Welcome to the
Here you will find tools
which will aid you in your career as an NCO.
First is our Creed.....
| 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 wtheill 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! |
Provided below is a description of the duties of the first three ranks
of the NCO Corp.
Corporal, Sergeant, and Staff
Sergeant
 |
The rank of
corporal was established in 1775 with the birth of the Army and the NCO Corps. Along with
the rank of sergeant, the corporal is the only rank which has never disappeared from the
NCO Corps. The rank of corporal has always been placed at the base of the NCO ranks. For the most part, corporals have served as the smallest unit leaders in the Army: principally, leaders of teams. During the Vietnam conflict, the Army adopted the NCO Candidate Course. Going through this course, the soldier would by-pass the corporal rank and be promoted to sergeant or staff sergeant. This policy, combined with the increased use of specialists, lessened the overall number of corporals authorized in the Army. Like the grade of sergeant, corporals are responsible for individual training, personal appearance and cleanliness of their soldiers. As the command sergeant major is known as the epitome of success in the NCO Corps, the corporal is the beginning of the NCO Corps. As the NCO Corps is known as the backbone of the Army, the corporal is the backbone of the NCO Corps. |
 |
The sergeant
operates in an environment where the sparks fly. The sergeant can be accurately described
as being where the axe meets the stone. Although not the lowest level of rank where
command is exercised, this level is the first at which enlisted soldiers are referred to
as sergeant, and of all the grades of the NCO, this one, very possibly, has the greatest
impact on the lower ranking soldiers. Privates, who are the basic manpower strength and
grade of the Army, generally have sergeants as their first NCO leader. It is the grade
sergeant that the privates will look to for example. Like the next grade, the staff sergeant, the sergeant is responsible for the individual training, personal appearance and the cleanliness of their soldiers. The sergeant is also responsible for insuring that:
The authority of the sergeant is equal to that of any other grade or rank of the NCO. Often, however, a lack of delegation of authority by superiors improperly limits the sergeant’s ability to act. Professionally competent leaders inherently command respect for their authority and the sergeant must be unquestionably competent in order to carry out the mission correctly, accomplish each task and care for assigned soldiers. The rank of sergeant is not a position for learning how to become a leader, no apprenticeship here. While certainly the new sergeant will be developing new skills, strengthening old ones and generally getting better, he is a sergeant!!! and is therefore, no less a professional than those grades of rank to follow. |
 |
The grade of
rank closely parallels that of the sergeant in duties and responsibilities. In fact, the
basic duties and responsibility of all the NCO ranks never change, but there are
differences, significant differences, between this step in the NCO structure and the
preceding one. Understanding these differences is vital. The staff sergeant is a more experienced leader of soldiers. The staff sergeant has considerably more time in the Army than the sergeant. It is proper to expect that the staff sergeant can bring the benefits of that experience to bear in any situation and under all circumstances. The major difference between the staff sergeant and the sergeant is not, as often mistakenly believed, authority, but rather sphere of influence. The staff sergeant is in daily contact with large numbers of soldiers and generally has more equipment and other property to maintain. The staff sergeant will often have one or more sergeants who work under his direct leadership. The staff sergeant is responsible for their continued successful development as well as that of other soldiers in the section, squad or team. More often than not, the lack of understanding of the function of this important NCO position by leaders is the cause of disruption and failure in small unit training. If NCO's are "The Backbone" of the Army, then staff sergeants are the elements of which backbones are made. The complexities of the job of the staff sergeant increases as the responsibilities broaden. The staff sergeant’s professional competence is measured by how well the staff sergeant develops, maintains and uses the full range of human potential of his soldiers. The staff sergeant’s success, more than any other grade of the NCO rank, leads the path to the Army’s success, and the footprints you will see behind those of our greatest military leaders are probably those of a staff sergeant, where he stood confident, proud and eager to assist. |
Training is the Army’s top priority; it prepares us to fight. As
leaders, our sacred responsibility is to ensure that no soldier ever dies in combat
because that soldier was not properly trained."
Here are some items which may assist you
| FM 7-22.7 NCO Guide | The NEW NCO Guide |
| Promotion Worksheet | Helps you figure out your promotion points |
| Defense Manpower Data Center (VMET) | Verification of Military Experience & Training. Utilize this site to confirm your experience and training records. |
| NCOER FAQ's | FAQ's covering the NCO Evaluation Reports |
| NCOER Updates | A link to Updates to the NCOER process |
| U.S. Army Leaders Tool Kit | Full of Leadership Material |
| Rack Builder | Not certain the precedents of your ribbons, use this tool to assist you. |
| Drill Pay Table | Provides you with the amounts for drill status. |
| Official Military Personnel File (OMPF) | Review your OMPF, and submit corrections to it. |
| NCO Website | A Site with tons of tools to
assist an NCO (Powerpoint Classes Online, Squad Leaders Tool Kit, Writing NCOER's, etc...) |
| Sergeant Jacks | Another site with tools to
assist the NCO (Study Guides for the Board, CBT Leaders Guide, NCOER Bullets, etc...) |
| Training & Doctrine Digital Library | Training Outlines and Reference Material |
| eArmy-Home to an Army of Many | A site with more utilities for NCO's |
| Army Correspondance Course Program | Register for Correspondance Courses Online |
| PT Training | Two routines which may help you improve your PT Scores |