Fort Jackson has just celebrated its centennial and, as the nation’s largest army training base, new recruits pour in regularly for basic training. Though they’re met their first day by a pack of screaming drill sergeants, privates Jose Solis and Wallace Castillo don’t mind. They’ve come for a purpose: to be trained and to learn to be professionals. They view the sergeants’ yelling as part of the system, and don’t take it personally. That’s good, says Drill Sergeant Queshawnia Franklin, because that’s how the system is designed, and after the first few weeks have provided the recruits with discipline, the yelling is cut back to be replaced by mentoring to grow them into soldiers. As new graduates John Lysinger and Lindsay Arnold attest, the rough, 10-week training is well worth it.
00000177-2120-db48-a97f-fb22304a0000South Carolina has a rich military history, beginning in the Colonial Era. Today, the state has a significant military presence. SC Public Radio and SCETV offers news coverage of South Carolina's active bases, military personnel and veterans, and the economic and cultural impact they have on communities throughout the state and across the nation, as well as stories and profiles exploring our state's military history.
Fort Jackson Experience Turns Raw Recruits into Soldiers
1 of
Inspecting the new troops at Fort Jackson. They learn the rules quickly- or they'll hear about it.
Tut Underwood/SC Public Radio
2 of
New recruits at Fort Jackson get an earful from drill sergeants their first day.
Tut Underwood/SC Public Radio
3 of
Fresh off the bus, new recruits at Fort Jackson will become soldiers after 10 weeks of basic training.
Tut Underwood/SC Public Radio
