Finally…Some Public Recognition
Here’s a test for you non-military types: Name the Army Chief of Staff. If that’s too hard, name the CENTCOM Commander. Pretty easy, right. It’s General Casey and General Petraeus, respectively. Now, name the Sergeant Major of the Army and the CENTCOM Command Sergeant Major. Now, don’t cheat! (The answers are Sergeant Major of the Army Preston and Command Sergeant Major Marvin L. Hill, respectively)
NCOs in the military are the backbones of their respective services; and they all have them. The problem is that they never get the credit they deserve. NCOs rarely get the respect and recognition for the countless ways they contribute to winning the fight. We train Soldiers, we discipline Soldiers, and we care for Soldiers. When a Soldier needs something, the first person he/she calls isn’t an officer, it’s an NCO.
So, it was refreshing to see this article at KansasCity.com:
In many countries it is the officers who do most of the daily work and instill discipline. The net result is that few armies can act independently if their officers are not around.
The professionalism of the NCO corps results in a force that adjusts quicker to battlefield realities, adapts to asymmetric enemies and takes advantage of opportunities without waiting for authorization.
Indeed, the fact that the Army has been able to adapt rapidly from a force prepared to fight tank-on-tank conventional battles to one involving counterinsurgency is a testament to the NCO corps. I would even assert that absent our NCO capability, we would not be in a position today to even debate withdrawing our forces from Iraq.
Many people have asked me what they can do to support “the troops.” One way is to support efforts that would help more NCOs get higher levels of education while they are on active duty.
As you may have heard (I’ve only talked about it a few dozen/million times), 2009 is “The Year of the NCO.” Even better than the fact that this was an article about NCOs is the fact that it was written by Grant Martin who is a major in the Army. MAJ Martin goes on to make three recommendations about how this country can support our NCOs:
• Institute a program within the current NCO educational system that incorporates an associate’s degree by the rank of staff sergeant. This could be a program co-sponsored by an accredited university, combining credits for military courses as well as required outside classes.
• Institute a similar program for a bachelor’s degree by the rank of sergeant first class or master sergeant and a master’s degree by sergeant major.
• Review the current degree-completion programs offered by satellite campuses, especially those that cater to the military, to make sure they are as valuable outside of the military as they are inside, and have stringent, broadly-recognized accreditation.
These are all well and good, but I’d like to build upon his recommendations. The problem right now with the NCO Corps vs. the Officer Corps is that officers are GIVEN opportunities to obtain degrees that enlisted troops and NCOs are not. We don’t get to put our careers on hold for 12-24 months to get a degree. I suggest that the military offer similar opportunities to attend a graduate program during an NCOs career just as some officers are.
Another way we can support our NCOs is to quit cutting our NCOES programs. Since this war has started, NCO education has been axed. In the name of saving money and time, we’ve cut our initial NCO training course, the Warrior Leader Course, from four to two weeks. We’re slashing the First Sergeant Course and talking about making BNCOC/ANCOC an distance learning course. That effects every single NCO leadership course all the way up to the Sergeants Major Course.
NCOs benefit greatly from physically attending these leadership course. I’m still friends with Soldiers I went to PLDC (now called WLC) with who don’t share my job skill. I learned a lot working alongside engineers, commo specialists, infantryman, etc. At the First Sergeant Course, I met senior NCOs from Combat Arms, Combat Support, and Combat Service Support. The networking that was incorporated into these courses organically through personal instruction and student input were invaluable. We are stripping our NCOs of these opportunities to learn more about how the Army operates. Speaking with these other NCOs allows us to better take care of our low density Soldiers in Companies and Battalions (administration, supply, etc.).
MAJ Martin is correct that if we take care of NCOs and provide them with the training and education benefits that they deserve, “the returns to the Army would be tremendous…I think we owe NCOs — and this could apply to the other services as well — the best we can offer in terms of opportunity. We sure do ask a lot of them.” We sure do. And it’s time the military started paying them back instead of cutting them down.
Don’t get me wrong, NCOs are resilient leaders. The Army keeps cutting our training, but we find ways to adapt and overcome. We are NCOs for a reason. It just requires more personal sacrifices and motivation. A true NCO will overcame training and education shortfalls at any cost. Unfortunately, those that end up bearing the brunt of these sacrifices tend to be the families as these Soldiers must use their personal time in pursuit of these educational opportunities.
I don’t think all these great ideas are the result of a lack of respect for NCOs. Far from it! I’ve seen firsthand the respect that officers for the accomplishments of our NCOs. General Chiarelli has so much respect for NCOs that he wouldn’t stop calling me sir when I interviewed him on our radio show. When I interviewed Major General Bergner at the Milblog Conference he launched into how much NCOs have shaped his career. Talk to any senior officer and he’ll tell you about that NCO that made the difference in his life as a Lieutenant or Commander at any level. Words are great, but I truly hope that the Army will take some of MAJ Martin’s advice and show us some more actions.
Getting back to the beginning of my post, the American people need to understand that behind every General Petraeus and General Casey is an accomplished, successful, loyal, and competent NCO!
George Samek.CWO US Army Retired
August 8th, 2009 at 9:14 amI served 10 years enlisted service prior to appointment from SFC E-7 to Warrant Officer. I never once forgot that the credit for a missiom accomplished was due to the leadership of the NCOs who provided the hands on leadership and my duty was to step forward to accept full credit for all failures. I am proud to say my NCos never let our missions fail.
The bond between Warrant Officers and there NCOs is very strong. as we have walked in there combat boots and know they are without equal and serve as the backbone of any military unit.
As a former SFC I wish to thank you for everything you do, often with little credit where credit is due.
Todays NCOs set the gold standard for leadership and I am proud of those who have replaced me in the long gray line.
Charles Nystrom, Maj. US Army Retired
August 9th, 2009 at 11:01 pmGood thoughts. I was enlisted for 13 years. The NCOs are indeed the ones who get the job done. I was a SFC E-7, when I accepted a Direct Commission to Captain. I thought about it for a while. Pay level won out. I had to leave active duty to finish my BA, and MS. The NCO leaders need a shot at getting their education finished. I am proud of the current crop of NCOs that continue to lead our troops.