The DrillMaster

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All About The DrillMaster

John K. Marshall, The DrillMaster, served 20 years in the US Air Force with 14 of those years dedicated to the Air Force Base Honor Guard program. He retired in 2005. When his wife, an Air Force nurse, was stationed at Spangdahlem Air Base in Germany, he became the first and only retired member of the Spangdahlem Base Honor Guard after both the officer in charge and non-commissioned officer in charge were eager to have his experience on the team. By joining the Spangdahlem team, he also became the first and only AP3 member in Europe and quite possibly overseas.

He has been a member, instructor and/or judge for marching bands, drum and bugle corps, indoor guard and percussion units, military drill teams and honor guard units around the world. In 2009, through DrillMaster Press, he began writing and publishing the first books for the military drill world; to date he has written 5 books with ideas for number 6.

It’s not only about the length of experience, but also the breadth.

DrillMaster Uniform
The DrillMaster’s uniform includes earned USAF accouterments and the Army marksmanship badge earned while at Ft. Knox, Kentucky for ROTC Basic Camp in 1983 the summer before he attended New Mexico Military Institute. The crossed rifles on the epaulets honor military Drillers and represent his drill background (both armed and unarmed), the Honor Guard badge and lapel pins honor those in ceremonial units and represents his honor guard experience and the propeller/wing pins on the lapels are in honor of his father, John T. Marshall, who served in the USAF during the Korean War. The badge above his right breast pocket is the Belgian Sniper badge presented by Belgian Army Warrant Officer (American military E-8 equivalent) Patrick Deroo. The device just below that on the pocket flap, is a Navy JROTC rank that he wears to honor his Daughter, Courtkne H. E. Taylor-Marshall and son, Bryent A. R. Taylor-Marshall, both former members of their high school’s Navy JROTC in Columbia, South Carolina.

The uniform itself is a firefighter’s (or law enforcement officer’s) single-breasted uniform obtained through Steve Cohen, the president of the Lighthouse Uniform Company. The buttons are generic gold-colored buttons; the hat is made for police with the “P” gold-colored buttons. The hat’s gold chin strap is also from the Lighthouse Uniform Company. It has a blood-red stripe running along the center which is in tribute to our fallen. This chin strap was made specifically to remember those first responders who lost their lives on September 11, 2001, but has been adopted by many organization honor guards to remember all of their fallen comrades.

Recently he was asked to join the US Army Cadets (USAC), a program similar to Sea Cadets, Young Marines and Civil Air Patrol. He joined in February 2013 as a USAC Staff Sergeant (SSG) and is not the Drill Master for USAC and Forest Hill Military Academy located in Millersburg, KY which is also the National Cadet Training Center (NCTC).

During the summer of 2013, SSG Marshall will teach the first ever Cadet Joint Service Honor Guard Academy at the NCTC along with hand-picked ceremonial guardsmen and Drillers from across the country. The course is a two-week intensive for cadets from all organizations and is based on his book, The Honor Guard Manual.

DrillMaster’s Resume/Curriculum Vitae

SUMMARY OF QUALIFICATIONS

• Visual and marching program trainer/consultant
• Personally trained over 230 multi-service personnel and 1000 civilian students in 6 countries since 1985
• Developed training instructions and aids for Air Force Base Honor Guard programs
• Created the Fallen First Responder Remembrance Ceremony in 2012
• Authored the first and only books fo the military drill world, number 6 published February 2013

UPCOMING GIGS

• 2013             Head Judge, Solos, Melbourne High School Drill Meet
• 2013             Judge, Joint Service Drill Competition (Washington D.C.)
• 2013             Cadet Joint Service Honor Guard Academy

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

• 2013-Pres.     Director, Cadet Joint Service Honor Guard Academy
• 2013-Pres.     Drill Master for US Army Cadets and Forest Hill Military Academy
• 2013               Head Judge, Platoon Exhibition, Mardis Gras Drill Meet (Tulane University)
• 2012-Pres.     Drill team and colors coach, Merritt Island High School AJROTC, Merritt Island, FL
• 2012-Pres.     Adjunct instructor, drill and Ceremonies, Melbourne High School, Melbourne, FL
• 2012               Drill team and colors consultant, Eua Gallie High School AFJROTC, Melbourne, FL
• 2012-Pres.     Adjunct mobile instructor, Elmhurst (IL) Honor Guard Training Academy
• 2012               Guest speaker and adjudication clinician National Honor Guard Convention (HONCON12)
• 2012               Guest Judge, Joint Service Drill Meet, Washington, D.C.
• 2012               Wrote and Published, The Honor Guard Manual
• 2012               Head Judge, Mardis Gras Drill Meet Solos, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana
• 2011               Judge, Florida Fire Service Honor Guard Association Competition
• 2011               Wrote and published, Exhibition Drill for the Military Drill Team, Volume II
• 2010-Pres.     Vice Associate Chief, Independent Selection Committee, International Association of Exhibition Drillers (IAXD)
• 2010               Head judge, New York, North Carolina and Texas Drill Competitions
• 2010               Wrote and published, Continuing Education for the Visual Adjudicator
• 2009               Founder and CEO, The DrillMaster
• 2009-2011      Authorized Provider Partnership Program member and Trainer, Spangdahlem Air Base Honor Guard
• 2009               Wrote and published, The World Drill Association Adjudication Manual and Rule Book
• 2009               Wrote and published, Exhibition Drill for the Military Drill Team
• 2009               Head judge, New York Drill Competition
• 2009-2011      Marching Instructor, Bitburg High School AFJROTC Drill Team and Color Guard
• 2009-Pres.     Bazuinenkorps Jong Leven and Jong Leven Winter Guard Visual Caption Head
• 2008-Pres.     Director of Contests, International Association of Exhibition Drillers (Pro America Drill Competition)
• 2008-Pres.     Founder and Adjudication Faculty Head, World Drill Association
• 2006-Pres.     Member, Regimental Drum Major Association
• 2005-2008      Visual and Drum Major Judge, Pacific Coast Judges Association
• 2006               Caption Head, Vanden (Winter) Percussion Theater, Vanden High School Band
• 2005-2006      Drum major and percussion tutor and marching instructor, Vanden High School Band
• 2004               Marching Consultant, Kadena High School AFJROTC Drill Team
• 2002-2004      Assistant Superintendent, Kadena Base Honor Guard
• 1998-2001      Judge, AFJROTC Drill Team competitions, South Carolina
• 1996-1998      Visual Judge, Color Guard Nederland
• 1996-1998      Visual Instructor, Bazuinenkorps Jong Leven and Jong Leven Winter Guard
• 1994-1998      Visual and Percussion Judge, Drum Corps Holland
• 1994-1997      Created, Trained and lead NATO HQ (Netherlands) US Joint Service Honor Guard
• 1994-1996      Judge, JROTC Drill Team competitions, Europe
• 1992-1993      Judge, AFJROTC Drill Team competitions, Arizona
• 1990-1993      Trainer and Assistant NCOIC, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base Honor Guard
• 1990-1993      Marching Instructor, Tucson, Desert View and Mountain View High Schools
• 1987-1989      Visual and Percussion Judge, Drum Corps United Kingdom
• 1985-1989      Percussion/Marching Instructor, Broughton Marching Brass/Connection Drum Corps (UK)

EDUCATION AND TRAINING

• M. Th and M. Div, studies will begin when my BA is finished, Master’s International School of Divinity
• BA, Biblical Studies with an emphasis in Theology, ongoing, Master’s International School of Divinity
• AAS Education & Training Management, 2001, Community College of the Air Force
• Instructional Systems Design/Development Certificate, USAF, 2001
• AAS Reprographics Technology, 2000, Community College of the Air Force
• Principles/Methods of Teaching Certificate, USAF, 2000
• Leadership, Management, and Managerial Communications Certificate, USAF, 2000
• General Effect Visual Judging certificate, Color Guard Nederland, 1997

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