‘No one is more professional than I’: AVCOE welcomes NCOs at Fort Rucker induction ceremony

FORT RUCKER, Ala.—The Aviation Center of Excellence recognized more than 70 Soldiers passing into the ranks of the U.S. Army Noncommissioned Officer Corps in a ceremony at Fort Rucker September 24.

The NCO Induction is a time-honored tradition designed to enhance unit discipline and esprit de corps, while recognizing the demonstrated leadership of the newest members of the NCO Corps.

Command Sgt. Maj. Michael A. Castro, Fort Rucker garrison command sergeant major, said he considered it a privilege to be part of the ceremony, and he thanked the audience for their support.

He said the ceremony is a “formal and public acknowledgement of joining a corps of noncommissioned officers,” and reflects the legacy of service past, present and future.

He thanked the inductees for serving and continuing to serve, and their families for their support of their service members.

“Thank you for choosing to be a noncommissioned officer. The Army asks a lot of our NCOs,” Castro said. “Asking a young sergeant potentially at 21 years old to be a teacher, a mentor, a coach, a counselor, a trainer of complex systems and processes… to know regulations left and right, and front to back--there’s a lot expected of you.”

Castro said he has found the enlisted journey rewarding. On his own path as a 15Y AH-64D Armament/Electrical/Avionic Systems Repairer, he said he was fortunate to have good leaders along the way.

His own induction ceremony happened while serving on a deployment to Iraq. The fact that his first sergeant took the time to formally recognize that transition, speaks to how important the milestone is.

He explained the relationship between NCOs and officers is a sacred one.

“There is really no other military in the world that has an NCO Corps like United States Armed Forces has, with the amount of trust officers put into NCOs,” he said. “You don’t find that in every military. We are the envy of most military forces in that regard. There is nothing that can compare to that longstanding, generational culture that we have created” and the trust with officers.

NCOs already wear many hats and fill many roles. “On top of that to be told, ‘Hey sergeant, you’re responsible for developing that young lieutenant’. You may think that’s backwards, but I don’t think it is,” he said.

“At every commissioning source, at every initial entry training gate, there’s a sergeant there that is training,” he said. “Every position we hold, whether it’s platoon all the way up to chief of staff of the Army, there is an enlisted advisor to that commissioned officer. I think that’s why our NCO Corps works.”

“That is a trust that we cannot break as noncommissioned officers. It is a responsibility that I would charge you all to take on with ownership, and not have that mindset that, well, they’re in charge, let them fail. What makes a good company commander is a good platoon sergeant and their time as a platoon leader with that platoon sergeant,” he said.

He noted the U.S. Army Aviation Museum aircraft displays that provided the backdrop to the ceremony.

“If you look at these legacy aircraft here, and the aviators and the fights that they were in, and many Medal of Honor recipients are named across post, and all in their own right and all very awing stories when you read them,” he said. “But what I would like to highlight is, these aircraft were serviced by crew chiefs. They were maintained by maintainers. There was a flight operations specialist that was tracking all the things they needed to in the TOC and RTO’ing the operations daily. Air traffic controllers in the dust, in the dirt, in the towers,” he said.

“So the daily execution and the daily grind of everything it is that we do, not just in aviation, but in all operations, is from the noncommissioned officer,” he said.

“You are the legacy that is behind these aircraft. Even today out there in all the combat aviation brigades…. It’s the small, little aggregates of those daily executions where our enlisted and our noncomissioned officers make this entire concept of the Army work,” he said.

Members of the noncommissioned officer corps are charged with being competent, accomplishing their mission, and ensuring the welfare of their Soldiers. They are technically and tactically proficient and place their Soldiers’ needs above their own. These guardians of the Army Standard are entrusted with the training, health and welfare of America’s most precious resource, the American Soldier.

The ceremony conveyed the significance of the transition from Soldier to NCO, and the importance of the NCO as the “backbone of the Army.” As the inductees’ names were called, they passed through a threshold where two NCOs stood guard with sabers held high forming an archway, symbolizing their formal transition from junior Soldier to NCO.

The ceremony included many recitations that characterize the NCO, including “Boots of the NCO” (a recitation about the history of the NCO depicted by the types of boots they have worn), the lighting of red, white and blue candles with recitations representing past, present and future service and sacrifice.

The ceremony also included “Words of Wisdom” from first sergeants, the “NCO Charge,” the “Soldier’s Request” (a call and response style recitation about expectations of Soldiers and NCOs), and a resounding recitation of the NCO Creed with members of the audience joining in.

For Sgt. Erica M Williams, a religious affairs specialist and garrison operations NCOIC, the opportunity to lead as an NCO is a “huge deal.”

“I think I’m trying to bring compassion back into the culture. When everything is all about being busy and ready and always being prepared to go no matter what, sometimes you have to give yourself grace. I feel like we never take the time to actually bestow that to ourselves, so I want to be someone who gives that space for my Soldiers,” she said.

“I’m super thankful and grateful, especially for the leadership that I have here. It’s really been a blessing,” Williams said.

Inductee Sgt. Laterrion T. Jones, also a religious affairs NCOIC, is the first in her family to serve and she is excited about being an NCO, she said.

When she was younger, she met a recruiter and was impressed with how disciplined and structured she was, and wanted to be just like her when she grew up, she explained. “I wanted to join the Army my whole life, and I finally joined.”

At five years in, now an NCO, she said, “It’s a big accomplishment, and I have greater responsibility than what I already had. I treat Soldiers as if they are my children. I’m supposed to love and protect them and have their back, but also teach them right from wrong.”

“I’m honored to be here, that I actually made it. And it’s not that I made it because of myself; God helped me, and I just try to follow along his path and teach Soldiers and people in general as I go,” Jones said.

Legal Disclaimer:

EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.