What It Means to Be a Non Commissioned Officer

What It Means To Be a Noncommissioned Officer

The Corps of noncommissioned officers is known as "The Backbone of the Army". These words are anchored in the hearts and minds of NCO's across the Army as we strive to live by "The Creed Of the Noncommissioned Officer". We as NCO's understand that we are the critical element of support for the soldiers we oversee and lead, but what does this entail? The difference between being a soldier's superior and being a soldier's leader in my opinion is the human element. I feel this follows the intent of the NCO Creed being that we are Considered the "Backbone" of the Army. The relationship between being a leader to the physiological component of the human "Backbone", demonstrates that we consider ourselves in the Army to be part of something built up of more than mere personnel and management positions, we consider ourselves to be a body of sorts. This human element is also evident in the NCO's two basic responsibilities, "Accomplishment of our mission and the welfare of our soldiers". The welfare of a soldier takes much more into account than just whether or not they are accomplishing their mission, it implies we must look into taking care of the person underneath the uniform, physically as well as emotionally. The outstanding leadership that all soldiers are entitled to is provided by a leader that demonstrates Integrity, professionalism, compassion, and leads by example.

Integrity is commonly defined as "doing what is right even when no one is looking". Basically a person with integrity has a sense of honestly that is deeper than just surface level where people can see, rather they give value to their character and take pride in doing the right thing. Integrity is a type of self accountability and requires a high level of humility to enforce, especially when doing so self incriminates. Leaders demonstrating integrity will earn deep respect from their soldiers as this displays a vulnerability and sacrifice...