I arrived at Fort Knox, Ky., for basic training and advanced infantry training, where I met my drill sergeant, Ronnie Davis from Alabama. (He said "Elmquist," which is wrong. It's Almquist.) He told me I was going to cut every ounce of grass at Fort Knox, and I did. Every free moment I had, I had a push lawnmower and I was cutting grass.
Another time he said for me to go down and get batteries from supply, so I ran down to the supply, got the batteries and ran back to the first sergeant's office. As I was walking down the hallway, Sgt. Harris said, "Are those Sgt. Davis' batteries?"
"Yes, Sgt. Harris," I said.
"Give them to me and I will give them to Sgt. Davis," he said.
"Yes, sergeant, here they are," I said, and turned around and walked down the hallway, passing a doorway from which Davis jumped out.
"Elmquist, where's my batteries?" Davis said. I said Harris had them.
Harris came down the hallway.
"Sgt. Harris, where's my batteries?" Davis said.
"What batteries? I don't know anything about any batteries," he said.
Right then Davis said, "Elmquist, if you're given a task, you complete it and you bring it back to the person who gave you the task."
So all my life and in business, anytime I was given something to do I completed it and I made sure the person who gave me the task knew that it was done. I'm proud that he taught me that. Unfortunately, I found out a few years ago that Davis has passed on; he became a sergeant major of the Army. I'm very proud to say he was my drill sergeant.