The Creed of the Noncommissioned Officer is, to some, just words that must be uttered during ceremonies and those times when new sergeants earn their stripes. To others, there is no higher thought. These Soldiers live their time while in uniform trying their best to uphold everything written in those three paragraphs. Some choose what those words mean; others make little effort in deciding but let others decide for them. When I entered the service of my country 6 years ago, I had no clue that such a creed existed. My family included wartime veterans; my grandfathers served in korea. And my great Grandfather in world 1. They All served honorably and passed down many stories of both tragic and valorous deeds. They all know and have told me …show more content…
Officers of my unit will have maximum time to accomplish their duties; they will not have to accomplish mine. I will earn their respect and confidence as well as that of my soldiers. I will be loyal to those with whom I serve; seniors, peers, and subordinates alike. I will exercise initiative by taking appropriate action in the absence of orders. I will not compromise my integrity, nor my moral courage. I will not forget, nor will I allow my comrades to forget that we are professionals, Noncommissioned Officers, leaders! The Creed has existed in different versions for a number of years. Long into their careers, sergeants remember reciting the NCO Creed during their induction into the NCO Corps. Nearly every NCO’s office or home has a copy hanging on a wall. Some have intricate etchings in metal on a wooden plaque, or printed in fine calligraphy. But a quick glance at any copy of the NCO Creed and you will see no author's name at the bottom. The origin of the NCO Creed is a story of its own. In 1973, the Army (and the noncommissioned officer corps) was in turmoil. Of the post-Vietnam developments in American military policy, the most influential in shaping the Army was the advent of the Modern Volunteer Army. With the inception of the Noncommissioned Officer Candidate Course, many young sergeants were not the skilled trainers of the past and were only trained to perform a specific job; squad leaders in
In that aspect I believe that if someone is an NCO they should work and live by the NCO creed. The NCO is a soldier that is a well-rounded professional that has the experience and qualifications to lead other soldiers. They must learn the NCO Creed. The NCO creed
“I am an expert and a professional, I stand ready to deploy, engage, and destroy the enemies of the Untied States of America in close combat,” One of the most important lines in the whole creed. It defines what a soldier is. As an expert we know everything we need to know about our job and more, as a professional, we do it better than anyone one else. When I graduated from basic training my mom herd us recite the soldiers creed and when she greeted me at the end, she asked me if I was ready to deploy, engage, and destroy the enemies of America, without hesitation I replied, “Of course, I have to keep you’ll safe don’t I?” Right there she knew I was where I was supposed to be, in the army.
The creed of the noncommissioned officer is a baseline for all noncommissioned officers Corporal all the way up to Sergeant Major, on how to conduct oneself in the leading of soldiers. It does not outline every single situation you may come into throughout your military career but if you live this creed then you should be set for success. In this paper we are going to take an in depth look into the creed and how you can apply every aspect of it to leadership.
As a Non Commissioned Officers we need to seek what is best for our soldiers. It is our duty to guide them through this Army process. How are we going to do this? By maintaining discipline, training soldiers and ensuring welfare.
Ever since I was little, I’ve wanted to be a soldier. Whether I am a pilot, a surgeon, or an operative, I’ve romanticized the idea of being a soldier with its grind and grueling conditions as part of a higher purpose. Rather than just taking orders, I would rather assume leadership and work with those who I command to get things done. That’s not because I like giving orders to people and micromanaging; it’s time-consuming, prone to mistakes, and ineffective. It is always best to have faith in people. Not blind-faith, nor a lack of it. Therefore if I am to be a soldier, I’d rather be an officer. In the field, in the action, but a part of the decision-making. Though that brings me to the question of why America? Why bear arms to uphold the values of the United
A young male, First Lieutenant, in the Army will unknowingly become a man as men server under him. Becoming a man with such unspeakable responsibilities at such a young age can emotionally test even the strongest man. An example, of this transformation is in the short story by Tim O’Brien called, The Things They Carried, it shows a young, First Lieutenant, in the Vietnam War named Jimmy Cross, and his journey to become a successful leader, but only after the death of one of his men. This young, First Lieutenant, will have to come to the grips that other men’s lives are his responsibility. This task of keeping his troops alive will tremendously test Lt. Cross’s heart and soul, by choosing to lose a component of his own humanity along the way. There must be order at all times when you’re in charge of men’s lives, and Lt. Cross must become capable of setting aside his own personal mind-set and align his thoughts with that of the essential standard operating procedures (SOP). Lt Cross eventually decides to follow the SOP, and he finally understands the importance of having an SOP; sadly it comes at the expense of one of his own men. The SOP has allowed Army personal to their job with no reluctance, no matter the situation, quickly being able to adapting to change, always acting in the approved manner by which they shall treat others with dignity and respect, and always having honor in their county, unit, and fellow soldiers. It doesn’t matter if someone is enlisted or
In early 1986, Lieutenant General Saint and his Command Sergeants Major, Command Sergeants Major Horvath, identified the need to establish an elite organization to recognize stellar Non-Commissioned Officers. These Non-Commissioned Officers are those who have demonstrated excellence in performance and leadership abilities that resemble those of other influential NCO’s. A special group that needed a figure head that all members could emulate and strive to act in accordance with. This figure head could be none other than Sergeant Audie Murphy.
In 1973, the United States Army was in turmoil as a result of the Vietnam War drawing to an end.[1] One of the conceived solutions was the "Modern Volunteer Army", which included the Noncommissioned Officer Candidate Course. Many sergeants were trained only to perform one specific job, for example, squad leaders in infantry units, and were no longer uniformly regarded as the well-rounded professionals of previous generations.[1] The overhaul of the NCO corps involved rewriting Field Manual 22-100: Leadership.
The officer corps and the noncommissioned officer corps in the Army go all the back to before the founding fathers formed the country. Both of these corps have adapted and changed according to wars and conflicts the nation has participated. The success of the Army is dependent on the ability of officers and noncommissioned officers to work together. Training, education and mentorship lead to officers and noncommissioned officer serving as the cornerstone of the Army.
In 1974, on Fort Benning, GA a group of men sat at the United States Army infantry school pondering words that would create a creed to which noncommissioned officers could use as a yardstick to measure themselves against. What began as the acronym “NCO” later transformed into the single greatest publication ever produced by the Army which is known as The Creed of the Noncommissioned Officer (Chandler, 2014). Contained in this one page document one will find a perfect combination of words and ideas that outline the basic responsibilities of a noncommissioned officer and additionally, this publication serves as a code of conduct for our soldiers to use today. Although nearly every noncommissioned officer could recite this creed on demand, not
As a United States Soldier, one of the first things learned is the Soldiers’ Creed. The focus of the creed is loyalty, duty, and respect. The Warriors’ Creed is also found within this creed (in italics). The memorization of this statement of beliefs is mandatory and is learned during basic combat training. A soldier is expected to know and be ready to recite it during drills, formation, ceremonies, and upon request, but most importantly, a soldier is expected to live it.
An NCO, Non-Commissioned Officer, is better known as the backbone of the Army. They are the ones who are supposed to exhibit exemplary behavior at all times, for all of the junior soldiers. Soldiers, who have not yet reached the rank of NCO, look to the example of these seasoned soldiers. It is extremely important for the NCO to be at the right place, at the right time, and in the right uniform. By performing this type of leadership, an NCO can prove their ability to execute at least one of the many things a soldier is expected to do. All NCOs should be aware that they are always visible to others, not only Officers and Senior NCOs, but also by Junior Soldiers and even civilians. As NCOs we must take pride in ourselves and be the absolute best we can be at all times. Being on time demonstrates a readiness and willingness to work.
The Army’s “Total Soldier Concept” is a concept that Soldiers are proficient well rounded soldiers in all areas to include personal and professional character, technically and tactically capable, are mentally and physically resilient for any given condition and live and project the Army values that epitomize a United States Soldier. With the 13 year “War on Terror” ending many Soldiers that were brought up through the ranks during this time may find themselves challenged by the change in tempo and reorganization of priorities from leadership while in a garrison setting. This can possibly disrupt the overall moral and readiness of Soldiers to include discipline within the unit’s ranks. NCO’s will need to mentor and train Soldier’s, providing them with purpose, motivation and direction to better develop disciplined, trained, and physically fit Soldiers capable of meeting the “Total Soldier Concept”. To do this, NCO’s will need to instill discipline in their Soldiers at all times to manifest proper military courtesy, smartness of appearance and personal hygiene, impeccable equipment maintenance/readiness, zero tolerance for sexual
It is necessary for military professionals to take the time to study military history, for it aids in not only their personal success but also in the success of the mission at hand. When one understands past failures and the causes, they are able to better wage what necessary actions must be taken to achieve success. Also knowledge is power. The more information a NCO has, the greater ability he has to make decisions which will allow him and his team to operate in a more safe and effective manner. By combining past success and failures with personal experiences, a NCO is better equipped for quick and effective decision making.