‘Can Do’ Battalion welcomes sergeants to NCO Corps

Photo By Staff Sgt. Bob Yarbrough | First Sgt. Michael Schneider, the senior enlisted adviser for Company C, 3rd Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, lights a blue candle signifying vigilance and honor during the “Can Do” Battalion’s noncommissioned officer induction ceremony, Sept. 15, 2014, at Club Stewart on Fort Stewart, Ga. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Bob Yarbrough, 4th IBCT, 3rd Inf. Div., Public Affairs)  

FORT STEWART, GA, UNITED STATES

09.15.2014

Story by Sgt. Bob Yarbrough 

4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division Public Affairs

FORT STEWART, Ga.– Third Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, welcomed 18 sergeants into the ranks of the Noncommissioned Officer Corps, Sept. 15, 2014, on Fort Stewart, Ga., during a ceremony at Club Stewart.

“This ceremony is important because it reminds us to never forget our time-honored traditions,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Alan Hummel, the senior enlisted advisor for 4th IBCT, also known as the Vanguard Brigade. “It’s part of who we are, simple as that.”

Command Sgt. Maj. Shawn Carns, the senior enlisted advisor for the “Can Do” Battalion, presided over the ceremony, which began with the traditional playing of the national anthem.

Following an invocation by Chaplain (Capt.) Mickey Basham, three candles were lit by the battalion’s company first sergeants. The first candle lit by 1st Sgt. Aaron Bullard of Company A was red, which signified valor; then Company B 1st Sgt. Christopher Condra lit the white candle that represents honesty and integrity; and finally a blue candle signifying vigilance and honor was lit by 1st Sgt. Michael Schneider, of Company C.

One by one each of the 18 NCOs rose, along with a sponsor. They both went forward and signed a book, signifying their willingness to be inducted into the Corps of Noncommissioned Officers, then proceeded under an arch created by two soldiers holding sabers, where they were congratulated by Hummel and Carns, and presented with a certificate bearing the Creed of the Noncommissioned Officer, words NCOs must live by in order to be successful.

After all 18 NCOs had been inducted, Carns administered the Charge of the NCO to the group. This is a formal notification of the basic duties and responsibilities that NCOs, as leaders of soldiers, are expected to meet and accomplish.

Every NCO in the formation, in unison, repeated the charge back to Carns, as an indication that they received the message and understood it.

In a short speech Hummel, who was the guest of honor, addressed the new NCOs. “The Army, the brigade, and your unit, have entrusted you to be ready to accept greater responsibilities when called upon,” said Hummel.

Sgt. Charles Gaines, a newly inducted infantryman with Company A, said the ceremony provided a new task, conditions, and standards for NCOs.

“It shows [the new inductees] what to do as NCOs,” he added.
The new inductees, who were recently promoted soldiers or new to the “Can Do” Battalion, recited the Creed of the Noncommissioned Officer; which was followed by the singing of 3rd ID’s the Dog Face Soldier song and the Army’s song, the Army Goes Rolling Along, to conclude the ceremony.

• Date Taken: 09.15.2014
• Date Posted: 09.17.2014 15:28
• Story ID: 142443
• Location: FORT STEWART, GA, US