Photos by Bernard S. Little Sgt. Elizabeth Yarmark signs the NCO Oath and Creed witnessed by (from left) Medical Center Brigade Command Sgt. Maj. Rudy DelValle, 1st Sgt. Cheryl Cole of C Company, and North Atlantic Regional Medical Command⁄Walter Reed Army Medical Center Command Sgt. Maj. James E. Diggs.

ìSergeant is perhaps one of the most challenging ranks in our Army inventory,î said Command Sgt. Maj. James E. Diggs, CSM of the North Atlantic Regional Medical Command/Walter Reed Army Medical Center and guest speaker during the ceremony.

ìItís the point of the spear in regards to dealing with those matters that are near and dear to us. That is the level at which leaders begin to wrap their arms around Americaís sons and daughters.î

Diggs said being a sergeant is more than a title. ìThere are inherent responsibilities that you must hold and execute.î These responsibilities include not only taking care of troops, but also ensuring they are meeting their mission and readiness responsibilities, he explained.

NCOs must be technically proficient at being able to do their jobs, Diggs added.

ìBe, know, and do,î are the watchwords for NCOs, Diggs said. ìIt is not about what you say; itís about what you do. Be more the doer than about the Hooah.î

The NCO induction ceremony is more than a rite of passage, Diggs said. ìItís about bestowing a charge on you and what you must do to be thatís professional,î he said to those inducted into the NCO Corps.

ìFailure is not an option,î he added. ìYou must be on top of [your mission] each and every day. There isnít any such thing as ëa bad day.í We have highs and lows, but the bottom line is when you have people counting on you to make the right choices 24-7, 365, please ensure that you have that utmost competence and respect for the decisions you make. Any decision you make, treat it as if youíre looking at your own flesh and blood because America has charged you to do nothing less than that.î

During the ceremony, the Soldiers pledged to ìdischarge carefully and diligently the duties of the grade to which [theyíd] been promoted, and uphold the tradition and standards of the Army.î

They were also charged with upholding ìthe tradition, dignity and high standards of the U.S. Army Corps of Noncommissioned Officers,î and ìaccept the responsibility for action, good or bad, of every Soldier under [their] command and supervision.î

Inductees include: Staff Sgts. Robert Alvin and Thomas White; Sgts. Bradley Brown; Chrishaundi Butler; Vickie Casey, Terrance Donaldson; Shanay Esaw, Tiffany Forman, Joshua Geary, Amber Goetschius, Chad Hovis, Matthew Lane, Ramona Jury, Cedric Kizzee and Gerald Kosztur.

The inductees also included Sgts. Justin Majors, Patrick Maloon, Igor Middlebrook, Nicole Murray, Alexander Nyunt, Samantha Paciencia, Nichelle Panchoo, Melanie Perry, Carla Piereck, Corey Reese-Bell, Edgar Ripoll, Samantha Steele, Christopher Taylor, Shaton Williams and Elizabeth Yarmark.