U.S. Army Ends the Two-Hat Era: Women Drill Sergeants Get the Smokey Bear Campaign Hat
I went to the U.S. Army Basic Combat Training at Fort Knox, Kentucky, and did not see any women there besides the females who worked at the mess hall. But Basic Combat Training centers, such as Fort Jackson near Columbia, South Carolina, have women drill sergeants.
A candidates assigned to Delta Company, Officer Candidates Class-221, breaks the surface of the murky water of ‘The Quigley’ at Brown Field, Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va., on March 15, 2016. The mission of Officer Candidates School (OCS) is to “educate and train officer candidates in Marine Corps knowledge and skills within a controlled, challenging, and chaotic environment in order to evaluate and screen individuals for the leadership, moral, mental, and physical qualities required for commissioning as a Marine Corps officer.” (U.S. Marine Corps Photo by Cpl. Patrick H. Owens/Released)
You probably know from movies and television that male drill sergeants always wear the brown, circular-rimmed, “Smokey Bear” campaign hats. The wearing of this headgear signifies a long road of difficult service for drill sergeants, and they instill pride in the personnel who train our soldiers.
Female Drill Sergeants Will Have a New Hat
Curiously, women drill sergeants have, for decades, worn the upturned brim “bush hat” or “slouch hat” modeled after the Australian army. This practice dates back to 1972. These bush hats allow women drill sergeants to yell at trainees without poking the new privates in the eye from the larger brim.
Women serving as drill sergeants will now wear the same hat as their male counterparts.
New Guidance from the Secretary of Defense
This edict began on January 2. Seventy percent of personnel surveyed support the new policy. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth believes there should be little gender difference between men and women in the army, and he thinks women drill sergeants have earned the right to wear the same headgear as men.
No Changes to Army Discipline for Trainees
This change will not affect how the drill sergeants train troops. There will still be an intense environment, high standards, and attention to detail from trainees. The drill sergeant is the first level of command authority that trainees meet during their initial service. A drill instructor’s headgear must remain standard across genders. Women drill sergeants undergo the same training as men to achieve the honor and have earned the respect of many trainees over the years.
U.S. Army Soldier Pfc. Eric Rivera, assigned to Delta Troop, 1st Platoon, Multipurpose Company, 3rd Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Mobile Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, pulls security before a Ghost-X drone conducts reconnaissance. The mission was part of the Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center Rotation 26-01, which integrated U.S. forces, multinational partners, and joint capabilities to train tactics, techniques, and procedures required to dominate jungle and archipelagic terrain during large-scale combat operations. (U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Jose Nunez)
“Every member of society understands the importance of the US Army drill sergeant and the iconic headgear associated with the time-honored position as a symbol of excellence,” US Army Drill Sergeant of the Year Samuel Matlock said. “This single standard will eliminate any confusion among the training population, the American public, and cadre regarding all standards for serving as a drill sergeant.”
The Army Is Always ‘Green’
This is important because different headgear could give the impression that there are “women-only” standards for drill sergeants, thereby changing how a trainee responds to female authority figures. In the Army, everyone is “green,” and Hegseth wants to instill the warrior ethos in all new soldiers regardless of gender.
Women have served as drill sergeants for over four decades. They know their stuff inside and out. It is only fair that they can wear the same headgear as males. This is a standard of excellence they can now be proud of.
“There’s a single standard when screening and certifying Noncommissioned Officers [NCOs] for service as a drill sergeant, a single standard that we hold all serving drill sergeants to, and moving forward, there will be a single standard drill sergeant uniform,” Command Sgt. Maj. Michael McMurdy said about the decision.
The Army revealed that more than 142,000 NCOs have served as drill sergeants since 1964, including more than 38,000 women who earned the privilege of wearing the bush hat during that time frame.
The Bush Hats Are Not Always Available
Lately, there have also been manufacturing difficulties in keeping the bush hat supplied. The Army was unable to find a company that could regularly produce the woman’s version of the drill sergeant headgear.
No Changes to the Standards
The training will not change due to the new hats. Trainees will still feel the heat from a stern “thrashing” from drill sergeants – either male or female – the same as they always did. The brown campaign hat should make women drill sergeants more effective and boost morale.
They have served difficult years in the Army and are excellent NCOs who have met the standard to be the first point of contact for enlisted soldiers. The uniform must include the Smokey Bear hat for all drill sergeants.
Sgt. Jamie Ortiz, an Army Signal Support System Specialist from the 542nd Military Police Company takes a break after finishing the 2-mile run portion of the Expert Soldier Badge qualification. The ESB is a portion of the Combined Brigade Best Squad Competition here in McCrady Training Center, South Carolina. The 200th Military Police Command will select the top performers to compete at the 2023 U.S. Army Reserve Best Squad Competition.
FORT BENNING, Ga. – Students in Armor Basic Officer Leader Course Class 20-005 conduct a platoon situational training exercise, Sept. 22, 2020, at Good Hope Maneuver Training Area on Harmony Church. Students train as both an attacking force and a defending force using the U.S. Army’s M1 Abrams Main Battle Tank. (U.S. Army photo by Patrick A. Albright, Maneuver Center of Excellence and Fort Benning Public Affairs)
Women and men should not have separate uniforms – even for hats. This may not seem like a big deal on its face, but recruits could be confused about whether their instruction from men and women would differ because of the two hats. Now no one will give it a second thought. Enlistees will still have the same great training as before.
Try Not to Stick Out
So look out, privates. You will still be a “heat magnet” from drill sergeants despite the uniform change. You’d better toe the line, or you’ll have a bad day. Try not to get poked by the round-brimmed campaign hat.
Nobody during Basic Training wants to be targeted for a one-on-one tongue lashing, but it will only do a world of good for your future if the drill sergeants wear the same uniforms and keep the Army regulations top of mind.
About the Author: Brent M. Eastwood
Author of now over 3,000 articles on defense issues, Brent M. Eastwood, PhD is the author of Don’t Turn Your Back On the World: a Conservative Foreign Policy and Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare plus two other books. Brent was the founder and CEO of a tech firm that predicted world events using artificial intelligence. He served as a legislative fellow for US Senator Tim Scott and advised the senator on defense and foreign policy issues. He has taught at American University, George Washington University, and George Mason University. Brent is a former US Army Infantry officer. He can be followed on X @BMEastwood.
