FORT BENNING, Ga., (Feb. 11, 2015) -- History was made on Fort Benning Feb. 2, as the Henry A. Caro NCO Academy presented select cadre with the Army Instructor Badge for the first time here.
In all, 37 NCOA instructors were presented with the badge, which is the first identification badge approved for wear since the Army Recruiter Badge in 1967.
"The Army realized last year that there was no good way to recognize those who were serving as our senior trainers and mentors for our NCO academies across the United States," said NCOA commandant Command Sgt. Maj. Timothy Metheny. "This is really a testament to the work ethic they have, the work they've put in and the quality of instructors that we have at the NCO Academy. ... This badge can also be revoked, so if they lose their instructor status or good standing, that badge can be taken away, similar to a drill instructor badge. This badge will be very highly regarded and there will be a select few across our Army."
The badge is also open to any Soldier serving in a coded instructor or writer position.
There are three levels of the badge - the Basic Army Instructor Badge, Senior Army Instructor Badge and the Master Army Instructor Badge.
For the basic badge, an instructor must obtain all instructor certifications, be certified in their branch, MOS and specific duty position they are instructing, be in good standing with no adverse actions in the last 36 months, possess a secret security clearance or higher and complete 80 hours of instruction as certified by a board for instructor excellence.
"For example, if you're a Maneuver Senior Leader Course instructor, you've got to have 18-24 months in a FORSCOM unit or a deployable organization as rated on your NCO evaluation report as a platoon sergeant," Metheny said. "So, we have guys that are not only certified in their MOS, but they're regarded as subject matter experts, and we think they're of a high enough quality to come back to Fort Benning to train others to do what they've done out in the force."
The senior badge requires 400 hours of instruction, while the master badge requires an instructor to rewrite a program of instruction and have it adopted for the Army.
The basic badge was the only badge awarded Feb. 2, but Metheny said there will be several instructors who will receive the senior badge later this year.
The Army has designated Soldiers serving in instructor positions as priority positions, enhancing their odds of being selected for promotion.
"If I was sitting on a promotion board and I had a very short time to review someone's record, but could look at their photo and see an instructor badge, I would know they were regarded as not only an expert in their craft, but are regarded as enough of a subject matter expert that they're able to train others," he said.
Sgt. 1st Class Sidney Pitman, a senior small group leader for the Maneuver Senior Leader Course, said he was glad to see formal recognition for NCOA instructors.
"It's an honor to have the badge and see the Army finally recognizing NCOs for being instructors," Pitman said. "Hopefully this will influence promotion boards and will in turn give us better quality instructors because Soldiers will see the opportunity for advancement by coming to be an NCO instructor."
Metheny said Soldiers who receive the badge will also have proof that they are doctrinal experts when seeking future assignments.
"You're on the cutting edge, especially here at the MCoE, as we develop the Maneuver Leader Development Strategies," he said. "If I was getting a Soldier like this into my battalion as a sergeant major, I would know that this is a guy who knows the latest and greatest as far as doctrine."
The instructors at the NCOA play a key role in developing future Army leaders.
"I'm training future platoon sergeants, and those platoon sergeants could have as many as 40 people serving under them, so if you have 18 to 20 future platoon sergeants in your classroom, the number of people you're impacting is huge," Pitman said.
Social Sharing