391st CSSB welcomes 17 NCOs to the Corps with traditional ceremony

By Staff Sgt. Lynne Lantin
16th Sust. Bde. Public Affairs

Soldiers of the 391st Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 16th Sustainment Brigade, and guests stand at attention for the arrival of the official party at the 391st CSSB noncommissioned officer induction ceremony at the post theater on Warner Barracks, Bamberg, Germany Feb. 1. (Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Virgil Williams, 391st CSSB)

BAMBERG, Germany – Seventeen noncommissioned officers from the 391st Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 16th Sustainment Brigade, were inducted into the NCO Corps during a ceremony at the post theater on Warner Barracks, here Feb. 1.

The induction ceremony is a time-honored tradition symbolizing the transition from a Soldier to a noncommissioned officer who is charged with the responsibility to train and lead Soldiers.

Before holding the ceremony, the 391st CSSB held a ten-day NCO leadership certification program that tested each NCOs physical fitness and competence in areas such as Physical Readiness Training, weapons training, convoy procedures, communications, troop leading procedures, land navigation and modern Army combatives.

Command Sgt. Maj. Gerald Daniels, the command sergeant major of the 391st CSSB, said that this event is not only about tradition but about bringing NCOs together.

"We bring the NCOs in and show them this is what you're supposed to be doing," said Daniels. " It brings a family bond together and shows them that they're a leader, and you can always bring Soldiers together on a leadership stage and still be able to learn and grow. "

Sgt. Brian Santiago, a human resource specialist with headquarters and headquarters company, 391st CSSB, has been an NCO since 2009 but has never taken part in an induction ceremony until now but said he is glad he was given the opportunity.

"Some of the NCOs who have been doing this for a while wondered at first why they should do this," said Santiago. "After the process of being inducted, everybody had a completely different mindset. It makes you feel like you're a part of something bigger than yourself."

"It was really good training and a good experience. I got to spend time with a lot of different Soldiers. There was a lot of bonding between other NCOs as well and you learn from their jobs and from their experience as being a noncommissioned officer."

Command Sgt. Maj. Jesse Sharpe Jr., the command sergeant major of the 405th Army Field Support Brigade and guest speaker at the ceremony, shared some words of wisdom with the inductees.

"There are three things that will make you successful as a noncommissioned officer," said Sharpe. "Be a leader. You have to make that Soldier believe in you and want to follow you and follow your guidance; be a role model. You are the epitome of the standards. It's one of the hardest things you will have to do as a noncommissioned officer; train. NCOs get paid to train Soldiers."

"This is a tradition that we need to keep," said Daniels about the ceremony. "These guys are the ones where the rubber meets the road. Every sergeant you come across, they're the ones that the Soldiers trust the most."

The 391st CSSB plans to hold NCO induction ceremonies regularly said Daniels.