A History of Marine Corps Drill

Story by Staff Sgt. John Lawson
HEADQUARTERS MARINE CORPS, Washington

For centuries and probably even millennia, close-order drill has provided the binding spirit for countless military forces. Until roughly 150 years ago, drill was a pivotal part of the tactics in land warfare. But even after technological advances finally rendered drill’s battlefield role obsolete, drill lives on as a centerpiece for military training and discipline.

Textbook discussions of drill emphasize its ability to instill discipline, teamwork, and obedience to orders. These are the reasons that military forces all over the world still use close-order drill.

"Gates of Fire" contains a notable passage in which one of the characters elaborates on the importance of drill.

The character, named Suicide, talks about an epiphany he had regarding drill.

"I understood then that it was the glue that made the phalanx great," Suicide said. "The unseen glue that bound it together. I realized that all the drill and discipline you Spartans love to pound into each other’s skulls were really not to inculcate skill or art, but only to produce this glue."

While it might seem that drill would have lost its tactical value when muskets replaced spears and swords, such is not the case.

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