“No Excuse Drill Sergeant!”

In January 1990, after graduating from high school a year late, I found myself going nowhere fast. I had no plan, no vision and no hope for my future. After sinking deeper into drugs, drinking and depression I decided that I needed to remove myself from my surroundings. I figured if my parents couldn’t straighten me up and if I couldn’t snap out of the funk I was in that maybe the Army could get me back on the right track. I thought that voluntarily joining the Army would be more beneficial than spending time in prison; this was ultimately the direction that I was heading.

I signed up that summer and toward the end of August 1990 I was shipped off to Fort Jackson, South Carolina for basic training. The truth is, the Army basic training program is much easier than the Marine boot camp however, I did not know this at the time. I remember being filled with anxiety because I had no experience being on my own for very long nor did I have even a vague idea of what I was about to encounter. I held on to the last words my dad told me as he walked with me to the recruiter’s car on the morning that I left. He said, “They can’t eat you, son. It’s all a mind game. Do what they tell you, don’t rock the boat, and you’ll be fine.” I made it through basic training without a problem. Dad was right; it was a mental game and a test of my resolve. I viewed my time there as a game. I followed the rules, had a great time and emerged a changed person. I had become more confident, disciplined and optimistic.

In basic training the fundamental military education is designed to incorporate important lessons in individual character development and team building. One of the more memorable character lessons was in the area of personal responsibility.

There’s something about taking responsibility for a mistake that makes some people shudder. They squirm when caught in an error. They get nervous, their heart begins to race and then they give an excuse, or they pass the blame or they lose their temper.

I remember, when I was a youth, being upset about doing some yard work before going out with my friends one Friday night. I began taking out my aggression on the garden fork, slamming it on the dirt as I dug. After a couple of times smashing it to the ground, I snapped the handle in two. I looked back to see if my mother was watching. Her back was to me so I grabbed both pieces in one hand and did my best to hold it as if it weren’t broken. I made some excuse that I preferred the other, older garden fork and walked over to the tool shed. I swapped out the broken garden fork for the older one, hiding the broken fork behind the fifty-five-gallon barrel that held all the yard tools. I returned to the place where I had been working and nervously resumed my digging. After a few minutes my mother asked me to bring her the garden fork that I had just put away. I acted like I didn’t hear her. I was trying to buy some time so I could make up a story; an excuse for breaking the garden fork. It’s amazing how quickly our minds turn to lying instead of telling the truth.

In basic training the drill sergeants wanted to break us from the habit of making excuse early on. They were very clear about their expectations. They told us, “We don’t want any excuses, ever. Your response will be ‘NO EXCUSE DRILL SERGEANT!’”

“Private, why are your boots not polished?”
“No excuse drill sergeant!”

“Private, why is your bunk not made?”
“No excuse drill sergeant!”

“Private, why is your wall locker a mess?”
“No excuse drill sergeant!”

“Private, why is your uniform all dirty?”
“No excuse drill sergeant!”

If we gave an excuse for the inexcusable, we were immediately punished by doing push-ups until we could not do any more. By saying “No excuse drill sergeant!” we were being forced to take personal responsibility for our actions, no matter how trivial they seemed. We were becoming conditioned, trained to admit to our mistakes. We were being broken from that bad habit.

I once had an employer who would not tolerate employees who did not take responsibility for their mistakes. It drove him crazy when he would find broken equipment that was not reported. To my employer, this behavior was indicative of an unethical individual and usually resulted in termination.

Why is it hard for some people to admit that they are wrong? Is it an issue of pride or selfishness? Is it a rebellion against submitting to authority? Is it a fear of facing the consequences of bad conduct? Whatever the reason, this habit holds people in bondage. It is an evasion or concealment of the truth.

Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper,
but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.
Proverbs 28:13 (ESV)

When someone conceals a transgression by lying, that one lie turns into two lies, which turns into four lies, which becomes sixteen lies, and on and on. Becoming tangled in a web of lies is not a pleasant situation to be in. Once found out, trust is lost and usually hard to get back. Telling the truth by admitting to a fault can save someone a lot of time, trouble and heartache.

There is something about admitting to a mistake that is liberating. We’re human, we’re fallible, and we will make mistakes. When we admit to our mistakes we are released of the burden of being perfect in everyone else’s eyes. Messiah Yeshua said that when we abide in His word we will know the truth, then the truth will set us free from the bondage of sin (John 8:31-37).

Admitting to errors helps us to grow so we can then move on to greater things. When we conceal the truth it stunts our growth and prevents forward movement. The only place to go is back; and nobody wants to be a backslider.

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