Photo By Sgt. Caitlin Wilkins | Fort Stewart Garrison Command Sgt. Maj. Ely Capindo gives his remarks during the...... read more read more
HUNTER ARMY AIRFIELD, Ga – Noncommissioned Officers from the 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division held their unit guidons high while yelling cadences loud enough they threatened to wake the entire airfield.
This isn’t your typical Army physical training run, it’s the start of Backbone Week. A new initiative aiming to align the NCO Corps in a way that hasn't been done here before.
“Backbone Week is a week dedicated to the professional development and esprit de corps of the noncommissioned officers within 3rd CAB,” said 3rd CAB Command Sgt. Maj. Jason Adkison. “It’s a way to realign our focus on what’s really important, what is the role of the noncommissioned officers and what do we do.”
Backbone Week celebrates and encourages the development, certification, and mentorship of NCOs within the formation. It all kicks off with an NCO run on Monday morning.
“This run is really about esprit de corps, we’re going to get out there and rock some cadences and build comradery amongst the NCOs,” said Adkison.
From there, NCOs of all grades will attend a leadership professional development session with their battalion’s leadership. These sessions will focus on Army and 3rd ID-specific policies but also offer guidance to NCOs.
“We’ll cover a lot of the 3rd ID policies including Policy Letter 29 and also the Marne Blue Book,” said Adkison. “We’re going to look at what standards our NCOs really need to know about and how they go about enforcing those standards within our organization.”
Soldiers will get an in-depth understanding of Policy Letter 29 which covers On The Spot Corrections and the Marne Blue Book that acts as a reference guide for all 3rd ID Soldiers. NCOs will also have the opportunity to attend a leader symposium led by a panel of command sgt. majors.
“During the leader symposium, there will be a board panel of command sgt. majors from across the division and they’re going to give us some insight into where the corps should go,” said 1st Sgt. Shalanda Coleman, a 4th Battalion, 3rd Aviation Regiment, 3CAB NCO. “It will help us become better leaders. We’re all striving to get to that point of becoming a command sgt. maj. and so we get to hear their feedback and understanding of the Army.”
On Friday, the week concludes with the closing ceremony. NCOs will gather together one last time for the reading of the NCO Charge, remarks from Fort Stewart’s Garrison Command Sgt. Maj. Capindo, and to recognize 11 NCOs from across the brigade who embody what it means to be an NCO.
“As a member of the Sgt. Audie Murphy Club, I’m tasked with reading off the NCO Charge which is our way of reaffirming our NCO status,” said Coleman. “It’s the NCO’s version of the Oath of Office for an officer.”
Backbone Week gives the NCO Corps dedicated time to give back and develop the next generation of up-and-coming NCOs.
“At times we as humans lose our focus,” said Adkison. “My mother used to say, ‘Son, stay on the highways because once you start getting off on the exits, you’ll lose your focus.’ It’s the same thing for our NCOs. These events realign and put us all back on the same track of what’s really important. It’s about getting after the welfare, training, and development of our young Soldiers.”
3CAB NCOs will walk away with a better understanding of what being an NCO means, their roles and responsibilities, and the resources available that can help them and their Soldiers.
“Backbone Week is important because we’re the backbone of the Army,” said Coleman. “It’s just like the backbone in your body. If your bones are aligning correctly, you’ll stand up straight and it’s the same thing with the NCO corps. If we’re all aligned on one sheet of music and adhering to the standards that have already been set for us, then we can get every Soldier under our command set in the right direction.”
| Date Taken: | 02.09.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 02.09.2024 16:05 |
| Story ID: | 463623 |
| Location: | HUNTER ARMY AIRFIELD, GA, US |
| Web Views: | 45 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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