Sgt. Socorro Garcia, an administrative non-commissioned officer with
the 101st Sustainment Brigade, prepares to step through the archway
of the newly promoted non-commissioned officers during a ceremony at
Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan on Sept. 21, 2011. Photo by Army Sgt.
1st Class Mary Perez
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BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan (9/22/2011) – Like many of his
contemporaries, Sgt. Socorro Garcia waited what seemed like an
eternity for this day. On this particular day he would finally be
officially recognized as a new sergeant in the Army.
Never
mind he had already made the promotion points cutoff and was wearing
his hard stripes. This day, he and his fellow new non-commissioned
officers would be officially brought over into the brotherhood of
NCOs through the induction ceremony.
Approximately 26 newly
pinned NCOs took part in the ceremony at the Morale, Welfare and
Recreation Center Clamshell and hosted by the 101st Special Troops
Battalion, 101st Sust. Bde.
One by one, each newly promoted
NCO stepped through the archway and into their new positions and
responsibilities.
Garcia, a former cavalry scout who is now an
administrative NCO with the 101st Sustainment Brigade, said the
promotion was a long time coming.
“It was pretty difficult
watching my peers go ahead of me and watching them progress, but I
had to learn the job |
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before I could lead soldiers to do the job,” he said. |
Garcia was not alone in his assessment.
“I was
looking forward to it, and yeah I was ready for it to come,”
said Sgt. Dionne Brown, communications non-commissioned
officer in charge, Alpha Company, 101st Special Troops Bn.,
101st Sust. Bde.
Brown said the camaraderie of
deployment made the promotion to sergeant special. “The fact
that you're out here with your peers and you're in combat
with them makes it better,” she said.
Sgt. Eduardo
Jones, help desk non-commissioned officer in charge, 101st
Sust. Bde., said he credits the Army's new promotion point
system in helping him attain his rank.
“The ceremony
finalizes the whole process of becoming an NCO,” he said.
“Coming out here, I thought I was going to be just part of a
team, and I've ended up taking over one. It feels great to
get the rank and respect. It's the whole personal
satisfaction of saying, ‘Hey, I did it',” he said.
There is no actual manual on conducting an NCO Induction
Ceremony, and as a result, different units add their own
traditions and twists on bringing young enlisted soldiers
over into leadership.
The one commonality, however,
remains constant: the rite of passage for an enlisted
soldier into the non-commissioned officers' ranks is always
one to remember.
“It's a solemn event that every NCO
should go through,” said 1st Sgt. Terance Clay, company
first sergeant, 101st Sust. Bde. “Once you transition from a
specialist to a sergeant, it means a lot. It's not just a
promotion; it's an addition of your duties and
responsibilities, not only to your superiors, but to your
subordinates.”
Being promoted to the rank of sergeant
in and of itself is quite an accomplishment for these
soldiers. To be promoted in a combat theater gives the
promotion a different perspective, Clay said.
“It
adds a dynamic to the deployment. It's a momentous occasion
in their careers that they're being recognized for their
accomplishment. It's unique to their deployment and adds a
special time to be remembered,” he said.
Sgt. 1st
Class Sharon Gervais, non-commissioned officer in charge of
finance operations, 101st Finance Company, 101st Sust. Bde.,
agreed with Clay's assessment.
“Sometimes, newly
promoted NCOs don't get to have one of these, so I worked
hard to get everyone in my section who was eligible to be a
part of it,” she said. “Being promoted here in Afghanistan
is something I don't think they'll ever forget. It's part of
their lives and part of their being proud of their
accomplishment. They'll never forget this.”
Gervais
said she had three soldiers from her company that were
inducted in the ceremony. Their promotions here also had a
special meaning for her, as she is preparing to retire from
the Army after she re-deploys.
“As this will probably
be my last deployment, I won't forget this moment either,”
she said.
By Army Sgt. 1st Class Peter Mayes
101st Sustainment Brigade, 101st Airborne Division (AA) Public Affairs
Provided through DVIDS
Copyright 2011
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