Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Taresha Hill | SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, Hawaii- U.S. Army Soldier of the Year and noncommissioned officer...... read more read more
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SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, Hawaii- It is the first milestone in the career of an enlisted Soldier. It is steeped in tradition and is the only ceremony that honors the noncommissioned officer (NCO): the NCO Induction Ceremony. Soldiers from the 728th Military Police Battalion, ‘Warfighters,’ and 303rd Ordnance Disposal Bn. (EOD), ‘Forged in Fire,’ 8th MP Brigade, 8th Theater Sustainment Command, accomplished that first mile stone and participated in a NCO Induction Ceremony March 3, at Sergeant Smith Theater, here.
The lights are dimmed and only the stage is illuminated as 30 inductees sit in their seats at the position of attention, waiting patiently for the honor to be called to stand beneath the wooden archway that reads, “NCOs Lead the Way” and to officially sign their name upon the Charge of the NCO.
‘Warfighters’ Command Sgt. Maj. Shelly Marlowe, host of the ceremony, has participated in many NCO induction ceremonies throughout the course of her career and said she wanted the inductees to feel a sense of pride and to appreciate the history involved with the ceremony.
“I want them to understand how important it is to be inducted into the Corps of the Noncommissioned Officers,” said Marlowe. “To show them what right looks like and to teach them about our traditions because this is a tradition that can be easily lost.”
Participating in a NCO induction ceremony allows for a junior NCO to symbolically cross the line of passage from Soldier into the NCO Corps. However, there are some NCOs who have never experienced such a time-honored tradition.
“I’m a little embarrassed to admit it, but I have never been to a NCO induction ceremony,” said Sgt. Maj. Michael Smith, operations NCO and guest speaker of the event, 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division. “I am truly honored to be a part of yours.”
Smith imparted his advice based on his own experiences as a NCO, encouraging the inductees to emulate the ‘Creed of the Noncommissioned Officer,’ to be a leader their Soldiers can look up to and to realize it is the NCO who works for the Soldier and not the Soldier who works for the NCO.
“You work for your Soldiers not the other way around,” said Smith. “Share in the hardships and lead them from the front.”
He stressed, “A sergeant is a servant. We are servants.”
Smith’s words of wisdom resonated deeply with U.S. Army Soldier of the Year and inductee, Sgt. Robert Miller, 74th Ordnance Disposal Company (EOD), 303rd OD Bn. (EOD), who said he absolutely agreed with Smith and his belief that NCOs are servants.
“If every day you are not coming to work and doing something for someone else, you need to do some self-reflecting. This is not a ‘me’ Army it’s a ‘we’ Army,” said Miller.
Smith also stressed the importance of maintaining one’s integrity and said to always guard against losing it.
“No one can take your integrity away, you have to give that away and once you do, you will never get it back. You’ll never be trusted by those seniors, peers and subordinates and you may never again gain their confidence,” said Smith.
After each of the thirty inductees marched onto the stage and signed their name to ‘The Charge of the NCO,’ the ceremony concluded with, ‘A Soldier’s Request.’
With the mantle of leadership fully upon his shoulders, the newly inducted NCO stands before the Soldier as the Soldier asks, “Sergeant, train me. That I too can earn the title sergeant.”
| Date Taken: | 03.03.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 03.13.2017 23:24 |
| Story ID: | 226714 |
| Location: | SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, HI, US |
| Web Views: | 69 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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