{"id":572,"date":"2020-05-16T12:33:43","date_gmt":"2020-05-16T18:33:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ncohistoricalsociety.com\/?p=572"},"modified":"2020-05-16T12:38:13","modified_gmt":"2020-05-16T18:38:13","slug":"history-of-the-nco-creed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ncohistoricalsociety.com\/?p=572","title":{"rendered":"History of the NCO Creed"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Daniel K. Elder and Felix Sanchez
\nMay 3, 1998
\n<\/a>Download
\nthe True Story of the NCO Creed<\/a><\/p>\n

It started on the fourth floor of Building 4 at Fort
\nBenning, Georgia, in 1973 with a plain white sheet of paper
\nand three letters; N-C-O. From there begins the history of
\nthe Creed of the Noncommissioned Officer
\nThe Creed has been around for many years in different
\nforms and fashions. Sergeants can recall reading the Creed
\non the day they were first inducted into the NCO Corps.
\nMost of us have a copy hanging on our wall in our office,
\nour work place, or at our home. Some have special versions
\netched into metal on a wooden plaque, or printed in fine
\ncalligraphy. One Sergeant Major of the Army could pick up
\nand recite the Creed from any place selected.1 But take a
\nquick glance at any Creed and you will notice the absence
\nof the author’s name at the bottom. Where the Creed
\noriginated from has questioned many.<\/p>\n

To date, there are few historical collections relating
\nto the noncommissioned officer. In the foreword of one of
\nthe premier studies of the NCO, Guardians of the Republic:
\na History of the Noncommissioned Officer Corps of the U.S.
\nArmy, Russell F. Weigley pointed out that “Until the
\npublication of this book, the American noncommissioned
\nofficers who have provided the backbone of our army have
\nnever been appropriately studied by military historians.”2<\/p>\n

In an article on the NCO Creed, Museum of the
\nNoncommissioned Officer Director Larry Arms noted that,
\n“History often clouds events, people, ideas, and
\noccurrences deep within a shroud of obscurity.” And that,
\n“…until they (events) are considered important, they are
\noften paid little attention.”3 The Creed is one of those
\nevents. The NCO Journal had published a request for
\ninformation about the origins of the Creed in the Spring 96
\nedition4, yet had received little response.
\nThe earliest mention of the Creed in official and
\nunofficial publications seemed to be in the year 1989, but
\nthe Creed is older than that. The problem centered on
\n“which Creed?” As Arms mentions in his article, “In the
\nearly 1980’s I first started seeing NCO Creeds produced by
\nvarious commands. Though similar in nature, they differed
\nin detail.”5 Research had also turned up different versions
\nof the Creed. A reprint of the Sergeants Book, prepared in
\n1982 by then 3rd Armored Division Sergeant Major, CSM Robert
\nHaga, discusses the Creed. In his timeless book, he expressed his “written talk” to the noncommissioned
\nofficers within his Division. On the last page, barely
\nreadable, is a small copy of the familiar “Creed of the
\nNoncommissioned Officer.”6 Also, on the inside back cover
\nwas the “United States Army Noncommissioned Officer Creed,”
\nwhich was an oath that a noncommissioned officer would
\nrepeat or sign. Obviously multiple Creeds were used.<\/p>\n

While researching information about NCO
\nresponsibilities in TC 22-6, The Noncommissioned Officer
\nGuide, there is a reference to the 1989 “NCO Leader
\nDevelopment Task Force,” which resulted in the publishing
\nof that Training Circular. It stated that “Drawing heavily
\nfrom the Professional Army Ethic (FM 100-1), the NCO CREED
\n(emphasis added), and the Oath of Enlistment, the Task
\nForce identified 14 attitudes common to all effective NCO
\nleaders.”7<\/p>\n

The Task Force, directed by LTG John S. Crosby, had as
\nits mission the job of developing “a strategy and action
\nplan for improving the Army’s NCO leader development
\nsystem….”8 The Task Force was comprised of the Director,
\nthe Commandant of the Sergeants Major Academy (Executive
\nAgent), two field grade officers, 14 senior noncommissioned
\nofficers, and three civilian specialists. The Task Force
\nbegan in January 1989 and ran until early June 1989. Their
\n18 recommendations included aligning the noncommissioned
\nofficer education system with promotions, combining two
\nsimilar courses into one to be called “Battle Staff”, and
\n“Approve the NCO skills, knowledge, and attitudes (SKA),”9 and resulted in superceding Field Manual 22-600-20, The
\nArmy Noncommissioned Officer Guide, 13 November 1986.
\nRecommendation 1 of the study identified that the
\n“Attitudes” were partially drawn from the NCO Creed!<\/p>\n

1989 was an important year for the Noncommissioned
\nOfficer Corps. In keeping with the tradition of “themes”,
\nthe Secretary of the Army, the Chief of Staff, and the
\nSergeant Major of the Army announced in January that the
\n1989 theme would be the “Year of the Noncommissioned
\nOfficer.”10 In 1989, not only was the Task Force formed, the
\nCreed appeared in numerous publications. In their salute to
\nNCO’s, the Military Police journal printed on the back
\ncover a copy of the familiar Creed.11 And then later in that
\n“Year of the NCO”, other publications would ultimately
\nprint copies of the same Creed, including the Ordnance
\nmagazine,12 and the INSCOM Journal.13<\/p>\n

The Leader Development Task Force conducted a
\n“thorough literature search which included 17 previous
\nstudies concerning leadership and professional
\ndevelopment.”14 Of those studies, one of the most important
\nwas the Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development
\nStudy of 1985. This two-volume study (also known as the
\nSoldiers Study) has been the guiding document for
\nnoncommissioned officer development since its release in 1986. The study group considered recommendations applicable
\nfor the period 1986 to 2000,15 and of its 45
\nrecommendations, 34 were approved, 9 were deferred, and 2
\nwere disapproved (one of which, the change of retention
\ncontrol points for sergeant (E-5) was later adopted). These
\nrecommendations have shaped our corps and included tying
\nNCOES to promotion, redesigning the Enlisted Evaluation
\nReport (eventually becoming the NCO-ER), and improving the
\nquality of Reserve Component school training. This was
\ntruly an important study for the evolution of the
\nnoncommissioned officer.<\/p>\n

Though the objective of the study was to evaluate
\nprofessional development, ALL aspects of NCO professional
\nthe development was studied. One of the doctrinal publications
\nreviewed was the March 1980 version of The Army NCO Guide.
\nThe study asserted that “While the NCO Guide contains no
\nfactual errors…”16 and went on to endorse eight
\nrecommended changes proposed by COL Kenneth W. Simpson,
\nChief, Training and Education, Office of the Chief of
\nStaff, Noncommissioned Officers Professional Development
\nStudy (who later went on to serve as the Commandant of the
\nSergeants Major Academy).<\/p>\n

In his DA Form 2028, Recommended Changes to
\nPublications and Blank Forms (endorsed by the Deputy Director of the study, COL Jacques B. Gerard) dated 15 Oct
\n85, Simpson’s last recommendation included one enclosure, a
\nsingle sheet of paper. His eighth recommendation read:<\/p>\n

“The Noncommissioned Officer Creed (copy attached)
\nshould be included in the manual (FM 22-600-20).
\nRecommend the creed appear on either the inside, front
\ncover, or in the selection titled ‘The NCO Corps.’ <\/em><\/p>\n

Reason: The creed has been around the Army for over
\n30 years and is well known to the NCO Corps. It is
\nfrequently used at NCO ceremonies such as NCO Academy
\ngraduations, NCO ‘inductions’, and dining-ins.
\nHowever, it currently does not appear in any official
\npublication. The creed espouses principles which are
\nconsistent with the theme of the NCO Guide, and
\nincluding it in the FM will give it “official”
\nstatus.<\/em>“17<\/p>\n

The version of the Creed that was submitted to the
\nCommander of the Training and Doctrine Command (then
\nproponent for The Army NCO Guide) was a version of the
\nCreed that we know today. For the first time, with the
\npublishing of FM 22-600-20 on 13 November 1986 as an
\nofficial publication, the Creed of the Noncommissioned
\nOfficer was formalized.18<\/p>\n

However, where did the Creed that Simpson submitted
\ncome from? Now a Major General, Simpson is certain that one
\nof the noncommissioned officers serving on the Soldier
\nStudy panel provided him a copy,19 and he does not recollect
\nseeing it before about 1980.20
\nThe June 1981 edition of RB 22-600-20, The Duties,
\nResponsibilities and Authority of NCO’s and the Interplay
\nand Relationship with the Duties, Responsibilities and
\nAuthority of Officers, published by the U.S. Army Sergeants
\nMajor Academy, in which the summary refers to a creed, “An
\nofficial ethical code is the Moral and Ethical
\nResponsibilities of Leaders; Creed of the Noncommissioned
\nOfficer.”21 However, there is no published copy of the
\nCreed.<\/p>\n

The Army’s search for the origins of the Creed was on.
\nSoldiers appearing before boards were being asked questions
\nlike “who wrote the Creed?\u201d, and people wanted to know its
\nhistory. In preparing research for the U.S. Army Information Management Support Center’s (IMCEN) book The Noncommissioned Officer Corps on Training, Cohesion, and
\nCombat,22 the compiler, Marianna Yamamoto, discovered a
\nsignificant passage. SFC Michael T. Woodward wrote in the
\nJul-Aug 1975 issue of the Infantry magazine that, “The Creed of the Noncommissioned Officer was developed by the NCOs of the NCO Subcommittee, Command and Leadership
\nCommittee, Leadership Department USAIS (U.S. Army Infantry
\nSchool)23.” In the Spring 97 edition,24 the NCO Journal
\nprinted a story on the Creed based on IMCEN’s information.25
\nMeanwhile, the number of questions increased about the
\nCreed’s author.<\/p>\n

In October 1972, Sergeant Major of the Army Silas L.
\nCopeland stated that “a code of ethics…cannot be
\ndeveloped overnight by edict or official pronouncement. It
\nis developed by years of practice and performance of duty
\naccording to high ethical standards. It must be selfpolicing.
\nWithout such a code, a professional soldier or a
\ngroup soon loses its identity and effectiveness.”26 Could
\nthis have been a call for the development of a document to
\nguide noncommissioned officers? Was this the impetuous to
\ndevelop our Creed?<\/p>\n

By 1973, the Army (and the noncommissioned officer
\ncorps) was in turmoil. Of all the post-Vietnam developments
\nin American military policy, the most influential in
\nshaping the Army was the coming of the Modern Volunteer
\nArmy (VOLAR).27 With the inception of the Noncommissioned
\nOfficer Candidate Course (NCOC), many young sergeants were not the skilled trainers of the past and were only trained
\nto perform a specific job, squad leaders in Vietnam.28 The
\nNoncommissioned Officer System (NCOES) was under
\ndevelopment, and the Army was re-writing its Field Manual
\n22-100, Leadership, to set a road map for leaders to
\nfollow.<\/p>\n

Of those working on the challenges at hand, one of the
\nonly NCO pure instructional departments at the U.S. Army
\nInfantry School (USAIS) at Fort Benning, Georgia, was the
\nNCO Subcommittee, of the Command and Leadership Committee,
\nLeadership Department. Besides training soldiers at the
\nNoncommissioned Officer’s Academy, these NCOs also
\ndeveloped instructional material and worked as part of the
\nteam developing model leadership programs of instruction.29<\/p>\n

Of those serving on this team were MSG John Cato
\n(Chief), SFCs Earle Brigham and Jimmy Jakes, and SSGs
\nRaymond Brown and Lester Cochran. Michael Woodward would
\nsoon join them.30 They worked under the direction of the
\nChief of the Command, Staff and Leadership Department, COL
\nNathan Vail\u2020. During one of their many “brainstorming
\nsessions”, Brigham recalls writing those three letters on a
\nplain white sheet of paper…N C O.31 From those three letters they began to build the Creed. The idea behind
\ndeveloping a creed was to give noncommissioned officers a
\n“yardstick by which to measure themselves.”32 There was an
\noath of enlistment for incoming enlistees and an oath of
\ncommissioning for the officers, yet the noncommissioned
\nofficer had nothing that recognized their induction into
\nthe NCO Corps.<\/p>\n

The NCO Subcommittee’s first drafts did not make it
\nthrough the Infantry Center’s editors, and they rewrote the
\nCreed numerous times. When it was ultimately approved, the
\nCreed was designed on a scroll, and printed on the inside
\ncover of the Special Texts (ST) issued to students
\nattending the noncommissioned officer courses at Fort
\nBenning, beginning in 1974. Though the Creed was submitted
\nhigher for approval and distribution Army-wide, was not
\nformalized by an official Army publication until 11 years
\nlater. Woodward’s Infantry magazine article on
\n“Followership” was one of a series of articles discussing
\nleadership. Soon after the article was published, the NCOs
\nserving on the sub-committee moved on to their next
\nassignments.<\/p>\n

The “unofficial” Creed did not go away. Many of those
\nsergeants who graduated from the Infantry School took their
\ncopy of the Creed and shared it with the Army. Other
\ncommands may have copied, revised, or reworded it, yet they
\nall basically followed the format of the original. When
\nfirst written, the Creed began, “No man is more
\nprofessional than I….” At the time the Creed was
\ndeveloped, the Women’s Army Corps (WAC) had not been
\nintegrated into the Army. Much later, at a senior NCO
\nconference, several female Command Sergeants Major objected
\nto the masculine wording of the Creed. As a result, the
\nArmy began using the non-gender specific version we know
\ntoday.33<\/p>\n

Though re-written many different ways, the Creed still
\ntoday begins its paragraphs with those three letters,
\nN C O. It continues to guide and reinforce the values of
\nthe new generation of noncommissioned officers. At the time
\nof its development, the sergeants of the NCO Subcommittee
\nwere unaware of the impact the Creed would have in the
\ncoming years. However, the goal of providing a tool for
\nmeasuring the competencies of a noncommissioned officer was
\nachieved, and is forever a part of our history.<\/p>\n

Creed of the Noncommissioned Officer
\n<\/strong>FM 22-600-20, The NCO Guide, November 1986<\/p>\n

N<\/span><\/strong>o one is
\nmore professional than I. I am a
\nNoncommissioned Officer, a leader of soldiers. As a
\nNoncommissioned Officer, I realize that I am a member of a
\ntime honored corps, which is known as “The Backbone of the
\nArmy.”
\nI am proud of the Corps of Noncommissioned Officers
\nand will at all times conduct myself so as to bring credit
\nupon the Corps, the Military Service and my country
\nregardless of the situation in which I find myself. I will
\nnot use my grade or position to attain pleasure, profit, or
\npersonal safety.
\nC<\/span><\/strong>ompetence is my
\nwatch-word. My two basic
\nresponsibilities will always be uppermost in my mind–
\naccomplishment of my mission and the welfare of my
\nsoldiers. I will strive to remain tactically and
\ntechnically proficient. I am aware of my role as a
\nNoncommissioned Officer. I will fulfill my responsibilities
\ninherent in that role. All soldiers are entitled to
\noutstanding leadership; I will provide that leadership. I
\nknow my soldiers and I will always place their needs above
\nmy own. I will communicate consistently with my soldiers
\nand never leave them uninformed. I will be fair and
\nimpartial when recommending both rewards and punishment.<\/p>\n

O<\/span><\/strong>fficers
\nof my unit will have maximum time to
\naccomplish their duties; they will not have to accomplish
\nmine. I will earn their respect and confidence as well as
\nthat of my soldiers. I will be loyal to those with whom I
\nserve; seniors, peers and subordinates alike. I will
\nexercise initiative by taking appropriate action in the
\nabsence of orders. I will not compromise my integrity, nor
\nmy moral courage. I will not forget, nor will I allow my
\ncomrades to forget that we are professionals,
\nNoncommissioned Officers, leaders!<\/p>\n

\n

Creed of the Noncommissioned Officer
\nNCO Subcommittee version, published in 1975 Infantry magazine<\/p>\n

N<\/span><\/strong>o man is
\nmore professional than I. I am a
\nNoncommissioned Officer, a leader of men. As a
\nNoncommissioned Officer, I realize that I am a member of a
\ntime honored corps, which is known as “The Backbone of the
\nArmy.”
\nI am proud of the Corps of Noncommissioned Officers
\nand will at all times conduct myself so as to bring credit
\nupon the Corps, the Military Service and my country
\nregardless of the situation in which I find myself. I will
\nnot use my grade or position to attain pleasure, profit, or
\npersonal safety.
\nC<\/span><\/strong>ompetence is my
\nwatch-word. My two basic
\nresponsibilities will always be uppermost in my mind–
\naccomplishment of my mission and the welfare of my men. I
\nwill strive to remain tactically and technically
\nproficient. I am aware of my role as a Noncommissioned
\nOfficer. I will fulfill my responsibilities inherent in
\nthat role. All soldiers are entitled to outstanding
\nleadership; I will provide that leadership. I know my
\nsoldiers and I will always place their needs above my own.
\nI will communicate consistently with my men and never leave
\nthem uninformed. I will be fair and impartial when
\nrecommending both rewards and punishment.<\/p>\n

O<\/span><\/strong>fficers
\nof my unit will have maximum time to
\naccomplish their duties; they will not have to accomplish
\nmine. I will earn their respect and confidence as well as
\nthat of my soldiers. I will be loyal to those with whom I
\nserve; seniors, peers and subordinates alike. I will
\nexercise initiative by taking appropriate action in the
\nabsence of orders. I will not compromise my integrity, nor
\nmy moral courage. I will not forget, nor will I allow my
\ncomrades to forget that we are professionals,
\nNoncommissioned Officers, leaders of men.<\/p>\n

Works Cited
\n1 Abrams, SSG David “SMA McKinney launches each day with NCO Creed,” NCO
\nJournal (Fall 1995)
\nFort Bliss, TX, pp. 14-15″
\n2 Fisher, Ernest F. Jr, Guardians of the Republic, the History of the
\nNoncommissioned Officer Corps of the
\nU.S. Army. Ballantine Books, NY 1994 p. ix
\n3 Arms, L.R. “The NCO Creed.” The Chevron, Winter 1998, p. 4
\n4 NCO Journal, editor Spring 96 issue, Fort Bliss, TX, inside back cover.
\n5 Arms, L.R. “The NCO Creed.” The Chevron, Winter 1998, p. 4
\n6 Haga, CSM Robert L. Sergeants Book, Headquarters, 3D Armored Division
\nMemorandum, APO, NY
\n09039, 15 NOV 1982, p. 10
\n7 TC 22-6, The Army Noncommissioned Officer Guide, signed by GEN Carl E.
\nVuono, Chief of Staff,
\nDepartment of the Army publication, 1990 p. 46
\n8 Action Plan, Noncommissioned Officer Leader Development Task Force,
\nprepared by Noncommissioned
\nOfficer Leader Development Task Force, Headquarters, US Army Sergeants
\nMajor Academy, Fort Bliss,
\nTX, June 1989 p. v
\n9 – – Task Force, p. A-3
\n10 Memorandum The 1989 Army Theme: The NCO, by HON John O. Marsh..[et al.],
\nHeadquarters,
\nDepartment of the Army, Washington DC
\n11 Military Police, Fort McClellan, IL, Jan 89, back cover
\n12 Ordnance The Professional Bulletin of the Ordnance Soldier, Aberdeen
\nProving Ground, MD, Nov 89,
\np. 21
\n13 The INSCOM Journal, designed by Ron Crabtree, Fort Belvoir, VA, Aug\/Sep
\n89, back cover
\n14 Action Plan, Noncommissioned Officer Leader Development Task Force, p.
\nix
\n15 Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Study (Final Report
\nVolume I) , prepared by the
\nNCO Professional Development Study Group, Washington D.C., Feb 86, p. 1
\n16Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Study (Final Report
\nVolume II) , prepared by the
\nNCO Professional Development Study Group, Washington D.C., Feb 86, p. F-2
\n17- -p. F-4 thru F-6
\n18 FM 22-600-20, The NCO Guide, TRADOC, 13 November 1986, inside cover
\n19 Simpson, MG Kenneth W., Letter to Elder, undated
\n20 Ibid.
\n21 RB 22-600-20, The Duties, Responsibilities and Authority of NCO’s and
\nthe Interplay and Relationship
\nwith the Duties, Responsibilities and Authority of Officers, by the U.S.
\nArmy Sergeants Major Academy, Ft
\nBliss, TX June 1981, p. 7-2
\n22 The Noncommissioned Officer Corps on Training, Cohesion, and Combat
\nInformation Management
\nSupport Center, Washington, DC, 16 December 1997, p. 31
\n23 Woodward, SFC Michael T. “The Subordinate: The Art of Followership”
\nInfantry, Fort Benning, GA
\nJul-Aug 75, p. 25-27.
\n24 Abrams, SSG David, “Origin of the NCO Creed…Still Searching” NCO
\nJournal, Spring 97 Fort Bliss,
\nTX p. 21
\n25 Yamamoto, M. Merrick, phone conversation with Elder, Jan 98.
\n26 Copeland, SMA Silas L. “The NCO Must Grow with the Army” Army,
\nWashington, DC, Oct 72,
\npp24-25
\n27 Fisch, Arnold G. and Wright, Robert K., The Story of the Noncommissioned
\nOfficer Corps, Center of
\nMilitary History, Washington D.C., June 1989, p. 130
\n28 Bainbridge, SMA William G. Top Sergeant Ballentine Books, New York, 1995
\np. 203
\n29 “TRADOC Leadership Conference Report”, Fort Benning, GA 28 July-1 August
\n1975, p. 1
\n30 Woodward, Michael T. Phone conversation with Elder, 7 March 1998
\n31 Brigham, Earle G. Phone conversation with Elder, 7 March 1998
\n32 Ibid.
\n33 – – Abrams, “Origin of the NCO Creed…Still Searching”, p. 21<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It started on the fourth floor of Building 4 at Fort
\nBenning, Georgia, in 1973 with a plain white sheet of paper
\nand three letters; N-C-O. From there begins the history of
\nthe Creed of the Noncommissioned Officer
\nThe Creed has been around for many years in different
\nforms and fashions. Sergeants can recall reading the Creed
\non the day they were first inducted into the NCO Corps.
\nMost of us have a copy hanging on our wall in our office,
\nour work place, or at our home. Some have special versions
\netched into metal on a wooden plaque, or printed in fine
\ncalligraphy. One Sergeant Major of the Army could pick up
\nand recite the Creed from any place selected.1 But take a
\nquick glance at any Creed and you will notice the absence
\nof the author’s name at the bottom. Where the Creed
\noriginated from has questioned many.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":573,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[17],"class_list":["post-572","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-history","tag-creed"],"yoast_head":"\nHistory of the NCO Creed - NCO Historical Society<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Three letters; N-C-O. 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