It was just like yesterday when my friend and I used dread going to Sergeant Willis Reserve Officer Training Corp class, or in shorter terms ROTC class because we knew one of two things; either we were teaching the class to get a grade, or going outside to lead in marching drills. This was just two of several things I had disliked about her in the beginning. I remember disliking how she would talk to people as if she was smarter than everyone. Now looking back, she somewhat was smarter than everyone else because she knew what she was doing. If there was work to be completed, Sergeant Willis was the one to always make sure it got completed. "Yall need to get it together" was like a firm motivation phrase for getting the work done. Through …show more content…
I walked in the door of the classroom and her and the two other drill instructors stood outside one by one greetings the students, or as they address them as the cadets. Sergeant Willis in general stood their with her blue Air Force uniform and her usual rollbook in her hand.Just from looking at her demeanor and her facial expression she was giving, I knew she was one that did not take foolishness nor disrespect. Weeks had went by and Sergeant Willis was started to remember our names. Unlike most teachers who greeted their students and called them by their first name, Sergeant Willis always called the cadets by their Last Name just like they do in the military. For me and my other senior classmates, Sergeant Willis always came to us when it came to teaching the class drills and ranks."I used yall the most because yall were seniors and your should have known all the ranks and drills off the back of your hand but in some cases I was wrong," she commented. "Cadet Alexander and Stewart I need you two to decide who's going to teach what drills and ranks," she once said to me and my friend one day in class. Of course we hated teaching for her because my friend and I both said, "It's her class, she should be teaching her class instead of us". She nagged us about things that senior classes prior to us did not do right or didn't do at all. We all used to hate everything she did and the things she …show more content…
"Once I got to know some of yall last year, I began to actually loosen up and become more understanding of each of you," she said. Once known for intimidating cadets like my friends and I , she was now becoming more than just an instructor but also a friend. When it came to making fun of each other, Sergeant Willis always had a smart remark. I remember one day, my friend missed school because he had stomach problems and she comment saying, "He need to stop eating that's what's wrong with him". Even outside of class, Sergeant was a generous person. There were times where in my 3rd period class I would sneak to go to the restroom, but only to really go to talk to Sergeant Willis about things needed to be done. She didn't mind and was always willing to share stories and ideas. She always would share her dislikes and disagreement she had such as people in charge of different activities with ROTC. "It's not like I didn't like some of the things you did it was just that yall were doing them incorrectly," she said. The times we talked made me realized that she was just like your mother. You and her may fight and argue for days, but you was always able to talk and tell her anything. "I think the way you bring yourself as a person is the type of people we need more in ROTC" was something she once told me one day that I never forget because she always said I was always willing to do a job