1st Battalion 22nd Infantry welcomes new NCOs

1st Battalion 22nd Infantry

1-22 welcomes new NCOs

February 2008

1-22 Inf. Regt. welcomes new NCOs at induction ceremony, recognizes standards of leadership

1st Lt. John Magri

1-22 Infantry Regiment

1st BCT, 4th Inf. Div.

FORT HOOD, Texas – For a few young leaders, the burden of leading young men and women into combat may be high,
but comes with a soaring reward steeped in a tradition that has been proved by the “Regulars” Battalion of the 22nd Infantry Regiment for decades.

Company first sergeants and their battalion command sergeant major recognized the 1-22 Inf. Regt., 1st Brigade Combat Team,
4th Infantry Division’s newest leaders to wear stripes, during a battalion Noncommissioned Officer Induction Ceremony,
Feb. 22, at Fort Hood’s Howze Theater.

The purpose of the ceremony was to “create a distinction in the new NCO and his senior NCOs and officers
that he is special or different than he was the day before he was promoted,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Timothy Guden, 1-22 Inf. Regt.

Guden, who coordinated and organized the event with the battalion’s first sergeants, stated that he believes the promotion to NCO
“is the most critical promotion in an enlisted Soldier’s career, and in many ways is synonymous to an officer’s commission.”

The induction ceremony focused on the importance of the NCO creed and how living the creed
and implementing its message is critical in molding our new Soldiers.

The ceremony began with accounts of some of the heroic actions that were demonstrated by a few of the outstanding NCOs
of the “Regulars” Battalion during previous combat tours.

The acts of courage and selfless service demonstrated by the NCOs in previous combat deployments of the unit
served as impeccable examples for the newly inducted NCOs of what “right looks like,” said Guden.

Setting the standard and upholding it is fundamental of the NCO Corps and will be pivotal in saving lives of Soldiers in theater,
said Sgt. Brian Taylor, an infantryman assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1-22 Inf. Regt.

“I have learned so many important lessons from my NCOs during my time in the Army,
and I hope I will have that same effect on my new Soldiers,” said Taylor, one of the newly inducted NCOs.

The NCOs and the officers of the battalion took time from their busy schedules to attend the ceremony and express their support of their comrades-in-arms.

The newly inducted leadership is eager to train and supervise the young Soldiers of the battalion
and is motivated to instill the work ethic and selfless service that has been proven by the “Regular” Battalion for decades,
said 2nd Lt. Robert Ganim, assistant fire support officer, 1-22 Inf. Regt.

“The Regulars of 1-22 Inf. Regt. have been blessed with superior senior NCO leadership that will continue to teach,
train and mentor the newly inducted NCOs of the Battalion,” Ganim said. “Noncommissioned officers are the backbone of the Army
and they will continue to propel the Battalion beyond the standard and will lead the unit to and from combat!”

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