New leadership, old traditions

By james haleMarch 14, 2012

New leadership, old traditions
1 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – JOINT BASE LEWIS-McCHORD, Wash. " Six new non-commissioned officers (NCO's), from 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, recite the Creed of the NCO during their NCO induction ceremony Mar. 2 at the French Theater on Joint Base ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
New leadership, old traditions
2 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – JOINT BASE LEWIS-McCHORD, Wash. " Sgt. Phillip Marchal, a signal support systems specialist and inductee with from 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, receives the Charge To The Newly Promoted Noncommissioned Officer during a... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
New leadership, old traditions
3 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – JOINT BASE LEWIS-McCHORD, Wash. " Sgt. Phillip Marchal, a signal support systems specialist and inductee with from 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, receives his new rank from his wife during a noncommissioned officer induc... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
New leadership, old traditions
4 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – JOINT BASE LEWIS-McCHORD, Wash. " Soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, listen as Command Sgt. Maj. Andrew Connette reflects on his past experience with leadership during the NCO induction ceremony Mar. 2 at the F... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

JOINT BASE LEWIS-McCHORD, Wash. -- The "backbone" of the 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division (2-1) got a little bigger as six Soldiers were formally inducted into the Noncommissioned Officer Corps during a noncommissioned officer (NCO) induction ceremony at the French Theater Mar. 2 on Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

The induction ceremony is the time honored tradition when senior NCOs welcome newly promoted Soldiers into the NCO Corps. The ceremony instills a sense of pride and respect into the new NCOs. It is also a way to stress the significance of leading junior-enlisted Soldiers and the responsibility that is inherited by all who are part of the NCO Corps.

"This is a huge step in the Army as a leader," said 1st Sgt. Aaron Smith, A Company 2-1."These NCOs are becoming the guys that the lower ranking soldiers will look up to as they prepare to become our future leaders in the Army."

After the senior NCO's took their respective places on the stage, Command Sgt. Maj. Andrew Connette and Command Sgt. Maj. Michael Green presented each inductee with their NCO charge documentation, as well as a framed copy of the NCO Creed.

"It's important to keep these ceremonies going so that everybody understands how important being a leader is," said Sgt. Phillip Marchal, a signal support systems specialist and inductee with 2-1 Infantry.

Once the inductees were positioned on the stage, the senior NCO in the brigade, Command Sgt. Maj. Andrew Connette, led the newly promoted NCOs in reciting the Creed of the NCO.

-more-

"This is an awesome experience," said Staff Sgt. Daniel O. Mullen, a section chief for Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2-1. "It's the first time I've sponsored a new NCO and I hope it's not the last. I think tradition is extremely important. We're losing a lot of traditions in the military and the ones we can hold on to will greatly help morale."

The ceremony closed with the singing of the Army Song and 6 new members of the NCO Corps standing tall and proud.