once said, "Even if I let go of my baton and it stabs someone through the eye, you must keep playing!"

fmihaila 7y ago

Your story reminds me of another very inspiring one about similar circumstances that someone retold in great detail on Slashdot a long time ago. I found it, here it is: https://news.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=61640&cid=5792772 https://news.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=61640&cid=5792772