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What It Takes to Be a Sergeant

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Submitted By henrypineau
Words 375
Pages 2
SGT Kaenel, Joe
A Btry, 2nd BN 4th FAR
12 July 2012
What Does it Mean to be a Sergeant? A sergeant is given the responsibilities and trustworthiness to teach, mentor, and train the lower enlisted. Through the ranks of private to specialist, the title is given to you if you meet the “time in service” and “time in grade” requirements, and as long as you stay out of trouble, and you have done what has been asked of you. Unlike those ranks, sergeants have to prove themselves in front of his or her leadership. They have to prove to the board that they have what it takes to become a sergeant. It is commonly said that the reasons that the younger enlisted do what they do is because they are “privates” and that they don’t know better. When you achieve the rank of sergeant, that all goes out the window. Sergeants are expected to get things done without being told to do so; it’s called taking the initiative. We all would like for our soldiers to take the initiative to get things done, but for most of the time, it won’t get done unless he or she has been told to do so directly. As a sergeant, your section chief or platoon sergeant shouldn’t have to tell you what needs to be done all the time. You usually know what needs to happen for that day or week, and you should get it done without someone telling you to go do it, looking over your shoulder, and checking up on you. The Creed of the NCO says it; you are a leader of soldiers. Your primary duties are to train and take care of your soldiers’ needs. When someone outside of the military hears that you are a sergeant, he or she automatically thinks you are the expert person on everything in the military. They know that you are the one who trains his or her son, daughter, brother, sister, ect. and they expect you to teach that family member everything there is to know on being a soldier, and protect him or her like he or she

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