SUWON, South Korea - Despite a heavy downpour and driving wind, noncommissioned officers of the 6th Battalion, 52nd Air Defense Artillery charged up the steep hill of Kwangkyosan Mountain as part of the NCO professional development session that took place here June 25.
The participants of the intense physical training session rapidly ascended over 800 meters on a quarter mile of paved hill before facing the daunting challenge of climbing over 700 stairs to reach the very top.
Kwangkyosan Mountain is more affectionately known to U.S. military personnel stationed in South Korea as “Madison Hill.”
Once at the peak, the 6-52nd Air Defense Artillery Battalion NCOs took a group photo to commemorate the occasion.
Sgt. Jeffrey Stearn of Bravo Battery, 6-52nd Air Defense Artillery, thought the training session was a rewarding experience in more than one ways.
“Climbing up this mountain was not only a great exercise but more significantly a remarkable opportunity to bond with my fellow NCOs and build pride in the corps,” the 29-year-old communication NCOIC shared.
The NCODP did not end with the conclusion of the PT session, however. The Iron Horse NCOs then moved to the Suwon Air Base Theater to receive an in-depth briefing on the Army’s new semi-centralized NCO promotion system.
Command Sergeant Major Hockenberry, the top enlisted Soldier of the 6-52nd Air Defense Artillery Battalion and the driving force behind the Iron Horse NCODP, firmly believes in the importance of holding monthly development training for all of his NCOs.
As he watches his young NCOs climbing up the stairs of Madison Hill, drenched in sweat and rain, pushed to their mental and physical limit, Hockenberry was reminded of a promise he made to himself many years ago.
“I have been in units where the program [NCODP] never existed or was done just to meet the quarterly requirement … and I told myself that one day if I ever get to that position [of Command Sergeant Major], I will develop a program that will truly benefit every NCO in the unit.” Hockenberry said.
Now that he has made to the top, Hockenberry kept that promise.
According to Hockenberry, an effective NCODP would “not only produce better educated and developed NCOs in the battalion but also leave a lasting legacy that one of these NCOs going through the training will carry on when they eventually make to the [level of Command Sergeant Major.]”
In the Iron Horse Battalion, NCODP is conducted regularly on the last Friday of the month. The session always starts with a team building physical fitness event that is challenging to every single NCO in the unit, followed by well-rehearsed, resourced and relevant classroom instruction, and concludes with a special luncheon where all NCOs hail and farewell their fellow corps members coming and leaving the unit.
“The Army is an ever changing organization and operates in a volatile environment, and we [NCOs] as leaders have to do everything we can to communicate with our subordinates while at the same time, honor tradition and continue to develop young leaders in a way that they can understand and enjoy,” Hockenberry reflected, as he look into his formation of NCOs standing at the top of the peak, “I think we are achieving that goal with this program [NCODP].”
“I am glad that we [NCOs] are conducting the monthly development training,” said Stearn. “It is a tradition I want to take to my next duty station.”
Stearn will be heading back to the States for his next assignment in the coming months.
Hockenberry concluded, “I am proud of this corps of NCOs and have been one for 22 of my 24 years of service ... it is my responsibility to develop my subordinate leaders into one day taking my position.”
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