FORT HUACHUCA, Ariz. — Noncommissioned officers are time-honored professionals who lead and care for Soldiers and their Families, while also advising their commissioned counterparts. In honor of the NCO Corps, Fort Huachuca leaders hosted NCO Week April 22-26.
To begin the week, NCOs from the installation gathered to participate in a cadence filled fun run. Beforehand, the U.S. Army Intelligence Center of Excellence’s senior enlisted advisor, Command Sgt. Maj. Jesse Townsend, spoke to them on the importance of traditions like NCO Week.
“It gives us the opportunity as NCOs to do what we do, show who we are and be all we can be,” Townsend said. “I ask that you take some time and invest in your profession, invest in you and help us become better NCOs.”
During the week-long event, NCOs participated in team building events, professional development seminars and the time-honored traditions of a 64 Soldier NCO induction and the induction of one NCO into the Sergeant Audie Murphy Club.
Although the week was filled with beneficial professional and personal growth events, the culminating ceremony truly highlights the military heritage of NCOs, their importance and why holding these events matters.
“It’s a good event to really showcase who we are and what we are all about,” Townsend said. “We are the standard. There is a reason we are envied by every Army around the world. Be proud of that fact. Show people what right looks like.”
Master Sgt. Oscar Ortega, Raymond W. Bliss Army Health Center (RWBAHC) and Audie Murphy Club member, reflected on Murphy’s impact on the NCO Corps.
“Audie Murphy received the Medal of Honor at the age of 19,” Ortega explained. “Almost 80 years later, our NCOs are still valiantly impacting missions around the world.”
Since 1775, NCOs have been the backbone of the Army. NCO Week gave leaders the chance to gain a shared understanding of why keeping these traditions alive is important.
“This week highlights why we are the backbone,” Ortega said. “The intent was to promote esprit de corps amongst all NCOs. We cannot get complacent.”
The U.S. Army Network Enterprise Technology Command’s Headquarters and Headquarters Company first sergeant, 1st Sgt. Charles Powell Jr., sponsored 10 Soldiers who were inducted, and these ceremonies are always something he cherishes.
“As an Army we are an organization rooted in tradition,” Powell said. “These traditions preserve the heritage of the organization and remind us of those that went before us. Capping this event off by inducting NCOs into the Corps shows them that they are not alone, and we are here to assist with training the next generation of NCOs.”
The guest speaker for the NCO induction ceremony was retired sergeant major Angel Zajkowski. After a successful career in the Army, and now as a civilian, Zajkowski spoke to those in attendance on why service in the Army matters.
“The Army gave me these opportunities,” Zajkowski said. “You can be all you can be now, and in the future in the Army.”
As a proud senior NCO who still embraces her life of service, she also spoke on what it means to be an NCO.
“You can be all you can be alongside America’s finest NCO Corps, which is actually the world’s finest NCO Corps,” Zajkowski continued. “As I travel the Pacific, all these countries are jealous of our NCO Corps because they don’t have that.”
After a week of celebrations, those in attendance appreciated what it means to be an NCO.
“As we have gone through this week, the knowledge and experiences that have been shared show why our Army has the best NCO Corps in the world and why we are known as the backbone,” Powell said. “Our purpose is to lead and train Soldiers and we are a proud Corps that can accomplish that better than anyone else in the world.”
Cpl. Jasmine Timmerwilke, RWBAHC, has been in the Army for five years, and pinned corporal in November 2023. The corporal rank is a Soldiers first entry into being an NCO, and she shared her thoughts on why being an NCO was important to her.
“Being an NCO means being able to inspire, motivate and train Soldiers so that they can become great NCOs,” Timmerwilke explained. “So that one day, they can do the same for their Soldiers. Understanding that some Soldiers join at a very young age, it is important to mentor them and guide them through life, and in the military creating a Family in the Army.”
Being inducted into the NCO Corps is something she will always appreciate in her career, and the clarity she expressed after the week of events exemplified a leader who was wise beyond their years.
“Upholding the traditions and standards of the Army and never forgetting we were once junior Soldiers is important,” Timmerwilke said. “We should always remain humble regardless of the rank we have because humility is one of the most important qualities in a leader and something I value most and aspire to always maintain.”
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