Sheppard welcomes new NCOs

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Adawn Kelsey
  • 82nd Training Wing Public Affairs
SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  Sheppard Air Force Base held an induction ceremony for 50 staff sergeant selects Aug. 27 at the base theater.

After the inductees filed into the base theater and took their designated seats, Tech. Sgt. Brandon Broadway, 373rd Training Squadron instructor, opened the ceremony with a story and some advice.

"When I became a staff sergeant, I was responsible for two very different Airmen," Sergeant Broadway said. "One Airman I didn't share any common interests with, and the other was a good friend of mine."

As time passed, Sergeant Broadway was surprised to find he had to counsel his friend more often than the other Airman he supervised. The counseling soon led to the end of their friendship, while the other Airman kept a steady pace and progressed in his career.

"I had a long-time mentor who I always went to when I needed help," the sergeant said. "I asked him what I did wrong and he replied 'it is good you did not let your personal life influence your professional career, but you didn't set that boundary between professional and personal with your friend.'"

Brig. Gen. Darryl Burke, 82nd Training Wing commander, told a short story and gave a specific piece of advice to conclude the ceremony.

The general told the story of Capt. Charles Plumb a pilot who flew an F-4 Phantom jet during the Vietnam War. He explained the captain had flown 74 successful combat missions before being shot down on the 75th mission. He was a prisoner of war for six years.

One day while Capt. Plumb was sitting in a restaurant, a man walked up to him and said, "You're Captain Plumb," and the captain replied "Yes sir, I'm Captain Plumb."

The man said, "You flew jet fighters in Vietnam. You were on the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk. You were shot down. You parachuted into enemy hands and spent six years as a prisoner of war."

The captain then asked the gentleman how he knew all of those specifics, and he replied, "Because, I packed your parachute."

General Burke finished by explaining the captain didn't sleep well that night. The captain realized he never took the time to appreciate what the young sailor had done for him.

"It is important to remember, we do things for each other every day," the general said. "It is important to think about the Airmen that work for you and think about what you are doing for them."

Senior Airman Patrick Lott, an NCO inductee from the 82nd Communications Squadron, said the advice and the stories gave him better insight on things he may encounter.

"As a new NCO, my plan is pretty simple," he said. "I will start with feedbacks, make sure I'm following up and then remember not only that my Airmen are working for me, but that I will be working for them too. I can only be better by learning as I go."

Senior Airman Nicholas Woehling, 82nd Security Forces Squadron installation patrolman, said he is going to start with the basics.

"I want to be that NCO an Airman could say is their mentor," he said. "I want to make sure our next generation of Airmen are well informed and know all the things I would have wanted to know as an Airman."