Role of a Nco
To the civilians that don’t understand much about the specifics or structure of the military this may get boring. It could also be interesting and an inside look at how the rank structure works in the Army. But, since 7% of my readership comes from a .mil address (yet I track domains), there are NCOs from all branches that I hope will learn something. Keep in mind that my comments are geared more towards the Army realm, but the basics are service wide. I’m not going to speak about the officers, just the NCOs.
In my mind there are two types of people that attain the grade E5: Sergeants and NCOs. Some people will probably disagree with me about which definition is better. In the mind of CJ, anyone can be a sergeant. But, it takes a leader to be an NCO. The reason I say that is because there is a Creed for the Non-commissioned Officer. There is no Creed for the Sergeant. There is a sort of poem, but no creed.
Our purpose as NCOs is simple and well-stated: “to accomplish the mission and the welfare of our soldiers.” Many of my peers seem to forget that second half. As NCOs, we are nobody without the soldiers underneath us doing their jobs. I need to make clear that this isn’t a systematic problem in the Army as I see it. There are many great leaders out there going out of their ways to take care of their soldiers. But just ONE bad leader can affect the well being of MANY soldiers. And if those soldiers choose to stay in these experiences with terrible leadership could be passed on to future leaders. Or, like me in some instances, we can learn from these bad apples and actually vow to ensure another soldiers isn’t treated in such a manner.
As I said in my earlier post, it starts with counseling. We are mandated in almost every service to constantly communicate with our subordinates so that their missions are clear and guidance is understood. It is up to us to ensure that our subordinates have a chance to become our peers. It is not our place to keep them
In my mind there are two types of people that attain the grade E5: Sergeants and NCOs. Some people will probably disagree with me about which definition is better. In the mind of CJ, anyone can be a sergeant. But, it takes a leader to be an NCO. The reason I say that is because there is a Creed for the Non-commissioned Officer. There is no Creed for the Sergeant. There is a sort of poem, but no creed.
Our purpose as NCOs is simple and well-stated: “to accomplish the mission and the welfare of our soldiers.” Many of my peers seem to forget that second half. As NCOs, we are nobody without the soldiers underneath us doing their jobs. I need to make clear that this isn’t a systematic problem in the Army as I see it. There are many great leaders out there going out of their ways to take care of their soldiers. But just ONE bad leader can affect the well being of MANY soldiers. And if those soldiers choose to stay in these experiences with terrible leadership could be passed on to future leaders. Or, like me in some instances, we can learn from these bad apples and actually vow to ensure another soldiers isn’t treated in such a manner.
As I said in my earlier post, it starts with counseling. We are mandated in almost every service to constantly communicate with our subordinates so that their missions are clear and guidance is understood. It is up to us to ensure that our subordinates have a chance to become our peers. It is not our place to keep them