Posted on May 12, 2016
"The Creed of the Non Commissioned Officer", If you could re write the Creed for OIF/OEF era, what would your message be?
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The creed was originally written at a time where the Army had major disiplinary issues in Vietnam. Todays NCOs have served as standard bearers and role models for their Officers and junior enlisted during OIF/OEF. So if you could put your stamp on the future of the Armies Non Commisioned Officers Creed what would it be? (Use the N,C,O format)
NCO Academy
NCOs
NCO Creed
Posted 8 y ago
Responses: 13
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I personally would like to read hwat NCO's would have to say, but first please prove your thesis! I read nothing in the creed that indicates it was written for NCO's who were less than. One cannot deny that todays NCO's re great, however your thesis implies that any promoted prior to 2003 are not, or were not. When you organization has its next Sr. NCO meeting take your statement and read it to the 1SG's and the CSM.
I do look forward to reading the responses.
I do look forward to reading the responses.
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SSG (Join to see)
By no means am I saying they were less, Im asking if you had a chance to write your mentorship into a new NCO creed what would you tell the future
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SSG (Join to see)
By 1973, the Army (and the noncommissioned officer corps) was in turmoil. Of all the post-Vietnam developments in American military policy, the most influential in shaping the Army was the coming of the Modern Volunteer Army (VOLAR).27 With the inception of the Noncommissioned Officer Candidate Course (NCOC), many young sergeants were not the skilled trainers of the past and were only trained to perform a specific job, squad leaders in Vietnam.28 The Noncommissioned Officer System (NCOES) was under development, and the Army was re-writing its Field Manual 22-100, Leadership, to set a road map for leaders to follow.
Of those working on the challenges at hand, one of the only NCO pure instructional departments at the U.S. Army Infantry School (USAIS) at Fort Benning, Georgia, was the NCO Subcommittee, of the Command and Leadership Committee, Leadership Department. Besides training soldiers at the Noncommissioned Officer's Academy, these NCOs also developed instructional material and worked as part of the team developing model leadership programs of instruction.29
Of those serving on this team were MSG John Cato (Chief), SFCs Earle Brigham and Jimmy Jakes, and SSGs Raymond Brown and Lester Cochran. Michael Woodward would soon join them.30 They worked under the direction of the Chief of the Command, Staff and Leadership Department, COL Nathan Vail†. During one of their many "brainstorming sessions", Brigham recalls writing those three letters on a plain white sheet of paper...N C O.31 From those three letters they began to build the Creed. The idea behind developing a creed was to give noncommissioned officers a "yardstick by which to measure themselves."32 There was an oath of enlistment for incoming enlistees and an oath of commissioning for the officers, yet the noncommissioned officer had nothing that recognized their induction into the NCO Corps.
The NCO Subcommittee's first drafts did not make it through the Infantry Center's editors, and they rewrote the Creed numerous times. When it was ultimately approved, the Creed was designed on a scroll, and printed on the inside cover of the Special Texts (ST) issued to students attending the noncommissioned officer courses at Fort Benning, beginning in 1974. Though the Creed was submitted higher for approval and distribution Army-wide, was not formalized by an official Army publication until 11 years later. Woodward's Infantry magazine article on "Followership" was one of a series of articles discussing leadership. Soon after the article was published, the NCOs serving on the sub-committee moved on to their next assignments.
The "unofficial" Creed did not go away. Many of those sergeants who graduated from the Infantry School took their copy of the Creed and shared it with the Army. Other commands may have copied, revised, or reworded it, yet they all basically followed the format of the original. When first written, the Creed began, "No man is more professional than I...." At the time the Creed was developed, the Women's Army Corps (WAC) had not been integrated into the Army. Much later, at a senior NCO conference, several female Command Sergeants Major objected to the masculine wording of the Creed. As a result, the Army began using the non-gender specific version we know today.33
Though re-written many different ways, the Creed still today begins its paragraphs with those three letters, N C O. It continues to guide and reinforce the values of the new generation of noncommissioned officers. At the time of its development, the sergeants of the NCO Subcommittee were unaware of the impact the Creed would have in the coming years. However, the goal of providing a tool for measuring the competencies of a noncommissioned officer was achieved, and is forever a part of our history.
Creed of the Noncommissioned Officer
FM 22-600-20, The NCO Guide, November 1986
No one is more professional than I. I am a
Noncommissioned Officer, a leader of soldiers. As a
Noncommissioned Officer, I realize that I am a member of a
time honored corps, which is known as "The Backbone of the
Army."
I am proud of the Corps of Noncommissioned Officers
and will at all times conduct myself so as to bring credit
upon the Corps, the Military Service and my country
regardless of the situation in which I find myself. I will
not use my grade or position to attain pleasure, profit, or
personal safety.
Competence is my watch-word. My two basic
responsibilities will always be uppermost in my mind--
accomplishment of my mission and the welfare of my
soldiers. I will strive to remain tactically and
technically proficient. I am aware of my role as a
Noncommissioned Officer. I will fulfill my responsibilities
inherent in that role. All soldiers are entitled to
outstanding leadership; I will provide that leadership. I
know my soldiers and I will always place their needs above
my own. I will communicate consistently with my soldiers
and never leave them uninformed. I will be fair and
impartial when recommending both rewards and punishment.
Officers of my unit will have maximum time to
accomplish their duties; they will not have to accomplish
mine. I will earn their respect and confidence as well as
that of my soldiers. I will be loyal to those with whom I
serve; seniors, peers and subordinates alike. I will
exercise initiative by taking appropriate action in the
absence of orders. I will not compromise my integrity, nor
my moral courage. I will not forget, nor will I allow my
comrades to forget that we are professionals,
Noncommissioned Officers, leaders!
Creed of the Noncommissioned Officer
NCO Subcommittee version, published in 1975 Infantry magazine
No man is more professional than I. I am a
Noncommissioned Officer, a leader of men. As a
Noncommissioned Officer, I realize that I am a member of a
time honored corps, which is known as "The Backbone of the
Army."
I am proud of the Corps of Noncommissioned Officers
and will at all times conduct myself so as to bring credit
upon the Corps, the Military Service and my country
regardless of the situation in which I find myself. I will
not use my grade or position to attain pleasure, profit, or
personal safety.
Competence is my watch-word. My two basic
responsibilities will always be uppermost in my mind--
accomplishment of my mission and the welfare of my men. I
will strive to remain tactically and technically
proficient. I am aware of my role as a Noncommissioned
Officer. I will fulfill my responsibilities inherent in
that role. All soldiers are entitled to outstanding
leadership; I will provide that leadership. I know my
soldiers and I will always place their needs above my own.
I will communicate consistently with my men and never leave
them uninformed. I will be fair and impartial when
recommending both rewards and punishment.
Officers of my unit will have maximum time to
accomplish their duties; they will not have to accomplish
mine. I will earn their respect and confidence as well as
that of my soldiers. I will be loyal to those with whom I
serve; seniors, peers and subordinates alike. I will
exercise initiative by taking appropriate action in the
absence of orders. I will not compromise my integrity, nor
my moral courage. I will not forget, nor will I allow my
comrades to forget that we are professionals,
Noncommissioned Officers, leaders of men.
Works Cited
1 Abrams, SSG David "SMA McKinney launches each day with NCO Creed," NCO Journal (Fall 1995)
Fort Bliss, TX, pp. 14-15"
2 Fisher, Ernest F. Jr, Guardians of the Republic, the History of the Noncommissioned Officer Corps of the
U.S. Army. Ballantine Books, NY 1994 p. ix
3 Arms, L.R. "The NCO Creed." The Chevron, Winter 1998, p. 4
4 NCO Journal, editor Spring 96 issue, Fort Bliss, TX, inside back cover.
5 Arms, L.R. "The NCO Creed." The Chevron, Winter 1998, p. 4
6 Haga, CSM Robert L. Sergeants Book, Headquarters, 3D Armored Division Memorandum, APO, NY
09039, 15 NOV 1982, p. 10
7 TC 22-6, The Army Noncommissioned Officer Guide, signed by GEN Carl E. Vuono, Chief of Staff,
Department of the Army publication, 1990 p. 46
8 Action Plan, Noncommissioned Officer Leader Development Task Force, prepared by Noncommissioned
Officer Leader Development Task Force, Headquarters, US Army Sergeants Major Academy, Fort Bliss,
TX, June 1989 p. v
9 - - Task Force, p. A-3
10 Memorandum The 1989 Army Theme: The NCO, by HON John O. Marsh..[et al.], Headquarters,
Department of the Army, Washington DC
11 Military Police, Fort McClellan, IL, Jan 89, back cover
12 Ordnance The Professional Bulletin of the Ordnance Soldier, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD, Nov 89,
p. 21
13 The INSCOM Journal, designed by Ron Crabtree, Fort Belvoir, VA, Aug/Sep 89, back cover
14 Action Plan, Noncommissioned Officer Leader Development Task Force, p. ix
15 Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Study (Final Report Volume I) , prepared by the
NCO Professional Development Study Group, Washington D.C., Feb 86, p. 1
16Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Study (Final Report Volume II) , prepared by the
NCO Professional Development Study Group, Washington D.C., Feb 86, p. F-2
17- -p. F-4 thru F-6
18 FM 22-600-20, The NCO Guide, TRADOC, 13 November 1986, inside cover
19 Simpson, MG Kenneth W., Letter to Elder, undated
20 Ibid.
21 RB 22-600-20, The Duties, Responsibilities and Authority of NCO's and the Interplay and Relationship
with the Duties, Responsibilities and Authority of Officers, by the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy, Ft
Bliss, TX June 1981, p. 7-2
22 The Noncommissioned Officer Corps on Training, Cohesion, and Combat Information Management
Support Center, Washington, DC, 16 December 1997, p. 31
23 Woodward, SFC Michael T. "The Subordinate: The Art of Followership" Infantry, Fort Benning, GA
Jul-Aug 75, p. 25-27.
24 Abrams, SSG David, "Origin of the NCO Creed...Still Searching" NCO Journal, Spring 97 Fort Bliss,
TX p. 21
25 Yamamoto, M. Merrick, phone conversation with Elder, Jan 98.
26 Copeland, SMA Silas L. "The NCO Must Grow with the Army" Army, Washington, DC, Oct 72,
pp24-25
27 Fisch, Arnold G. and Wright, Robert K., The Story of the Noncommissioned Officer Corps, Center of
Military History, Washington D.C., June 1989, p. 130
28 Bainbridge, SMA William G. Top Sergeant Ballentine Books, New York, 1995 p. 203
29 "TRADOC Leadership Conference Report", Fort Benning, GA 28 July-1 August 1975, p. 1
30 Woodward, Michael T. Phone conversation with Elder, 7 March 1998
31 Brigham, Earle G. Phone conversation with Elder, 7 March 1998
32 Ibid.
33 - - Abrams, "Origin of the NCO Creed...Still Searching", p. 21
Of those working on the challenges at hand, one of the only NCO pure instructional departments at the U.S. Army Infantry School (USAIS) at Fort Benning, Georgia, was the NCO Subcommittee, of the Command and Leadership Committee, Leadership Department. Besides training soldiers at the Noncommissioned Officer's Academy, these NCOs also developed instructional material and worked as part of the team developing model leadership programs of instruction.29
Of those serving on this team were MSG John Cato (Chief), SFCs Earle Brigham and Jimmy Jakes, and SSGs Raymond Brown and Lester Cochran. Michael Woodward would soon join them.30 They worked under the direction of the Chief of the Command, Staff and Leadership Department, COL Nathan Vail†. During one of their many "brainstorming sessions", Brigham recalls writing those three letters on a plain white sheet of paper...N C O.31 From those three letters they began to build the Creed. The idea behind developing a creed was to give noncommissioned officers a "yardstick by which to measure themselves."32 There was an oath of enlistment for incoming enlistees and an oath of commissioning for the officers, yet the noncommissioned officer had nothing that recognized their induction into the NCO Corps.
The NCO Subcommittee's first drafts did not make it through the Infantry Center's editors, and they rewrote the Creed numerous times. When it was ultimately approved, the Creed was designed on a scroll, and printed on the inside cover of the Special Texts (ST) issued to students attending the noncommissioned officer courses at Fort Benning, beginning in 1974. Though the Creed was submitted higher for approval and distribution Army-wide, was not formalized by an official Army publication until 11 years later. Woodward's Infantry magazine article on "Followership" was one of a series of articles discussing leadership. Soon after the article was published, the NCOs serving on the sub-committee moved on to their next assignments.
The "unofficial" Creed did not go away. Many of those sergeants who graduated from the Infantry School took their copy of the Creed and shared it with the Army. Other commands may have copied, revised, or reworded it, yet they all basically followed the format of the original. When first written, the Creed began, "No man is more professional than I...." At the time the Creed was developed, the Women's Army Corps (WAC) had not been integrated into the Army. Much later, at a senior NCO conference, several female Command Sergeants Major objected to the masculine wording of the Creed. As a result, the Army began using the non-gender specific version we know today.33
Though re-written many different ways, the Creed still today begins its paragraphs with those three letters, N C O. It continues to guide and reinforce the values of the new generation of noncommissioned officers. At the time of its development, the sergeants of the NCO Subcommittee were unaware of the impact the Creed would have in the coming years. However, the goal of providing a tool for measuring the competencies of a noncommissioned officer was achieved, and is forever a part of our history.
Creed of the Noncommissioned Officer
FM 22-600-20, The NCO Guide, November 1986
No one is more professional than I. I am a
Noncommissioned Officer, a leader of soldiers. As a
Noncommissioned Officer, I realize that I am a member of a
time honored corps, which is known as "The Backbone of the
Army."
I am proud of the Corps of Noncommissioned Officers
and will at all times conduct myself so as to bring credit
upon the Corps, the Military Service and my country
regardless of the situation in which I find myself. I will
not use my grade or position to attain pleasure, profit, or
personal safety.
Competence is my watch-word. My two basic
responsibilities will always be uppermost in my mind--
accomplishment of my mission and the welfare of my
soldiers. I will strive to remain tactically and
technically proficient. I am aware of my role as a
Noncommissioned Officer. I will fulfill my responsibilities
inherent in that role. All soldiers are entitled to
outstanding leadership; I will provide that leadership. I
know my soldiers and I will always place their needs above
my own. I will communicate consistently with my soldiers
and never leave them uninformed. I will be fair and
impartial when recommending both rewards and punishment.
Officers of my unit will have maximum time to
accomplish their duties; they will not have to accomplish
mine. I will earn their respect and confidence as well as
that of my soldiers. I will be loyal to those with whom I
serve; seniors, peers and subordinates alike. I will
exercise initiative by taking appropriate action in the
absence of orders. I will not compromise my integrity, nor
my moral courage. I will not forget, nor will I allow my
comrades to forget that we are professionals,
Noncommissioned Officers, leaders!
Creed of the Noncommissioned Officer
NCO Subcommittee version, published in 1975 Infantry magazine
No man is more professional than I. I am a
Noncommissioned Officer, a leader of men. As a
Noncommissioned Officer, I realize that I am a member of a
time honored corps, which is known as "The Backbone of the
Army."
I am proud of the Corps of Noncommissioned Officers
and will at all times conduct myself so as to bring credit
upon the Corps, the Military Service and my country
regardless of the situation in which I find myself. I will
not use my grade or position to attain pleasure, profit, or
personal safety.
Competence is my watch-word. My two basic
responsibilities will always be uppermost in my mind--
accomplishment of my mission and the welfare of my men. I
will strive to remain tactically and technically
proficient. I am aware of my role as a Noncommissioned
Officer. I will fulfill my responsibilities inherent in
that role. All soldiers are entitled to outstanding
leadership; I will provide that leadership. I know my
soldiers and I will always place their needs above my own.
I will communicate consistently with my men and never leave
them uninformed. I will be fair and impartial when
recommending both rewards and punishment.
Officers of my unit will have maximum time to
accomplish their duties; they will not have to accomplish
mine. I will earn their respect and confidence as well as
that of my soldiers. I will be loyal to those with whom I
serve; seniors, peers and subordinates alike. I will
exercise initiative by taking appropriate action in the
absence of orders. I will not compromise my integrity, nor
my moral courage. I will not forget, nor will I allow my
comrades to forget that we are professionals,
Noncommissioned Officers, leaders of men.
Works Cited
1 Abrams, SSG David "SMA McKinney launches each day with NCO Creed," NCO Journal (Fall 1995)
Fort Bliss, TX, pp. 14-15"
2 Fisher, Ernest F. Jr, Guardians of the Republic, the History of the Noncommissioned Officer Corps of the
U.S. Army. Ballantine Books, NY 1994 p. ix
3 Arms, L.R. "The NCO Creed." The Chevron, Winter 1998, p. 4
4 NCO Journal, editor Spring 96 issue, Fort Bliss, TX, inside back cover.
5 Arms, L.R. "The NCO Creed." The Chevron, Winter 1998, p. 4
6 Haga, CSM Robert L. Sergeants Book, Headquarters, 3D Armored Division Memorandum, APO, NY
09039, 15 NOV 1982, p. 10
7 TC 22-6, The Army Noncommissioned Officer Guide, signed by GEN Carl E. Vuono, Chief of Staff,
Department of the Army publication, 1990 p. 46
8 Action Plan, Noncommissioned Officer Leader Development Task Force, prepared by Noncommissioned
Officer Leader Development Task Force, Headquarters, US Army Sergeants Major Academy, Fort Bliss,
TX, June 1989 p. v
9 - - Task Force, p. A-3
10 Memorandum The 1989 Army Theme: The NCO, by HON John O. Marsh..[et al.], Headquarters,
Department of the Army, Washington DC
11 Military Police, Fort McClellan, IL, Jan 89, back cover
12 Ordnance The Professional Bulletin of the Ordnance Soldier, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD, Nov 89,
p. 21
13 The INSCOM Journal, designed by Ron Crabtree, Fort Belvoir, VA, Aug/Sep 89, back cover
14 Action Plan, Noncommissioned Officer Leader Development Task Force, p. ix
15 Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Study (Final Report Volume I) , prepared by the
NCO Professional Development Study Group, Washington D.C., Feb 86, p. 1
16Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Study (Final Report Volume II) , prepared by the
NCO Professional Development Study Group, Washington D.C., Feb 86, p. F-2
17- -p. F-4 thru F-6
18 FM 22-600-20, The NCO Guide, TRADOC, 13 November 1986, inside cover
19 Simpson, MG Kenneth W., Letter to Elder, undated
20 Ibid.
21 RB 22-600-20, The Duties, Responsibilities and Authority of NCO's and the Interplay and Relationship
with the Duties, Responsibilities and Authority of Officers, by the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy, Ft
Bliss, TX June 1981, p. 7-2
22 The Noncommissioned Officer Corps on Training, Cohesion, and Combat Information Management
Support Center, Washington, DC, 16 December 1997, p. 31
23 Woodward, SFC Michael T. "The Subordinate: The Art of Followership" Infantry, Fort Benning, GA
Jul-Aug 75, p. 25-27.
24 Abrams, SSG David, "Origin of the NCO Creed...Still Searching" NCO Journal, Spring 97 Fort Bliss,
TX p. 21
25 Yamamoto, M. Merrick, phone conversation with Elder, Jan 98.
26 Copeland, SMA Silas L. "The NCO Must Grow with the Army" Army, Washington, DC, Oct 72,
pp24-25
27 Fisch, Arnold G. and Wright, Robert K., The Story of the Noncommissioned Officer Corps, Center of
Military History, Washington D.C., June 1989, p. 130
28 Bainbridge, SMA William G. Top Sergeant Ballentine Books, New York, 1995 p. 203
29 "TRADOC Leadership Conference Report", Fort Benning, GA 28 July-1 August 1975, p. 1
30 Woodward, Michael T. Phone conversation with Elder, 7 March 1998
31 Brigham, Earle G. Phone conversation with Elder, 7 March 1998
32 Ibid.
33 - - Abrams, "Origin of the NCO Creed...Still Searching", p. 21
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SSG Joseph Henderson
I guess you proved at one time there was something lacking. Some people can see what you are doing. We have learned from every war we have been in and adapt our fighting style from lessons learned. So why not make changes to the creed if we learned that we need to add more. The creed verbalizes what NCOs need to keep in their minds at all times so if there are more now it will serve to enforce those.
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