Why Did you become a NCO?

Like many others have said staying an NCO was a conscious choice. During my time as a SSG I was recruited for Warrant school as there was a critical shortage but I loved what I was doing and was actively shielding my subs from a toxic Commander. Selected for E-7 on my first go and never looked back.

For me, it has always been about helping soldiers out and leading them. I had a great NCO when I was a pvt way back when. He taught me what a good NCO does, and I have had a lot of bad NCO's that taught me how not to treat a soldier. When I have a soldier that was a pvt and now an NCO come up to me later in my career and tell me how I changed their life for the better and how they were taught to lead soldiers from me, that is when I know that I love being an NCO. It has always be a dream of mine to be a Platoon Sergeant and maybe a First Sergeant one day, and I hope to achieve those dreams before I get out. The biggest hope is to see someone I mentor achieve more than I did because they realized their full potential because I lead them down that path through my mentorship. It sounds cheesy I know but I truly wish for the success of my peers, and subordinates alike and it make me happy to see soldiers succeed especially when I have a helping hand in their success.

For me I just took it as normal progression. Hell, I would study my NOC's and observe all of the leadership styles and see how I would do it if I was them. I had a real good NCO who told me that I was going to the Soldier of the month board. I won, month, quarter and year. I went to the E5 board 2 months later and enjoied the NCO life ever since.

1SG (Join to see) I was given the opportunity to attend OCS in Basic,actually declined because i did not wish to commit to more years in the Corps. Probably a good decision at the time.
Years later reenlisted and was promoted up the ranks to E-6.

I wanted to give back to the next generation what was given to me. I wanted to help make a difference in the lives of Seniors, Peers and Subordinates alike. Plus, I would have made a very bad Officer.

Because my mentor made it pretty clear when asked about OCS that my temperament and personality were best suited to being an NCO and the Soldiers, the Army and I would be best served if I stayed the course and stuck to the NCO path. I think he called it pretty well.