A Fort Sill-based drill sergeant was punished and reprimanded publicly by his brigade commander and U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command’s deputy commanding general, Lt. Gen. Ted Martin, on Tuesday after social media users discovered that he had called his trainees and TRADOC policies “f---ing soft” and “f---ing sickening” in a public TikTok video first shared by Twitter user Lethality Jane.
The drill sergeant, Staff Sgt. Treyon Wallace, criticized policy allowing trainees to use their cell phones for 30 minutes every Sunday.
“This is what the Army has turned into,” he said. “This is the new Army; I guess we gotta f---king change with 'em.”
Wallace faces punishment for violating Army command policy regarding online misconduct, said Jessica Tackaberry, a Fort Sill spokesperson.
“Trainees in BCT here on Fort Sill are allowed to have their phones at prescribed times that does not interfere with their training,” said Tackaberry. “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.”
Wallace, a member of the 434th Field Artillery Brigade, enlisted in the Army in 2010, according to a public post on his Facebook page, which Military Times verified by matching his TikTok profile photo to one posted on the page.
Other social media users noted that Wallace had made a video “doubling down” on his comments that clarified his position was against the policy, rather than his recruits. The video is no longer available because Wallace had made his account private as of Tuesday morning.
That prompted a public response from Martin, the TRADOC deputy commanding general. “We heard him. Loud & clear,” Martin said in a tweet that also tagged Command Sgt. Maj. Daniel Hendrex, TRADOC’s senior enlisted leader.
Wallace’s brigade commander, Col. Daniel Blackmon, also took to Twitter and chimed in on Wallace’s posts and proper social media conduct. “We take things like this very seriously and we owe better to everyone,” he said.
Blackmon also agreed with a user who had said “Hey, if you’re a Drill Sergeant, don’t film your trainees, call them ‘f---ing sickening,’ and post it to social media.”
Wallace’s video “does not reflect the values or sentiments of Fort Sill and its Service Members,” said Tackaberry, the Fort Sill spokesperson. “The [434th Field Artillery Brigade] command is addressing the issue with the Drill Sergeant.”
Wallace did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent via Facebook Messenger on Tuesday evening.
“Soldiers are continually reminded that they must think before posting online and to do so in a manner that demonstrates dignity and respect for others,” TRADOC spokesperson Lt. Col. Jeremy Passut told Military Times.
Tackaberry also reminded troops to observe Army social media policies.
“When engaging in electronic communication, members of the Army team should apply ‘Think, Type, Post,’” she said. “[W]e strive to ensure that all Service Members adhere to the Army Values and utilize social media appropriately.”
This article was updated at 7:22 p.m. EST to reflect new information from the Fort Sill spokesperson.
Davis Winkie covers the Army for Military Times. He studied history at Vanderbilt and UNC-Chapel Hill, and served five years in the Army Guard. His investigations earned the Society of Professional Journalists' 2023 Sunshine Award and consecutive Military Reporters and Editors honors, among others. Davis was also a 2022 Livingston Awards finalist.
