'Black Jack' Brigade inducts new NCOs

Photo By 1st Sgt. Justin A. Naylor | Cpl. Aaron Eichel, a Canton, Mich., native and a gun truck commander with 2nd Brigade Combat Team (Advise and Assist), 1st Cavalry Division, U.S. Division-North, stands at the front of a line of soldiers preparing to cross a symbolic marker during a non-commissioned officer induction ceremony at Joint Base Balad, Iraq, July 26. After crossing the yellow line with the sergeant rank sewn on it, the soldiers were said to officially be members of the Non-Commissioned Officer Corps.  

JOINT BASE BALAD, IRAQ

08.03.2011

Story by Sgt. Justin A. Naylor 

2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs

JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq – Former President Dwight D. Eisenhower said, “The sergeant is the Army.”

Whether leading troops, operating multimillion dollar equipment, or conducting and leading missions, junior non-commissioned officers can be found nearly everywhere there are soldiers.

A group of 20 soldiers serving with 2nd Advise and Assist Brigade, “Black Jack,” 1st Cavalry Division, officially became members of the storied Non-commissioned Officer Corps during an non-commissioned officer induction ceremony at Joint Base Balad, Iraq, July 26.

This ceremony was a chance for us to put the spotlight on our junior non-commissioned officers as they become members of our time-honored corps, said Master Sgt. Stanley Love, senior operations non-commissioned officer for 3rd Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd AAB.

Like the Non-commissioned Officer Corps, the legacy of the non-commissioned officer induction ceremony has an historic past.

The origins of the ceremony are commonly traced to the Royal Prussian Army of Frederick the Great. In the Royal Prussian Army, before a soldier could become an non-commissioned officer, he was required to stand four guard watches.

During the first watch, a junior soldier would visit the guard and receive a gift of bread and brandy. During the second watch, non-commissioned officers from the soldier’s unit would come and be treated to beer and tobacco. During the third watch, the unit’s first sergeant would receive a glass of wine and a piece of tobacco on a tin plate from the guard. During the fourth watch, the soldier was officially considered an non-commissioned officer.

Although alcohol and tobacco were not part of the Black Jack ceremony, the tradition of inducting new non-commissioned officers into the corps lived on.

“These fine soldiers are about to start one of the greatest journeys of their lives, and that journey is part of something that is larger than any one of us,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Daniel Dailey, senior enlisted leader of 4th Infantry Division and U.S. Division–North.

Whether these non-commissioned officers work in a maintenance shop, on an administration team, or lead a gun truck, by taking part in this ceremony, regardless of what their job is, they know that they have become leaders, said Love.

By becoming members of the Non-commissioned Officer Corps, these soldiers have new expectations to live up to, he continued.

“One of the things that makes our Army great is that we train and plan for all of our soldiers to someday be leaders,” said Dailey. “The Army is unlike any other organization in America. It expects and demands that its finest soldiers will, in time, become leaders.”

By becoming members of the Non-commissioned Officer Corps, soldiers now are charged with the responsibility of leading, training and being role models for our great soldiers, said Dailey.

“Take care of your soldiers,” he said to the junior non-commissioned officers. “This is a practical requirement, not a feel-good obligation.”

Dailey encouraged the new non-commissioned officers to also remember that the skills of leadership do not come by just being promoted; one must work on them every day. Start with the fundamentals and practice them until you gain a degree of excellence, and then strive for even higher proficiencies, he added.

For the soldiers inducted, the ceremony offered a chance to carry on a long tradition.

“Being in the ceremony made me feel proud to be part of something bigger,” said Cpl. Aaron Eichel, a Canton, Mich., native, and a truck commander with 2nd AAB.

Since joining the Army three years ago after serving four years in the Marine Corps, Eichel said the knowledge he gained from his non-commissioned officers has been invaluable.

“They taught me everything I know,” he said.

Eichel said now that he is part of the Non-commissioned Officers Corps, it is his chance to pass that knowledge to his soldiers. “I have the satisfaction of watching the soldiers in my truck excel and progress, and know that I had something to do with that.”

Sgt. Crystal Roy, a medic with 2nd AAB, said her non-commissioned officers also played a large role in getting her to where she is today.

“I wanted to become an non-commissioned officers after seeing other non-commissioned officers and leaders in my companies do great things for us,” said the LaBelle, Fla., native. “I wanted to do that for my troops.”

Now that she is in a leadership position, Roy feels her most important job is taking care of her soldiers. “I’ll do that by making sure they do the right thing and have the guidance they need,” she said.

Although the inductees are all now members of the Non-commissioned Officers Corps, leaders at the ceremony warned them that they should not stop there.

They should strive to go as far as they can,” said Love. “They should want to be a command sergeant major or sergeant major of the Army. They should always be willing to learn more and strive for the next rank.”

• Date Taken: 08.03.2011
• Date Posted: 08.03.2011 06:47
• Story ID: 74739
• Location: JOINT BASE BALAD, IQ