Nco Wwii Contributions

The title, Marine Noncommissioned Officer (NCO) is one of the most respected,

desired, and feared title’s bestowed upon a member of the U.S. Armed Forces. And with

this title comes a huge responsibility, and even more dedication to the Corps, and the

junior Marines under that NCOs charge. World War II (WWII) had a huge impact on

NCOs, and NCOs in return had a huge impact in WWII. I will briefly explain how

NCOs contributed to the overall war effort during WWII with the job opportunities

available to them, how they embodied the Marine Corps leadership traits, and how their

efforts have paved the path for NCOs today.

This paragraph will bring to light some of the jobs that were available to the

NCOs of WWII. WWII made for more demands upon NCOs and had a greater impact on

their role and status than any previous conflict in American history. The war engaged a

huge proportion of the nation’s manpower: 25% compared to 13.6% in World War I. The

great mobilization increased the number of NCOs and technical specialists, and as a

result, numerous job opportunities opened up for enlisted Marines.1 Naval Aviation Pilot

(NAP) was a job open to enlisted Marines. Much unlike today, NCOs were allowed to

fly airplanes into battle, many saw heavy action in Guadalcanal and other island

campaigns. Another example of a job available to NCOs of that time was Navajo

code-talkers. These programs contributed significantly to the Marine Corps battlefield

Successes.