Sgt. Morales was just an ordinary guy doing his best with the hand he was dealt, which included taking care of his Soldiers and their families by getting to know them and their problems.
Sgt. 1st Class Brian S. Letterle, Staff Sgt. Regan Davis and Sgt. Bryan R. Teneyck took turns talking about Sgt. Morales and the different ways he took care of his squad on a daily basis during an April 10 ceremony in Chièvres to induct the three USAG Benelux Soldiers into the Sgt. Morales Club.
"They represent the strength of this nation. Truly they're the best among the best," said Command Sgt. Maj. Romeo Montez III, Installation Management Command-Europe's top enlisted adviser. "There's something about a leader being out front that inspires and motivates. These noncommissioned officers know what it means to lead by example."
The exclusive club is for U.S. Army Europe noncommissioned officers who model themselves on the Sgt. Morales ideal. In 1973, when the Army was making the transition to an all-volunteer force, Lt. Gen. George S. Blanchard, the commander of VII Corps in Europe, created the fictional Sgt. Morales as a role model for USAREUR Soldiers, and the Sgt. Morales Club was born.
The three NCOs went through three formal boards to become members.
"The four-stage selection process to be in the prestigious Sergeant Morales Club was strenuous on its own," said Davis, who is the Headquarters and Headquarters Company training NCO. "Competing while I was five months' pregnant added a little more difficulty."
Phase One involved obtaining the first sergeant's approval, she said. Phase Two and Phase Three were the battalion-level and brigade-level selection boards. Those two phases required a PT test, an appearance before the board and a unanimous vote from the board members.
Shotgun-style questions were mixed with hands-on activities, Davis said.
Phase Four required approval by the USAREUR command sergeant major. This final stage was by far the most difficult, Davis said.
"Being in a room with five sergeants major while they put immense pressure on you for more than an hour is intimidating," she said. "At times, I felt like they wanted me to break. I kept my composure and got through it, one task at a time."
A military policeman at USAG Benelux-Brussels, Teneyck's leadership philosophy embraces the "lead by example" concept so central to the Sgt. Morales Club.
"Never be afraid to get your hands dirty with your Soldiers, and always be willing to do what you ask of your Soldiers," he said.
Letterle, who is a provost sergeant at USAG Benelux's Directorate of Emergency Services, offered this advice:
"Teach, coach and mentor those around you so that, one day, they may take your place as a competent standard-bearer able to handle any situation."
Read more about USAREUR's Sgt. Morales Club at https://aepubs.army.mil/pdfpubs/AER600-2.pdf.
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