Nco Creed

It started on the fourth floor of Building 4 at Fort Benning, Georgia, in 1973 with a plain white sheet of paper and three letters; N-C-O. From there begins the history of the Creed of the Noncommissioned Officer The Creed has been around for many years in different forms and fashions. Sergeants can recall reading the Creed on the day they were first inducted into the NCO Corps. Most of us have a copy hanging on our wall in our office, our work place, or at our home. Some have special versions etched into metal on a wooden plaque, or printed in fine calligraphy. One Sergeant Major of the Army could pick up and recite the Creed from any place selected. But take a quick glance at any Creed and you will notice the absence of the author's name at the bottom. Where the Creed originated from has questioned many.

To date, there are few historical collections relating to the noncommissioned officer. In the foreword of one of

the premier studies of the NCO, Guardians of the Republic: a History of the Noncommissioned Officer Corps of the U.S. Army, Russell F. Weigley pointed out that "Until the publication of this book, the American noncommissioned officers who have provided the backbone of our army have never been appropriately studied by military historians. 

The History of the NCO Creed

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...