Social Media Facebook Twitter Flickr YouTube 5th Battalion, 7th ADA host brigade wide NCO induction November 30, 2011 By Sgt. Megan R. Boyer, 10th AAMDC Public Affairs KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany -- The 5th Battalion, 7th Air Defense Artillery Regiment held an induction ceremony to induct 45 new Soldiers from various units from throughout the regiment into the non-commissioned officer corps during a ceremony held on Rhine Ordnance Barracks here Nov. 30. The NCO induction ceremony is a welcoming of all the newly promoted sergeants into the proud NCO Corps and also a reminder and honoring of those who have served with pride and excellence in the ranks. Induction ceremonies are important because they provide unit cohesion and develop a bond among NCOs. “Those inducted Soldiers will become the first sergeants, they’ll become platoon sergeants, and they’ll become sergeants major for our forces in the future and they will continue to uphold the tradition for our great army that has so much been instilled in our minds for over 230 something years”, said Command Sgt. Maj. Thomas R. Capel, the U.S. Army Europe Command sergeant major. The NCO induction ceremony dates back to December 1988 when Command Sgt. Maj. Horvath observed a German army NCO induction ceremony and suggested the U.S. Army adopt a similar program, which they did in April 1989 when the first ceremony was held. Now over 22 years later, the NCO induction ceremonies continue to be a part of the Army worldwide, celebrating new additions to the elite corps of NCOs. The 5th Bn’s ceremony started with an invocation followed by the National Anthem. A Soldiers request was next along with the NCO creed and the guest speaker Master Sgt. Alan C. Jonason, who provided the inductees the definition of a leader.