Sgt. 1st Class, Matthew Hallowell

After speaking to his sister Deb, I wanted to share this wonderful article about Sgt. 1st Class, Matthew Hallowell, I3 Tactical Noncommissioned Officer. Hallowell, is native of Emporium, Pennsylvania. Thank you for your service.

#BackBone

This week we are featuring Sgt. 1st Class, Matthew Hallowell, I3 Tactical Noncommissioned Officer. Hallowell, native of Emporium, Pennsylvania, has been here at West Point just over a year. He originally enlisted in the Army as a 15P, Aviation Operations Specialist 16 years ago.

What are your roles and responsibilities as a TAC NCO?

I am involved in all of the training for the cadets. Were with them for the majority of their day from when they wake up in the morning to ensuring they maintain standards and discipline just like in a normal operational unit. We are basically a jack of all trades, if you will. We're heavily involved in their academics and their military training. We speak to their instructors when they're not doing well in class as a liaison between the cadet and the instructor. TAC NCOs have a constant one-on-one interaction with the future lieutenants of our Army.

What do you hope cadets will take away from you while you are here?

I hope that I establish what the standard is for an NCO when they get to their operational unit and they're counseling their platoon sergeant. I've taught them what an NCO should be and what they what they can expect from us.

From your perspective, why do you feel the NCO is the backbone of the Army?

I think we're the backbone of the Army because anything that goes on in an organization, whether it is training, standards or discipline, goes through an NCO. We're that first line of common sense.

What advice would you give to a junior leader coming up in the Army?

Do your duty, lead honorably, live honorably and demonstrate excellence.

Are there any moments that stick out to you that you will remember most while you've been a TAC NCO?

The summer trainings will always stick out. It's more of the field environment. For me specifically, it was at Cadet Basic Training last summer. That was my first exposure to West Point and new cadets when I first arrived here. The camaraderie that we were able to develop as a company was great.

Is your role here different than being a platoon sergeant in the regular Army?

I would say the only major difference would be the population. In the operational Army were training junior Soldiers who will take our position one day. Here we're making better platoon leaders so when they meet their platoon, they have the knowledge of what a good NCO should be.

Why do you feel the TAC NCO is so important to mold the future leaders in the Army?

Operationally, an officer has their role, and the NCOs role is to complement that officer. We're more of the standards and disciplinarians of the Army and we instill that sense of discipline and pride in the unit. The officers can speak to career progression and what it's like to be an officer, but we are here to show future officers what our role looks like before they graduate and move on to lead Soldiers.

This month we're talking about loyalty, which is one of the Army values. What does loyalty mean to you and how do you apply it to your life?

To live it means having faith that the leadership above you is going to have your back when the time comes. The same thing goes for the cadets. I demonstrate my loyalty to them and I'm willing to stand up and fight for them. Loyalty to me would be my superiors doing the same.