This past Thursday, I had several moments of Déjà vu as I witnessed an Army graduation at Fort Moore (Formerly Fort Benning) while visiting Columbus, GA.

For clarity, Merriam-Webster’s definition of dé·jà vu ˌis a feeling that one has seen or heard something before.

As I sat in the audience, I listened to the welcoming of the narrator to the guests.  I also looked at the many young faces standing in formation.

These young men were graduating from One Station Unit Training (OSUT), finishing 22 weeks of training.  OSUT is a combination of Basic Training and then their Military Occupational Skill (MOS) for the various MOS’s they held as an Infantry Men.

My déjà vu moment goes back to when I was a Drill Sergeant at Fort Benning from 1982 to 1985 while training these same types of men for 18 weeks.

I also remember hearing the announcer speak of the U.S. invasion of Grenada that happened in 1983.   That was my second déjà vu moment.

U.S. invasion of Grenada | Facts, Map, Outcome, Casualties, & Significance | Britannica

Little did I know I would have my own déjà vu moment in 1984 when one of my Infantry Soldiers who went through my training came back to say thank you for his training after being deployed to Grenada.

Whenever I hear the word Grenada, it reminds me of my time as a Drill Sergeant training soldier for war.

Although war is not always known, the Drill Sergeant’s mission is to train these Soldiers in preparation for combat and deploy on a moment’s notice with the required skills.

Through this type of training and environment as a Drill Sergeant, I learned that every Soldier deserves the right to be adequately trained.  This is something that I continue to manifest and see today, even as a Toastmaster.

Not only was the graduation a Déjà vu moment, but I also heard the various conversations from the Soldier’s mother and father during our breakfast together after the graduation.

She was also a Paratrooper, and her husband was too.  The father and I spoke about receiving Foreign Jump Wings, and she talked about getting over our fear of jumping after being injured and the various drop zones we both jumped into.

I have a set of Foreign Jump Wings (Honduran Jump wings) and was injured while jumping.  I, too, had to quickly overcome my fears to continue jumping again 18 more times.

Never in my wildest dream would or could I have imagined that this family I met 10 years ago would help me re-live some of my own experiences by attending their son’s graduation.

As I sat there and traveled back in time, déjà vu moments raced in my mind as we spoke about the training, specifically pugil-stick training and hand-to-hand combat.

Building confidence with pugil-stick training | Article | The United States Army

I remember when the Army told us in 1983 that we would add it to our training for realism and help build soldiers’ confidence.

This is where you separate the weak from the strong.

ARMY RESTORES ‘PUGIL TRAINING’ FOR MORE REALISM – The New York Times (nytimes.com)

Despite the 42-year difference when I first became a Drill Sergeant training young infantry soldier and that eerie feeling of déjà vu when the narrator spoke about Grenada, I was all in.

This week’s graduation at Fort Moore was overly or pleasantly familiar, as I re-lived various moments as a Drill Sergeant.

How we each can have those illusions of remembering scenes and events when experienced for the first time was a fantastic feeling that words cannot fully describe.

I challenge you to think about the last time you had a déjà vu moment and what it was like for you.

My déjà vu moment started when I stepped back on (Fort Benning), now Fort Moore, and witnessed these Infantry Soldiers!

Have a fantastic week filled with a sense of positive déjà vu moments.