Engineers Strengthen The Army’s Backbone

Photo By Sgt. Ian Ives | Command Sgt. Maj. Giovanni Fuentes, the command sergeant major of 65th Brigade Engineer Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, raises his hand as he inducts more than 30 new non-commissioned officers into the corps of non-commissioned officers Mar. 4, 2016, aboard the USS Missouri on Naval Base Pearl Harbor during a NCO Induction ceremony during Bayonet Sharpening. The NCO Induction ceremony is used to acknowledge new sergeants into the corps of non-commissioned officers and was a key event during Bayonet Sharpening (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Ian Ives, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs/Released).  

SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, HI, UNITED STATES

03.11.2016

Story by Sgt. Ian Ives 

2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division

SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, Hawaii – The United States Army is known for its outstanding noncommissioned officer corps and their traditions. The 65th Brigade Engineer Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, aimed to continue the tradition of honoring the strength of their NCO corps with training exercise Bayonet Sharpening that began on Feb. 25, 2016 on Schofield Barracks.

“A noncommissioned officer simply put, is a trainer,” said Command Sgt. Maj. T.J. Holland, the command sergeant major of 2nd BCT. “Sergeants train Soldiers, are charged with caring for their well-being and maintaining good order and discipline of an organization, as well as being advisers to commissioned officers.”

Bayonet Sharpening took junior grade non-commissioned officers through a week of training on Soldier skills with a focus on learning how to properly teach the skills to junior enlisted Soldiers. During the second week the sergeants worked directly with their Soldiers to train them on the tasks they had just learned. On the last day of training the sergeants led their team through the Leaders Reaction Course.

“This training was a good re-fresher,” said Sgt. Ian Polito, an engineer with Company A, 65th BEB. “ It was nice to relearn these tasks and how to teach them with my peers so that I can proficiently train my Soldiers.”

A noncommissioned officer induction ceremony was held at the end the first week of training to welcome new non-commissioned officers into the NCO corps, known as the backbone of the Army.

“This is an opportunity for junior noncommissioned officers to symbolically cross the line of passage from Soldier into the noncommissioned officer corps,” said Holland.

The ceremony was held aboard the USS Missouri on March 4, where inspirational stories were presented of how NCO’s effectively influenced the outcome of past wars. The presentation acknowledged more than 30 newly promoted sergeants as members of the time honored corps as they walked through the NCO archway.

Following Bayonet Sharpening the noncommissioned officers of 65th BEB are now more proficient in their roles as NCO’s and will be able carry the tradition of being the Army’s most influential leaders with them through the rest of their careers.

• Date Taken: 03.11.2016
• Date Posted: 03.11.2016 20:57
• Story ID: 192150
• Location: SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, HI, US