U.S. Army NCO Corps Inductions

Command Sgt. Maj. Fritz Bultemeyer, seen from behind, inducts six newly-promoted sergeants into the NCO Corps at Kabul Compound, Afghanistan. All of the new noncommissioned officers are members of the Individual Ready Reserve called to active duty and serving in Afghanistan. U.S. Army Photo by Col. Randy Pullen

U.S. Army NCO Corps Inductions - Joint-Style

Members of various military services turned out to help welcome six U.S. Army
soldiers into the ranks of the noncommissioned officer corps.

By U.S. Army Col. Randy Pullen / Office of Military Cooperation - Afghanistan PAO

KABUL, Afghanistan, Oct. 10, 2004 — Six newly-promoted Army sergeants in the Office of Military Cooperation - Afghanistan were inducted into the U.S. Army NCO Corps here but not in the usual manner.

For one thing, the person who pinned on their stripes and re-administered their oath of service was an Air Force general. For another, the group of senior noncommissioned officers who carried out the induction ceremony by taking the new sergeants down a symbolic "Walk of Values" reflected the joint nature of the Office of Military Cooperation - Afghanistan.

There were Army master sergeants and sergeants first class, an Air Force senior master sergeant, a Navy chief petty officer and a senior chief petty officer and a couple of Marine Corps gunnery sergeants reading off the Army values of Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity and Personal Courage.

The ceremony was organized and conducted by Command Sgt. Maj. Fritz Bultemeyer, an Army Reserve Individual Mobilization Augmentee with Human Resources Command - Alexandria, who is serving in Afghanistan as the Senior NCO Trainer/Mentor to the Afghan National Army General Staff's
G-1.

The inductees were six Individual Ready Reserve soldiers called to active duty for Operation Enduring Freedom and assigned to the various directorates of Office of Military Cooperation - Afghanistan. They assembled in the courtyard-like area outside the office's headquarters, surrounded by dozens of their fellow Office of Military Cooperation - Afghanistan soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen, all gathered for this important event.

The office's chief, U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Craig P. Weston, spoke to the six new sergeants about their new responsibilities after he had pinned their new chevrons on their collars.

"Your soldiers will look to you as the example," Weston said. "You are now responsible for others. You have to look out for those junior to you before you look out for yourselves."

He also told them that there were more milestones to follow this one.

"Every sergeant major here was at one time an E-5," Weston said.

Weston then re-administered the oath of service to Sgt. Tim Batten, Sgt. Dana Miller, Sgt. Robert Edens, Sgt. Rueljay Sacbibit, Sgt. Kris Scharfenberger and Sgt. Denise Schultz.

Bultemeyer replaced the general in front of the sergeants and began the ceremony inducting the group into the ranks of the U.S. Army Noncommissioned Officer Corps by directing the joint service senior noncommissioned officers nearby to explain the tradition taking place and to recite the Army values.

It was related that the tradition of commemorating the passing of a soldier to a noncommissioned officer dates to the Army of Frederick the Great. In the U.S. Army, the recognition of the NCO as the one who instills discipline and order within a unit goes back to the beginning of the Army. Specific guidance for the sergeants and corporals of the Continental Army can be found in Baron Freidrich von Steuben's Regulations for Order and Discipline of the Troops of the United States.

Following the reciting of the Army Values, Bultemeyer asked the sergeants to raise their hands and repeat after him the following oath:

"I will discharge carefully and diligently the duties of the grade to which I am being promoted and uphold the traditions and standards of the Army.

"I understand that soldiers of lesser rank are required to obey my lawful orders. Accordingly, I accept responsibility for their actions.

"As a noncommissioned officer, I accept the charge to observe and follow the orders and directions given by superiors acting according to the laws, articles and rules governing the discipline of the Army, I will correct conditions detrimental to the readiness thereof.

"In so doing, I will fulfill my greatest obligation as a leader and thereby confirm my status as a noncommissioned officer."

With that, six young sergeants in war-torn Afghanistan became the latest members of "the backbone of the Army" and the newest link in a chain that stretched all the way back to Bunker Hill, Trenton and Valley Forge.

No one is more professional than I. I am a Noncommissioned Officer, a leader of soldiers. As a Noncommissioned Officer, I realize that I am a member of a time honored corps, which is known as "The Backbone of the Army". I am proud of the Corps of Noncommissioned Officers and will at all times conduct myself so as to bring credit upon the Corps, the Military Service and my country regardless of the situation in which I find myself. I will not use my grade or position to attain pleasure, profit, or personal safety.

Competence is my watchword. My two basic responsibilities will always be uppermost in my mind -- accomplishment of my mission and the welfare of my soldiers. I will strive to remain tactically and technically proficient. I am aware of my role as a Noncommissioned Officer. I will fulfill my responsibilities inherent in that role. All soldiers are entitled to outstanding leadership; I will provide that leadership. I know my soldiers and I will always place their needs above my own. I will communicate consistently with my soldiers and never leave them uninformed. I will be fair and impartial when recommending both rewards and punishment.

Officers of my unit will have maximum time to accomplish their duties; they will not have to accomplish mine. I will earn their respect and confidence as well as that of my soldiers. I will be loyal to those with whom I serve; seniors, peers, and subordinates alike. I will exercise initiative by taking appropriate action in the absence of orders. I will not compromise my integrity, nor my moral courage. I will not forget, nor will I allow my comrades to forget that we are professionals, Noncommissioned Officers, leaders!

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