NCO Journal August 2014 Articles
The official magazine of noncommissioned officer professional development
This Month In NCO History: Aug. 20, 1804, An NCO Rises To Help Shape America
Pablo Villa
NCO Journal
The Lewis and Clark expedition is renowned as the venture that mapped what is now the western portion of the United States. What isn’t well known is that an NCO was an integral part of the famed Corps of Discovery mission.
Article published on: Aug 28, 2014
Former NCO Burned in IED Blast Lifts Himself, Others Up Through Stand-Up Comedy
Pablo Villa
NCO Journal
There’s something striking about Bobby Henline. No, it’s not the roughly depilated head or the craggy striations seared into the former staff sergeant’s face, the result of a 2007 roadside bomb attack in Iraq that struck the humvee he was riding in. Henline was the only one of the vehicle’s five occupants to survive the blast. More than 38 percent of his body was burned. His head was scorched to the skull. His left hand was so badly singed it would eventually be amputated.
Article published on: Aug 26, 2014
SMA Chandler Challenges USASMA Students to Think About Army’s, NCO Corps’ Future
Jonathan (Jay) Koester
NCO Journal
As Sgt. Maj. of the Army Raymond F. Chandler III spoke to the incoming class of the United States Army Sergeants Major Academy on Friday at Fort Bliss, Texas, he challenged members of Class 65 to look to the future and decide what kind of Army and NCO Corps they want to have.
Article published on: Aug 22, 2014
‘Experto Crede’: Designing the New Army Instructor Badge
Master Sgt. Elsi A. Inoa-Santos
Institute for NCO Professional Development
Transforming NCOs’ professional development will come about by improving strategies for delivering educational content and leveraging the Army Learning Model. This transformation is a vigorous, evolutionary strategy that drives the Army to re-examine itself on a frequent basis. The U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command’s Institute for NCO Professional Development intends to use this strategy to evolve the current NCO Education System into the NCO Professional Development System of the future.
Article published on: Aug 21, 2014
NCOs Begin New School Year as Staff — and Students — at West Point Prep
Michael L. Lewis
NCO Journal
As students nationwide prepare to return to school this month, two groups of NCOs are also preparing to start another year as staff members and students at the U.S. Military Academy Preparatory School at West Point, N.Y., commonly known as West Point Prep.
Article published on: Aug 21, 2014
Army Seeks Feedback on New Performance Triad App
David Vergun
Army News Service
Important information and helpful links on sleep, activity and nutrition — the three components of Performance Triad — are now available as an app that can be downloaded to any smartphone.
Article published on: Aug 19, 2014
NCO Who Tackled Suicide Bomber Named USO Soldier of the Year
Staff Sgt. Whitney Houston
ISAF Regional Command-South
People, like coal, under the right conditions of pressure and heat, can be transformed from their raw material or potential into gems. Sgt. Andrew Mahoney, a Laingsburg, Mich., native, who was recently named the USO Soldier of the Year, has been in that refining process of heat and pressure since he joined the Army in 2007. A communication specialist with the 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Mahoney has shaped himself into an invaluable noncommissioned officer.
Article published on: Aug 18, 2014
Changes to Improve How CSMs, SGMs Are Selected for Command Select List Positions
David Vergun
Army News Service
The Army has implemented changes to how it considers, selects and slates command sergeants major and sergeants major for the privilege of serving in Command Select List positions.
Article published on: Aug 14, 2014
NCOs Provide Feedback During Tests to Simplify the Army’s Mobile Network
Amy Walker
Program Executive Office for Command, Control and Communications-Tactical
NCOs and Soldiers in network-equipped vehicles traversed more than 1,250 accumulated miles a day in harsh desert terrain this summer as they helped evaluate recent improvements to the Army’s high capacity, mobile tactical communications network, Warfighter Information Network-Tactical, or WIN-T, Increment 2.
Article published on: Aug 12, 2014
New Physical Fitness Uniforms to Debut Next Year
David Vergun
Army News Service
A new Army Physical Fitness Uniform will become available service-wide, beginning in October next year. Its design is based on Soldier feedback, said Col. Robert Mortlock, program manager for Soldier Protection and Individual Equipment at Fort Belvoir, Va. There will be a three-year phase-in program and the cost will be about $3 less than the current IPFU, or Improved Physical Fitness Uniform, he said.
Article published on: Aug 11, 2014
Vietnam War Medal of Honor Recipient Dies
J.D. Leipold
Army News Service
Medal of Honor recipient, Vietnam prisoner of war and Special Forces legend Sgt. Maj. Jon R. Cavaiani lost his long battle with a bone marrow disorder July 29, passing away at 70 years old, in Stanford, California.
Article published on: Aug 8, 2014
Soldiers to Wear New Camouflage Pattern
Army News Service
The Army has confirmed what Soldiers have been hearing rumors of for months now — a new camouflage pattern for combat uniforms is on the way with a number of improvements. Soldiers are expected to retire their current uniform and begin wearing the new pattern by summer 2018.
Article published on: Aug 7, 2014
SMA: Engaged Leadership Key To Resilient Force
Capt. Peter Smedberg
10th Mountain Division
As the Army begins moving toward reduced troop numbers, a glaring reality faces units across the board — commanders must be prepared to sustain a rigorous operational tempo with fewer Soldiers standing information.
Article published on: Aug 7, 2014
Headquarters Company Dedicated to Developing Troops, Tactically and Technically
Staff Sgt. Gaelen Lowers
If there’s an old, green Battle Dress Uniform with your name tape on it stored away somewhere, odds are you remember a time when the Army-wide Thursday morning routine was as reliable as reveille on posts throughout the world.
Article published on: Aug 6, 2014
2nd Infantry Division NCOs Use History’s Lessons to Prepare for Today’s Challenges
Jonathan (Jay) Koester
NCO Journal
The 2nd Infantry Division of the U.S. Army has a storied history celebrated by their motto, “Second to None.” With 38 Medal of Honor recipients and a history that goes back to the division’s formation in 1917, today’s NCOs serving in Korea and the United States find much to be inspired by.
Article published on: Aug 5, 2014