BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan – Forty-two soldiers were inducted into the Non-Commissioned Officer Corps at Camp Sabalu-Harrison Jan 2.
Partners from the Afghan National Army also attended to learn traditions to take back to their own service, said U.S. Army Command Sgt. Maj. Daniel Lincoln, master of ceremonies, Task Force Peacekeepers.
U.S. Army Command Sgt. Maj. Marvin Hill, senior enlisted leader, ISAF/U.S. Forces-Afghanistan, was the guest speaker at the ceremony.
The NCO Induction Ceremony is traditionally held for soldiers who have completed the Warrior Leadership Course and have been selected by a promotion board to receive the rank of sergeant. It marks a pivotal point in the inductees’ careers as they are seen by both their peers and subordinates as leaders.
“It’s worth doing this in a ceremony where you are officially and ceremoniously inducted into the finest tradition of the United States Army,” said Hill.
To the inductees, he imparted what he called a “six-pack of Powerade,” referring to the legitimate, referent, informational, reward, coercive, and expert powers a leader has over subordinates.
“Because you are a non-commissioned officer, they assume that you have certain powers, and they want you to execute those powers on their behalf,” said Hill.
For one of the inductees, Sgt. Dustin Branch, an Army Reservist from St. Pete, Fla., the message was a code he would live by.
“My goals are to continue to develop myself, be a good NCO, and mentor the younger soldiers. The authority and power that has been given to me, I don’t take it for granted. I must use it appropriately,” said Branch, personal security officer, ISAF.
As the ceremony came to a close, Hill gave the troops a motto to live by. “I can’t lead where I don’t go; I can’t teach what I don’t know - live by that motto.”