Credentials
To that end, I will be providing my “credentials”! I will create a variety of posts and pages where I provide a record of my achievements and/or aspects of my life that define me as the person I am.
NCO Academy Graduate - Commandant's List
As a young man and in my last year of high school, I finally began to give serious consideration to my life as an adult. When the military recruiters showed up and played their action packed movies… it was all over for me!
They offered a brand new young man everything he would need to get off to a great start in life! The Army got my vote because they said I could jump out of airplanes!
Credentials
NCO Academy Graduate - Commandant's List
All military’s have training institutions to teach leadership qualities to their young enlisted members. These schools are called NCO academies. NCO stands for Non-Commissioned Officer (Corporal, Sergeant, Staff Sergeant, etc.) as opposed to Commisioned Officers (Captain, Major, Colonel, etc.).
Mission
The XVIII Airborne Corps and Fort Liberty NCO Academy will provide professional military education that develops enlisted leaders who are fit, disciplined, and well-educated professionals that return to their formations ready to lead from the front and meet the complex challenges of their Operating Environments.
Vision
We remain a fully accredited institution that provides Fort Liberty tenant units and the Eastern Region with doctrine based instruction supporting formations for the Global Response Force, Special Operations, and Theater Support elements. We are a learning institution of fit and disciplined NCOs, and Department of Army Civilians that effectively collaborate, communicate and maintain a positive learning environment.
Credentials
NCO Academy Graduate - Commandant's List
While I did not finish as the class Honor Graduate, I was in the running as I did make the Commandant’s List. These are the handful of soldiers that competed for Honor Graduate. I still felt a sense of high achievement as I competed against soldiers older than me and more experienced!
A story about the value of pursuing worthwhile achievements regardless of success or failure. At the very end, there were 5 or 6 of us competing for Honor Graduate. The real test was how would you perform under pressure? There is only you, at the center of attention, surrounded by your fellow classmates and facing the judgement panel of nothing but Master Sergeants and Sergeant Majors! They issued simple Army commands that I could perform in my sleep… in a NORMAL setting! I heard the command “Take 2 steps forward!” and for some reason, I only took 1 step! They looked at me, giving me a small chance to take the 2nd step but I froze. And then, the moment was over!
There were other commands that I performed fine but I had that glaring failure! I remember that moment like it was yesterday! I label moments like that as “a man stands before the abyss” moments! You’re a man, you have to make a decision that will affect many others so stress levels are high and this is a situation you have never encountered before! The NCO Academy taught that then very young man how to perform in “a man stands before the abyss” moment!
