Photo By Master Sgt. Kevin Doheny | Honoring two fallen non-commission officers, Sgt. Louis Greise and Sgt. David Hart, a...... read more read more
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By Sgt. 1st Class Kevin Doheny
1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division
FORWARD OPERATING BASE BRASSFIELD-MORA, Iraq - Some people say it is always good to see old friends from time to time. For the top non-commissioned officer in Iraq, Command Sgt. Maj. Marvin Hill, Multi-National Forces - Iraq, he was close to home again with his Bastogne family as he visited the home of the "No Slack" Soldiers of the 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment.
Hill, who served twice in the "No Slack" battalion, inducted the newest non-commissioned officers into the corps during an NCO induction ceremony, March 8, at Forward Operating Base Brassfield-Mora near Samarra.
Serving in more than one prominent position within the Screaming Eagle Division, Hill is most notably known for his time as the top enlisted Soldier in the 101st during the invasion of Iraq in 2003.
During the ceremony he offered words of wisdom only gained through many years of leading Soldiers in some of the most demanding of units. Speaking to the newly promoted NCOs sitting in front of him, he articulated to them about the influence they were now empowered with as NCOs.
"You see those stripes on your uniform," Hill said. "With those stripes comes power. It is up to you how you use that power."
Engaging the NCOs with his every word, he uttered six different powers that NCOs gain when pinning on the stripes.
"Use your power," he said. "If you don't use it the Soldier will find someone else who will. If this happens, you will then become powerless."
According to Hill, if an NCO is having a difficult time reaching his Soldiers, he must ensure that he always "dazzles them with their expertise."
"We are telling you to lead troops in combat. Leading troops is a 24 hours a day and seven days a week job," Hill said.
After speaking with the NCOs, Hill and CSM Chris Fields, 2-327th, walked over to the red line painted on the floor. Crossing this red line, which was the first rank worn by a sergeant in 1775, is the defining moment of the ceremony as it is symbolic with the crossing the "time-honored" line between Soldier and NCO.
The newly inducted NCOs received their charges and shook the hands of the official party members. They were now equipped with all the tools to lead Soldiers in combat and hopefully, according to Hill, are to become "thermostats" instead of "thermometers".
"A thermometer can only tell if it is hot or cold," Hill said. "As new members of this time-honored corps, I need you to be thermostats. Thermostats do much more than just say it's hot or cold. It can control, it can change, and it acts. Don't just sit back watch things happen, do something about it and make them happen."
| Date Taken: | 03.08.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 03.11.2008 12:50 |
| Story ID: | 17247 |
| Location: | IQ |
| Web Views: | 654 |
| Downloads: | 522 |
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