NRC Phase II is final step for students

Sgt. Chad T. Jones
USASMA Public Affairs

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Soldiers, family members and dignitaries witnessed 528 senior NCOs begin their final journey through the Noncommissioned Officer Education System during the Nonresident Sergeants Major Course (NRC) opening ceremony, at the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy, July 18.

“This is the last NCOES Academy and I’m happy to finally be here,” said Class 01-04 student Command Sgt. Maj. Richard Williams.

Williams, like a majority of the students in the class, is a member of the Reserve Component (National Guard and Reserve) and began Phase I of the course more than two years ago.

During Phase I, 01-04 students studied subjects such as leadership, national security and foreign affairs on their own and then took six online exams which were graded by NRC instructors at USASMA, said Sgt. Maj. Joseph E. Vargo, chief, NRC.

“You’ve come a long way,” said USASMA commandant, Lt. Col. John Kirby who was the first to address the new students at the ceremony. “But your desire, faith and effort has paid off and in a few weeks you will make history.”

Before they can go into the Academy’s annals as graduates, the students must complete a two-week resident portion which includes courses on the decision-making process and group dynamics.

According to Vargo, the students’ best chance to learn will not come from the classroom, but from each other.
“The biggest part of this course is the shared and learned experiences they gain from each other,” said Vargo.
The Chief of the Army Reserves, Lt. Gen. James R. Helmly said those shared experiences will be invaluable to the Soldiers once they get back to leading troops through the Global War on Terror which he compares to cancer.

“You think it’s in remission,” said Helmly who was the guest speaker at the event. “Then it comes back to get you.”

Helmly started his address by thanking the family members for “What you do to support our Army. If it wasn’t for your love and loyalty we would not be here.”

The general’s 45-minute presentation walked the future NRC graduates through some of the changes that are occurring in the Army Reserve.

“We have a lot of work to do to reshape ourselves to get ready for war,” said Helmly.

Foremost in those changes is transforming the Reserve’s “mass over time” build up strategy to a procedure that can adjust to increasing demands of war.

“It’s like tuning up a car while it’s going down the road at 65 miles per hour,” he said.

Helmly also talked to the students about thriving in an Army during a time when civil leadership has less military experience.

“Not being in the military doesn’t make [civil leaders] less of leaders. It just makes it harder for us to convince them the sacrifices it takes to serve.”

One way the students can prepare for this new Army and its civilian leaders, according to Helmly, is to change the way they think.

“We have to start each morning by thinking of war and the nature of our service. The Army is not a job, it is a responsibility. When you go bankrupt in private business people don’t die. When we go bankrupt in the Army, people die and you can’t put a price tag on a KIA.[killed in action]”

Helmly also stressed that the students remember their values.

“We are not Puritans and we’re not prudes, but we are a value-based organization. We know what right looks like through training, like right side rides. But your values will tell you what wrong looks like.”

After answering a few questions about budgets and possible use of the Individual Ready Reserves, Helmly ended his speech by thanking the students for their service.

“I understand and appreciate the difference between the U.S. Army and the [other armies in the world] is the professional noncommissioned officers. I’m proud to be an American Soldiers and it is because I get to serve with you.”