FORT KNOX, Kentucky (Sept. 10, 2015) -- Two U.S. Army Human Resources Command noncommissioned officers were inducted into the Fort Knox chapter of the Sgt. Audie Murphy Club in a ceremony at the Abrams Auditorium Sept. 9.
Sgt. 1st Class Joseph Adelekun, with Transitions Branch, The Adjutant General of the Army Directorate, and Sgt. 1st Class Michael Miller, a professional development NCO with Air Defense Branch, Enlisted Personnel Management Directorate, were inducted along with three NCOs from other Fort Knox commands.
"I've always been excited by the Army," said Adelekun.
A first-generation American whose family hails from Ghana, Nigeria and Liberia, he was born and raised in Lithonia, Georgia. Adelekun came into the service as an Abrams M-1 tank mechanic, did his basic training and Advanced Individual Training at Fort Knox, and went on to assignments at Fort Stewart, Fort Gillem and Fort Benning, Georgia, and March Air Force Base, California, and deployed to Iraq in 2005 as part of the surge.
He is presently serves as 42 Alpha in the Transitions Branch at HRC, handling separations for AGR Soldiers worldwide, and overseeing sanctuary for Reserve and National Guard component Soldiers.
"I think it's building my skills. The separations, I think, are going to make me a better leader as opposed to the leader who doesn't know these processes. That part of my job is making me a better senior leader for when I leave the command," he said.
Adelekun was nominated by Transition Branch Sgt. Maj. Wayne Penn.
"Sgt. 1st Class Adelekun embodies the principles of leadership established in our Army values, NCO Creed, Soldier's Creed and our warrior ethos," said Penn. ""His demonstrated character, competence and commitment to excellence influence and inspire Soldiers and civilians across our formations and our entire community."
Miller has been in Air Defense Artillery, a Patriot missile operator and launching station enhanced operator-maintainer, throughout his career. He presently serves as a career adviser to enlisted 14 Tangos in the field and said the assignment has been great.
"I've been blessed," said Miller, who hails originally from Atlanta, Georgia, but grew up as an Air Force brat, with family presently living in various places around the country.
"I love it, and that's the honest truth. I love the Army. I'm one of those corny, gung-ho, GI Joe, red-white-and-blue guys: I drank the Kool-Aid. I love taking care of Soldiers, taking care of their families," he said.
His previous assignments have taken him to Ansbach, Germany, and Fort Sill, Oklahoma. He spent three years with the Seattle Recruiting Battalion in Seattle, Washington, and deployed to Southwest Asia as an ADA platoon sergeant from Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
With three small children at home, Miller said he enjoys and appreciates the quality of life he and his wife have found at Fort Knox.
"Being at Bragg made me appreciate my family a lot more," he said. "I love Fort Knox. They do so much for the families that I didn't think was going to happen, and I like that too. I appreciate all the small things now."
Command Sgt. Maj. Randy B. Gray, 2nd Battalion, 44th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, nominated Miller for the Audie Murphy Club while he was with HRC's Air Defense Branch.
"The reason I nominated Sgt. 1st Class Miller is because this NCO is an engaged leader, whether it's with the troops that he manages or leads daily, or within the organization. He approached every situation with tenacity and vigor, which enabled his continued success. There is no doubt that Sgt. 1st Class Miller will serve at the highest levels of leadership and responsibility," said Gray.
"Sgt. 1st Class Miller is truly one of the most well rounded Soldiers who leads from the front and is not scared of a challenge," said Sgt. Maj. John Caldwell of the ADA Branch. "I am sure he will be a future command sergeant major. That's why I agreed with the nomination recommending him to attempt the SAMC board."
Adelekun said preparing for the board meant putting in lots of hours in study groups and mixing it up on the installation to work with Soldiers and their families through a range of activities.
"It's a lot studying. You study every day. There's no way around it," he said.
"I've been trying to do this my whole career, but my timeline never matched up with the board. I was either in the field or deploying or going to some kind of school," said Miller.
After their induction, each NCO was presented an Army Commendation Medal by U.S. Army Cadet Command and Fort Knox Commander, Maj. Gen. Peggy C. Combs.
"We are here to celebrate the excellence of these five great noncommissioned officers and the club they have entered. Keep following your heart because that is what really matters. We need the best of the best. Be proud of yourselves for that, because it shows what your leaders see in you. You not only lead from the front, but you serve. You serve from everywhere. You rock," she said.
While neither Miller nor Adelekun know what the future holds in store, both Soldiers were upbeat about their professional prospects and dedicated to doing their best for the Army.
"As an NCO in the Army, I'm always reaching for more responsibility and to gain rank at the appropriate time, when the Army deems it fit. I want to be the guy who's supposed to be there," said Adelekun. "Whatever the Army needs, I'm flexible."
"Everything I've done in the Army, I've tried to do the best at it," said Miller. "You're not always going to be the best at it, but as long as you strive to be the best, I think that's what the Army is looking for. Take that personal courage and go out and do everything you're told and do it the right way the first time."
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