A U.S. Army drill sergeant stationed at Fort Sill, Okla. is facing reprimand after he posted a video on video-sharing app TikTok, in which he described trainees as “fucking soft” because they have been allotted 30 minutes of cell-phone use every Sunday. The video spread to other social media sites, including Twitter, where it caught the attention of the drill sergeant’s superiors.
Military Times reported Wednesday that the drill sergeant’s TikTok profile picture was matched to a photo he posted on Facebook and he has been identified as Staff Sgt. Treyon Wallace. In a statement provided to Military Times, Fort Sill spokesperson Jessica Tackaberry said Wallace faces punishment for violating Army command policy regarding online misconduct.
A Twitter user posted Wallace’s expletive-filled TikTok video on Sunday and tweeted, “Hey if you’re a Drill Sergeant, don’t film your trainees, call them ‘fucking sickening’, and then post it to social media. Jesus, dude.”
Hey if you’re a Drill Sergeant, don’t film your trainees, call them “fucking sickening”, and then post it to social media. Jesus, dude. pic.twitter.com/R1udOTEcW0
— Lethality Jane (@LethalityJane) November 9, 2020
In the video, a number of trainees can be seen sitting on the ground using their cellphones. As the trainees use their allotted cellphone time, the man in the video says, “This is what the Army has turned into now.”
“A bunch of soft-assed, fucking … ” he continued, trailing off as he pans the video across the group of trainees. “I get to use my cellphone every fucking Sunday for 30 minutes because, why? Because we’re fucking soft, that’s why. It’s fucking sickening. You’re crying and you just got here and you ain’t done shit. Let’s give them another thing to fucking bitch about. This shit makes me fucking sick. These kids ain’t done nothing. What’s the point of doing mail every day? It don’t make no sense, but hey this is the new Army, I guess we’ve got to fucking change with it.”
Another Twitter user posted, “The best part is that he turned off comments on the original video and then made another video doubling down on what he said. Apparently it’s the TRADOC policies that he has an issue with, not the recruits. Guess @TradocDCG @TRADOC should give him a shout.”
We heard him. Loud & clear. @TRADOCCSM
— TRADOC_DCG (@TradocDCG) November 9, 2020
The Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) responded, “We heard him. Loud & clear. @TRADOCCSM.”
Wallace is reportedly a member of the 434th Field Artillery Brigade and enlisted in 2010.
“Trainees in [Basic Combat Training] here on Fort Sill are allowed to have their phones at prescribed times that does not interfere with their training,” Tackaberry told Military Times. “Phone privileges have increased due to the global pandemic to ensure that families and loved ones know that their trainee is safe and doing well.”
Tackaberry said the video Wallace posted “does not reflect the values or sentiments of Fort Sill and its Service Members.”
Tackaberry said, “The [434th Field Artillery Brigade] command is addressing the issue with the Drill Sergeant,” but did not say what disciplinary action Wallace would face.
Tackaberry reiterated the Army’s policy on social media behavior, “When engaging in electronic communication, members of the Army team should apply ‘Think, Type, Post.'”
Responding to another Twitter user’s comments about the video, Wallace’s brigade commander Col. Daniel Blackmon tweeted, “That means a lot and we certainly appreciate your confidence. We are proud of our Trainees and proud of the many hard working, no nonsense, Drill Sergeants and cadre who are dedicated to their mission. We take things like this very seriously and we owe better to everyone.”
That means a lot and we certainly appreciate your confidence. We are proud of our Trainees and proud of the many hard working, no nonsense, Drill Sergeants and cadre who are dedicated to their mission.
We take things like this very seriously and we owe better to everyone.
— COL Daniel Blackmon (@BreakParDDB) November 10, 2020
