BY EXAMPLE

Civilian education a must

1st Sgt. Jeremy Mondick strives for higher standards, advocates continued learning for Soldiers and NCOs
1st Sgt. Jeremy Mondick is a UH-60 Black Hawk mechanic crew chief at Davidson Army Air Field, Fort Belvoir, Va. In his 16 years of service, Mondick has been assigned in Hawaii; Fort Irwin, Calif.; Korea; Fort Campbell, Ky.; and Fort Eustis, Va. Originally from Sidmon, Pa., Mondick joined the Army with a GED and aspirations to get out of his small town. He now has a bachelors degree in business administration from Concordia College-New York. Why have you stayed in the Army? Ive seen how successful someone can be in what the Army has to offer. Im a huge advocate of the Army since Ive been in this long and seen the things you can do and how successful you can be. I just found my niche in it and decided to stay. What role have NCOs played in your professional development? I was very fortunate to have some NCOs along the way who pointed me in the right direction and let me know what I needed to do to be successful. Whether it was mentoring, teaching me how to do my job, or teaching me how to be an effective leader or how to be an effective NCO, Ive had several NCOs who have taken me under their wing and show me their ways. How do you set the example for your Soldiers? The main way is by letting them see that I fall under the same standards that they do I follow the same standards that I expect them to follow. Its in everything I do, not just doing my job. How has the Army made an impact in your personal or professional life? Im pretty proud of the fact that, though I didnt graduate high school, here I am in the Army and have a bachelors degree, am a first sergeant and made E-8 in 15 years. It goes to show that if someone in my position can do that, then just about anybody who comes in the Army and tries to do their best, who tries to do the standards and succeeds, can also. How have you benefited from Army training? The good thing about the NCO Education System is they start you out at the level you need to be. With [the Warrior Leader Course], you learn the basics of being an NCO. As you go to the Advanced Leader Course, you learn a little more, then in [the Senior Leaders

Course] you learn whats expected of a senior noncommissioned officer and their role the standards, the regulations, everything like that. They teach what you need in your current position. What advice do you have for junior NCOs? Never settle for the standard, and always try to improve and achieve a higher standard than the Army standard, because thats whats going to set them apart from their peers always striving to do better in a PT test, to attend schools, not just meet the minimum. Also, civilian education is almost a must these days for junior NCOs. Its one of the hugest things that sets you apart from your peers when you get looked at for promotion. So you should constantly strive to get that civilian education. How does your role impact the Army? We fly a lot of high-ranking officers and NCOs in the Army. We make sure senior officials can conduct their business and do their mission. Were not impacting anyone downrange directly, but we are making sure those senior leaders meet their mission stateside.
INTERVIEW BY JENNIFER MATTSON

Then-Sgt. 1st Class Jeremy Mondick (center) discusses a mission with other Soldiers during his 2010 deployment to Afghanistan. PHOTO COURTESY OF 1ST SGT.
JEREMY MONDICK

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