NCOs inducted at "Super UTA"

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Phyllis Keith
  • 624th Regional Support Group Public Affairs
JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii --  Six master sergeants and five staff sergeants with the 624th Regional Support Group were recognized at an induction ceremony held at the Makai Recreation Center, Hickam Field, Hawaii, during the third day of a "super" unit training assembly, September 8, 2014.

The purpose of the time-honored tradition was to applaud the new senior non-commissioned officers (NCOs) and NCOs for progressing through the ranks and transitioning to leadership levels of more responsibility.

"This military rite of passage 'charges' the Senior NCOs and NCOs with upholding the Air Force core values of integrity first, service before self, and excellence in all we do," said Col. Maynard "Max" Mendoza, commander of the 624th Regional Support Group. "Our inductees not only exemplify a commitment to leadership, but represent the foundation that holds our enlisted corps together."

The Senior NCOs inducted were Master Sgt. Roy Agbaoa, an engineering journeyman with the 624th Civil Engineering Squadron; Master Sgt. Nicole Barroga, ramp services craftsman with the 48th Aerial Port Squadron; Master Sgt. Jahnna Burns, a ramp services craftsman with the 48th APS; Master Sgt. Elizabeth Andreas Feeney, an air transportation craftsman with the 48th APS; Master Sgt. Kevin Lake, a pavements and construction equipment craftsman with the 624th CES; and Master Sgt. Glenn Park, an air transportation craftsman with the 48th APS.

Burns said that the ceremony reinforced her sense of the mission-essential part she plays in molding the "port dawgs" of tomorrow.

Agbaoa said his promotion to master sergeant transitioned him from being a technical expert to a leader and mentor in the engineering field. "We must promote the highest standards of conduct, appearance and performance," he said.

The NCOs inducted were Staff Sgt. Tina Corpuz, a pest management journeyman with the 624th CES; Staff Sgt. Tory Davis, a security forces officer with the 624th RSG; Staff Sgt. Anna Frazier, a medical administrative craftsman with the 624th Aeromedical Staging Squadron; Staff Sgt. Jason Merseburgh, an electrical systems journeyman with the 624th CES; and Staff Sgt. Ikaikaalii Smith, a pavements and construction equipment craftsman with the 624th CES.

Davis said the ceremony gave him a revitalized sense of purpose. He said being promoted from senior airman to staff sergeant meant the emphasis shifted from being a follower to being a leader, from taking orders to giving them.

Corpuz said that one of the first things she learned when she joined the 624th CES is that NCOs were the backbone of the Air Force. She said the success or failure of a unit was a direct result of the effectiveness of the NCOs.

The first sergeant of the 624th Aeromedical Staging Squadron Master Sgt. Dawn Kloos who organized the ceremony said she arranged the seating "party-style" so inductees could sit at tables with family, friends and fellow squadron members to celebrate their promotions.

Kloos said, "This is about ohana [the Hawaiian word for 'family']--the RSG family, the Hickam family, the Air Force Reserve family, and everyone's immediate family who supports their reservists as they take the next step in their careers."

"We're always happy when family members come out and support us," said Mendoza. "We want to make sure this tradition continues," he said.

The next induction ceremony is scheduled to be held February 2015.