Fort Benning 1982 U.S. Army Basic Training Yearbook – Company C, 7th Battalion, 1st Infantry Training Brigade

Front Cover, Fort Benning Basic Training Yearbook 1982 Company C, 7th Battalion, 1st Infantry Training Brigade. | GGA Image ID # 13e4129502

📖 Review & Summary – Fort Benning Basic Training Yearbook 1982, Company C

⭐ Introduction

This 1982 Fort Benning Basic Training Yearbook documents 158 recruits of Company C, 7th Battalion, 1st Infantry Training Brigade, who graduated on 15 July 1982. The company was commanded by Captain Dennis J. O’Driscoll, supported by a wide network of officers, NCOs, and drill corporals.

The 1982 yearbook is historically distinct from the Vietnam-era volumes. By the early 1980s, the U.S. Army was transitioning into a professional volunteer force (after the draft ended in 1973). Training now emphasized modernization, Cold War readiness, and disciplined career building, rather than mass mobilization.

🏅 Engaging Content Highlights

Cold War Training Focus

These recruits trained during the Reagan-era military buildup, when emphasis was on strengthening NATO commitments and preparing for possible Soviet conflict.

Expanded Leadership Levels

Uniquely, the 1982 yearbook includes Drill Corporals alongside Drill Sergeants. This detail shows the Army’s evolving training structure and the role of junior NCOs in shaping soldiers.

Large, Diverse Class

With 158 names from across the United States (and some Hispanic surnames suggesting Puerto Rican recruits), this yearbook reflects the Army’s broadening reach and integration in the 1980s.

Explore the 1982 Fort Benning Basic Training Yearbook for Company C, 7th Battalion, 1st Infantry Training Brigade. Features rosters, photos, and leadership profiles of 158 recruits during the Cold War volunteer Army era. A valuable resource for veterans, genealogists, historians, and military archives.

Company C 1982 Organization and Schedule

• Organization: 7th Battalion, 1st Infantry Training Brigade
• Commenced Training: Not Reported
• Completed Training: 15 July 1982

Company C 1982 Leadership

• Battalion Commander: LTC CORNELL FULLER
• Company Commander: CPT DENNIS J. O’DRISCOLL
• Executive Officer: MAJ RICHARD MARTINY
• Executive Officer: 2LT JOSE ROSA
• Command Sergeant Major: 1SG (P) SIDNEY SMITH
• First Sergeant: 1SG EZELLE THOMAS
• SR Drill Sergeant: SFC TIMOTHY GREENLY
• SR Drill Sergeant: SFC JAMES EIDSON
• SR Drill Sergeant: SFC PATRICK ANDERSON
• SR Drill Sergeant: SFC JAMES WASHINGTON
• SR Drill Sergeant: SSG BILLY WILLIAMS
• Drill Sergeant: SSG STEVEN TIGUE
• Drill Sergeant: SSG DONALD KIRKPATRICK
• Drill Sergeant: SSG MARK EHRLICH
• Drill Sergeant: SSG CLIFFORD LONG
• Drill Corporal: CPL RANDY HARRIS
• Drill Corporal: CPL MICHAEL DRAYTON
• Drill Corporal: CPL WILLIAM DEL SOLAR
• Drill Corporal: CPL Curtis GREENE
• Drill Corporal: CPL STEPHEN PARRATT
• Supply Sergeant: SGT ALFRED THORNTON
• Cadet CPT: MICHAEL KOHN

🎖️ Noteworthy Leaders

LTC Cornell Fuller (Battalion Commander) – Oversaw training for an entire battalion of the Infantry Training Brigade during a key period of Army expansion.

CPT Dennis J. O’Driscoll (Company Commander) – A career officer responsible for shaping 158 new soldiers; later assignments suggest continued service into the mid-1980s.

1SG Ezelle Thomas (First Sergeant) – Senior enlisted advisor ensuring company discipline and welfare.

SFC Timothy Greenly, SFC James Washington, SFC Patrick Anderson – Senior Drill Sergeants who directly influenced the recruit experience.

CPL Randy Harris, CPL Michael Drayton, CPL William Del Solar, CPL Curtis Greene, CPL Stephen Parratt – The listed Drill Corporals are unusual in such rosters; this marks them as future leaders at an early stage in their careers.

Company C 1982 Fort Benning Basic Training Recruit Portrait Photos, Part 1 (Glenn Adams-Allan Brittain)

1. Glenn Adams
2. Samuel Aguilar
3. Jerald Allen
4. Alfredo Alicea
5. Joel Arnold
6. Timothy Baker
7. Lance Barnside
8. Michael Bauer
9. Brett Beasley
10. Lee Beaty
11. James Belcher
12. Anthony Berry
13. Charles Bevard
14. Luis Birriel
15. Nicholas Blasetti
16. James Blomberg
17. Michael Bogan
18. Darrin Bohn
19. Carl Bouie
20. Devorn Boyd
21. Jerry Boyd
22. Michael Braga
23. Andrew Brantley
24. James Bright
25. Allan Brittain

Company C 1982 Fort Benning Basic Training Recruit Portrait Photos, Part 2 (Michael Broadus-Robert Dowden)

1. Michael Broadus
2. Claude Brown
3. Richard Brown
4. Brian Bush
5. Frederick Bynum
6. Serafin Castillo
7. Jerry Chapin
8. Gregory Chaplin
9. Matthew Centuori
10. Floyd Cook
11. Jeffrey Coudron
12. Jay Courtney
13. Danny Craig
14. Terry Crawford
15. Aulander Daniels
16. Mehmet Danisman
17. David Doughty
18. Bobby Davis
19. Stanley Davis
20. Dean Delventhal
21. Mark Dewey
22. Thomas Dorman
23. John Dorneden
24. Ricky Douthit
25. Robert Dowden

Company C 1982 Fort Benning Basic Training Recruit Portrait Photos, Part 3 (Steven Earl-Christopher Holmes)

1. Roy Elam
2. Christopher Eland
3. William Fish
4. Brian Fitzgerald
5. Robert Fritzlen
6. Rafael Galarza
7. Michael Gant
8. James Gill
9. James Glass
10. Devin Green
11. Gary Grisham
12. Gregory Grupe
13. Orlando Guzman
14. Willis Harps
15. Richard Heagwood
16. Rich Heal
17. Robert Hemingway
18. Curtis Hendrickson
19. Calvin Herron
20. Randy Hewitt
21. Mark Hnat
22. Craig Hoffman
23. Simon Holliday
24. Christopher Holmes

Company C 1982 Fort Benning Basic Training Recruit Portrait Photos, Part 4 (Frederick Homan-Todd Miller)

1. Frederick Homan
2. Roland Hudson
3. Billy Hurt
4. Thomas Hardi
5. Peter Ivy
6. Lincoln James
7. Charles Johnson
8. Mark Johnson
9. Mark Johnson
10. Gary Keener
11. Kelly Kennedy
12. Edward Kerns
13. Lance Kerr
14. Robert Kulka
15. Melvin LaGrone
16. Daniel Lamb
17. Richard Ländert
18. Jerry Lee Latham
19. Talofa Leala
20. Robert Leggett
21. Johnathan Lowry
22. James May
23. Paul McClain
24. Mark McGraw
25. Todd Miller

Company C 1982 Fort Benning Basic Training Recruit Portrait Photos, Part 5 (Marvin Mills-Nestor Santos)

1. Marvin Mills
2. Bill Morris
3. Jerry Morris
4. Mark Munson
5. William Olivo
6. Michael Oison
7. Boydie Pate
8. Angel Perez
9. Jeff Peters
10. Terry Phillips
11. Robert Phillips
12. Arthur Pickett
13. James Portner
14. Eddie Postoak
15. Donald Price
16. Rodney Rice
17. Charles Ringling
18. Hector Rivera
19. Lucian Rivera
20. Ramirez Rodriguez
21. William Rogers
22. James Rosado
23. Sean Ruddy
24. Carlos Santos
25. Nestor Santos

Company C 1982 Fort Benning Basic Training Recruit Portrait Photos, Part 6 (David Schelling-Joseph Wills)

1. David Schelling
2. Carlos Segarra
3. Mark Sheckells
4. Michael Sims
5. Kelly Sinclair
6. Andrew Smith
7. Karl Smith
8. Robert Smith
9. Roy Smith
10. Phillip Snider
11. Ricky Snyder
12. Henry Stevenson
13. Bradley Stinson
14. Glenn Stout
15. Thomas Sullivan
16. Garry Talkington
17. Lewis Thatcher
18. Raymond Thomas
19. Stanley Ware
20. Craig Warren
21. Jimmy Wasson
22. Charles Webb
23. Timothy Wharton
24. Stanley Williams
25. Joseph Wills

Company C 1982 Fort Benning Basic Training Recruit Portrait Photos, Part 7 (Dennis Wilson-Joseph Young)

1. Dennis Wilson
2. Duane Winchester
3. Anthony Wisdom
4. Jerry Woods
5. Phillip Worley
6. Adrian Yanez
7. Dale Young
8. Joseph Young

🌟 Notable Soldiers & Connections

While no single recruit stands out as a widely known public figure like Earl Woods in the 1967 class, this yearbook captures a generation of Cold War soldiers who:

• Likely served in West Germany, Korea, or at NATO posts during heightened U.S.–Soviet tensions.
• Formed part of the volunteer force that restored the Army’s professional reputation after Vietnam.

Some surnames (Perez, Sanchez, Rivera, Guzman, Segarra, etc.) suggest Hispanic representation, reflecting the growing diversity of the U.S. Army in the 1980s.

Company C 1982 Fort Benning Basic Training Leadership, Page 1. Contains Portraits of LTC Cornell Fuller, MAJ Richard Martiny, and 1SG (P) Sidney Smith. | GGA Image ID # 13e414673d. Click to View a Larger Image.

Company C Seventh Battalion, "Charlie Cobras." 1982 Fort Benning Basic Training Leadership, Page 2. Portaits (Top to Bottom, Left to Right) Include: CPT Dennis J. O'Driscoll, 2LT Jose Rosa, 1SG Ezelle Thomas, SFC Timothy Greenly, SSG Steven Tigue, SSG Donald Kirkpatrick, SSG Mark Ehrlich, SFC James Eidson, SFC Patrick Anderson, and SFC Clifford Long. | GGA Image ID # 13e4810676. Click to View a Larger Image.

Company C 1982 Fort Benning Basic Training Leadership, Page 3. Portraits (Top to Bottom, Left to Right) Include: SSG Billy Williams, SGT Alfred Thornton, CPL William Del Solar, CPL Curtis Green, CPL Randy Harris, CPL Michael Drayton, CPL Stephen Parrat, and Michael Kohn (Cadet CPT). Company C's Logo "Strike Fast C71 Kick Ass" is Included on this Page. | GGA Image ID # 13e4ce80dc. Cllcik to View a Larger Image.

Company C 1982 Fort Benning Basic Training Recruit Portrait Photos, Part 1 (Glenn Adams-Allan Brittain). | GGA Image ID # 13e5da4d70. Click to View a Larger Image.

Company C 1982 Fort Benning Basic Training Recruit Portrait Photos, Part 2 (Michael Broadus-Robert Dowden). | GGA Image ID # 13e5eff83c. Click to View a Larger Image.

Company C 1982 Fort Benning Basic Training Recruit Portrait Photos, Part 3 (Steven Earl-Christopher Holmes). | GGA Image ID # 13e612cda5. Click to View a Larger Image.

Company C 1982 Fort Benning Basic Training Recruit Portrait Photos, Part 4 (Frederick Homan-Todd Miller). | GGA Image ID # 13e640d31c. Click to View a Larger Image.

Company C 1982 Fort Benning Basic Training Recruit Portrait Photos, Part 5 (Marvin Mills-Nestor Santos). | GGA Image ID # 13e680e39d. Click to View a Larger Image.

Company C 1982 Fort Benning Basic Training Recruit Portrait Photos, Part 6 (David Schelling-Joseph Wills). | GGA Image ID # 13e68a8fb9. Click to View a Larger Image.

Company C 1982 Fort Benning Basic Training Recruit Portrait Photos, Part 7 (Dennis Wilson-Joseph Young). Page Included Non-Captioned Training Photos. | GGA Image ID # 13e694171a. Click to View a Larger Image.

🖼️ Noteworthy Images (Based on Captions)

Front Cover (1982 Yearbook) – Bold Fort Benning identity tied to Infantry Training.

Leadership Pages (1–3) – Detailed photos of the chain of command, from battalion commander to junior corporals.

Recruit Portrait Pages (4–10) – Full coverage of every graduate, preserving names and faces. This ensures genealogists and families can identify soldiers decades later.

🎓 Relevance for Key Audiences

Teachers & Students – Offers Cold War–era context of U.S. Army training after the draft ended.

Genealogists – Provides rosters and photos for family research into Army service in the early 1980s.

Historians & Military Archives – Primary-source documentation of Army training structure during modernization.

Veterans & Families – Preserves memory of camaraderie and identity during a formative military period.

📘 Key to Officer, NCO, and Enlisted Ranks

• LTC – Lieutenant Colonel (O-5)
• MAJ – Major (O-4)
• CPT – Captain (O-3)
• 2LT – Second Lieutenant (O-1)
• 1SG – First Sergeant (E-8)
• SFC – Sergeant First Class (E-7)
• SSG – Staff Sergeant (E-6)
• SGT – Sergeant (E-5)
• CPL – Corporal (E-4)
  

📖 Dictionary of Military Terms & Abbreviations

Training Brigade/Battalion – Organizational levels overseeing recruit training.

Executive Officer (XO) – Second-in-command, responsible for administration.

Drill Sergeant – Primary instructor responsible for discipline and instruction.

Drill Corporal – A junior NCO assisting Drill Sergeants (unique in this yearbook).

Supply Sergeant – NCO overseeing equipment and logistics.

Cadet CPT – A cadet officer (possibly from ROTC or OCS) embedded to gain leadership experience.

🎯 Final Thoughts

The 1982 Fort Benning Yearbook, Company C represents a different Army than the Vietnam-era classes. These recruits were part of the all-volunteer force, trained for global Cold War readiness rather than immediate combat deployment. With its rare inclusion of Drill Corporals and strong representation of diversity, this yearbook is a vital Cold War artifact that bridges Army tradition with modernization.

📘 For genealogists, historians, and veterans, this yearbook provides a vivid portrait of America’s Army in the early 1980s.