Submitted by: Submitted by gIII33
Views: 254
Words: 252
Pages: 2
Category: US History
Date Submitted: 05/04/2013 07:18 PM
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.