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
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
Because the Marine Corps emphasizes the additional responsibility upon Staff Noncommissioned Officers, they have their own creed:[7]
In the United States Army we are taught to live by the Seven Army Values. They are broken down to us in the acronym ‘LDRSHIP’ which is short for Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity and Personal Courage. We are all taught these 7 Army values repeatedly from day one in the United States Army. First we memorize these values. Then we are trained to live by them. All of these 7 values coincide with each other, and play an important roll in our Army lives. These 7 Army Values also play well into life outside the Army in our personal life. People sometimes do not realize the importance these values have on the way we are viewed by the people who look up to the men and woman who are privileged enough to represent the
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.
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
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
I am writing this essay because I disrespected a non commissioned officer. I do apologize for what I did and have said. I have learned from my mistake and I see why I am to do this essay and that is to show that disrespecting a non commissioned officer will not be tolerated and two give clear understanding of the impact that disrespecting a Non Commissioned officer has on others. For many reasons the Non Commissioned Officers keep the moral up and motivate soldiers and encourage them to do their very best and showing disrespect to the non commissioned officer's not only lowers moral, it also makes it to where the NCO thinks less of the person and lowers the person’s creditably.
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.
There are many sections to the soldier's creed which all influence my life, both the way I live and the way I think. All soldiers whether old or new, should try their hardest to abide and live by the soldier’s creed. The soldier’s creed has taught me many things that make me who I am today.
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.
Mission accomplishment demands that officers and NCOs work together to advise, assist and learn from each other. Responsibilities fall into two categories: command and individual. Individual responsibility as a noncommissioned officer means you are accountable for your personal conduct. Soldiers in the Army have their own responsibilities. For example, if you write a check at the commissary, it is your responsibility to have sufficient funds in the bank account to cover the check. Individual responsibility cannot be delegated, it belongs to the soldier that wrote the check. Soldiers are accountable for their actions, to their fellow soldiers, to their leaders, to their unit and to the United States Army. As a leader you must ensure that your soldiers understand clearly their responsibilities as members of the team and as representatives of the Army.
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