Described as a non-commissioned officer who "has set the standard for all future NCOs who will come behind her," Staff Sgt. Andrea D. Hartline was inducted into the Sergeant Audie Murphy Club (SAMC), the Command Sgt. Maj. Jack L. Clark Jr. Chapter, during a ceremony Oct. 3 in Memorial Auditorium at Walter Reed Bethesda.
The Sergeant Audie Murphy Club, named after one of the most decorated Soldiers in U.S. Army history, is an organization of U.S. Army NCOs who are leaders in the Army and in their communities. Leadership, achievement and performance, as well as a desire to improve the lives of Soldiers, are the hallmarks of SAMC, according to Sgt. 1st Class Gloria Butler, president of the Command Sgt. Maj. Jack L. Clark Chapter of SAMC.
The Command Sgt. Maj. Jack L. Clark Jr. Chapter of SAMC is named for the 13th command sergeant major of the U.S. Army Health Services Command and Army Medical Command who served in those positions from February 2003 to July 2003. Before that, Clark was command sergeant major of the former Walter Reed Army Medical Center, a predecessor to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC). Clark passed away from cancer in 2004.
In introducing Hartline for induction into SAMC, Sgt. 1st Class Jonathan Colon, one of her leadership staff, said she is not only a standard-bearer, but is "very easy to talk about because of the excellent things she has done."
Colon said upon her arrival at WRNMMC in 2012, Hartline became the non-commissioned officer-in-charge (NCOIC) of the neuropsychological testing service. "She immediately took charge and she showed that service what being an NCOIC is about." He added in 2013 with "a lot of heartache," her section released when she was hand-selected to be the enlisted executive assistant to the WRNMMC chief of staff, a job that Colon said she performed exceptionally well , hearing nothing but positive comments about the staff sergeant.
After the year-long assignment as the WRNMMC chief of staff's enlisted executive assistant, Hartline became the NCOIC for inpatient psychiatry service, a sergeant first class position, Colon said. "That says a lot about who she is as an NCO," he continued about Hartline, who made Army staff sergeant in four years. "That is almost unheard of, especially in our [military occupation specialty]," he added.
Also last year, Hartline was named the NCO of the Year for the U.S. Army Element at Walter Reed Bethesda. Upon receiving the award, she said, "Excellent leadership and mentorship contributed greatly to my success. I have been extremely lucky in my career because I have had some amazing NCOs who 'kicked me out of the door,' so to speak, and made me jump on every opportunity, whether it was training, boards, competition, military education, etc. Without strong leadership, dedication, and motivation, I would not be where I am today."
Originally from Burnsville, Minn., Hartline enlisted in the Army in June 2009 and will soon attend drill sergeant school.
"The Army got it right because this is the epitome of an NCO who is an example for our young Soldiers," Colon said.
Guest speaker at the SAMC induction ceremony, Command Sgt. Maj. Benjamin Scott, encouraged all service members to strive for discipline and excellence.
"Your walk talks and your talk talks, but your walk talks more than your talk talks," said Scott, senior enlisted leader for the U.S. Army Northern Regional Medical Command. "Don't let a fail become a failure. Taking care of people…that is being a leader. Enforcing the standards…that is being a leader," he added.
Scott called Hartline, along with other NCOs, the standard-bearers for discipline and excellence. "You are the example of what excellence is. I didn't say you are perfect, for you will make mistakes." He explained excellence requires "giving 100 percent at whatever you do; going beyond the standard; going the extra mile; giving more than the minimal effort; not giving up; not avoiding any task; and taking every challenge to heart.
"The true goal in excellence is to do the best that you can do in everything that you do," Scott continued. In addition, he said excellence requires using one's talents and gifts to help others. "Excellence is not a skill, but an attitude," he said.
The original Sergeant Audie Murphy Club was started at Fort Hood, Texas, in 1986. It has since grown into an Army-wide organization. The club's motto, "You lead from the front," comes from a quote attributed to Audie Murphy.
The SAMC crest includes the letters SAMC (Sergeant Audie Murphy Club); three stars representing "Be," "Know" and "Do" (the core of an Army NCO's professional spirit); the American bald eagle; the laurel representing the individual achievement of the NCO in the club; the lightning bolt representing swift and decisive action taken by NCOs; the sword to represent a historical reference and is the symbolic tool of the NCO to cut to the heart of the matter and to lead the charge; the U.S. Army staff sergeant stripes representing the highest enlisted rank attained by Audie Murphy; and the powder-blue streamers, representing the color of the infantry (Murphy's Army branch) with the words of the NCO philosophy (Loyalty, Caring, Discipline, and Professionalism).
Upon induction into SAMC, Soldiers receive a medallion with the image of Audie Murphy suspended by a broad powder-blue ribbon representing the color of the infantry. The medallion is worn around the neck on the outside of the Class A or Dress Blue uniform for official functions such as military balls or SAMC meetings.
Members of the Command Sgt. Maj. Jack L. Clark Jr. Chapter of the SAMC are dedicated to community service, according to Sgt. 1st Class Garrin Harlan, vice president of the chapter. He explained members of the chapter volunteer at mentors at Woodlawn Elementary School in northern Virginia, support the Fort Belvoir (Va.) Child, Youth and School Services Fitness Challenge, the Best Police Challenge Program, and serve as guardians for honor flights for arriving veterans at local airports visiting the National Capital Region.
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