On March 30 over 2,000 JROTC Cadets converged on the Greater Richmond Convention Center for the 2019 Army Drill Team Championships. This year 103 teams from 85 schools traveled to Richmond from 25 different states, making this the largest single service drill meet in the history of JROTC. Buckingham County Army instructor and Raider coach, Sergeant First Class (SFC) (Ret) Bruce Grazier, was nominated by 4th Brigade JROTC, based out of Fort Bragg, North Carolina to be an evaluator for the Best of the Best Drill Championships. To be eligible, the instructor, must have former drill sergeant experience and have firsthand knowledge of the Army’s Drill and Ceremony Manual, FM-3-21.5.

SFC Grazier along with Cadets Bryan Hatcher and Daquan Tindall were assigned to Armed Regulation Platoon, an event with over 50 commands to grade per school. Cadet Tindall recently enlisted as in infantryman in the U.S. Army and Cadet Bryan Hatcher, is scheduled to attend Mary Baldwin University in August. Buckingham JROTC is known primarily for their Raider Teams throughout the 4th Brigade footprint that includes Virginia, West Virginia, North and South Carolina, Maryland, Delaware and the District of Columbia, as recently the Raiders finished 4th in the nation for Raider. Cadets Hatcher and Tindall were motivated to see firsthand what the best in the nation looks like at drill.