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Staff Sgt. Dustin Sigmon, a squad leader for the 5th Battalion, 7th Air Defense Artillery, was inducted into the Sergeant Morales Club during a ceremony March 29 on Panzer Parade Field.
“A Sergeant Morales inductee is one that represents the NCO Corps at its best,” Sigmon said. “Most people in the Army are familiar with the Sergeant Audie Murphy Club in the United States. Well, here in (U.S. Army Europe) we have the Sergeant Morales Club.”
The Sergeant Morales Club was established in 1973 by Lt. Gen. George S. Blanchard to promote the highest ideas of integrity, professionalism and leadership for the enlisted force serving in Europe. Gaining membership into the club is a rigorous and competitive event.
The club focuses on exemplifying a special kind of leadership characterized by a personal concern for the needs, training development and welfare of Soldiers.
These traits are tested and scrutinized during a series of three boards. The final board decides which Soldiers will be inducted into the prestigious club.
“I went from my battalion level to my brigade level and then finally to the 21st TSC level,” said Sigmon, a Sherrills Ford, N.C., native. “The 21st board was pretty intense. I had to keep calm and multitask. During the board, the NCO has to display his knowledge of his Soldiers that fall directly underneath him. He has to be able to evaluate his Soldiers, know their needs and the areas where they excel at, and be able to communicate that to the board members. At the same time, he has to show that he has the technical skill to do certain tasks to be able to lead and teach his Soldiers.”
There was no doubt in the 25-year-old’s mind about becoming part of the Sergeant Morales Club.
He was told about it by a long time mentor of his that he should try to be a member of the club.
“It’s something I’ve wanted to do, and it came a little sooner than I had expected because I had some really good NCOs,” Sigmon said.
Anyone who wants to become a member of the Sergeant Morales Club simply has to volunteer to go to the local board that happens once a quarter with most units.
“Lead by example,” Sigmon said. “I think every leader wants Soldiers to be motivated and do those challenging tasks. Raising your hand to say, ‘I want to do this challenging task’ is an improvement upon yourself, and it will help you better lead Soldiers.”
Sigmon attributes his want to improve himself and to advance in his military career to his upbringing. He takes the teachings of his grandfather with him wherever he goes, and he teaches those values to his Soldiers.
“Something that he always said to me and I try to drill it into my Soldiers is, ‘If it’s not worth doing right the first time then it’s not worth doing at all,’” Sigmon said. “It is just something that I have applied to my life, and that is what I did for these boards.”
