noncommissioned officer Archives

NCO Lesson: Sam, You Made the Pants Too Short!

May 7, 2019February 10, 2020 Bob Dare

Lesson on Leadership “Oh it is great to have a Giant’s strength, but it is tyrannous to use it like a Giant” – Shakespeare (Measure for Measure) Serving as a Drill Sergeant was one of the most rewarding opportunities that I experienced in my 28 year Army career. It is one of the few jobs that... Read More

NCO 2020: Understanding the Lines of Effort

April 25, 2019May 2, 2019 Brian Lindsey

NCO 2020 Strategy The NCO 2020 Strategy was developed for many different reasons and the roles and responsibilities for Noncommissioned Officers have evolved significantly over the last few decades. NCOs in today’s environment have had to adjust in a deliberate and comprehensive approach. The days of not understanding your duties and responsibilities have been replaced with more stringent requirements at... Read More

Interview with the Sergeant Major of Army Public Affairs

March 22, 2016January 17, 2018 Dan Elder

INTERVIEWEE: SGM Jose Velazquez Jr., Sergeant Major of Army Public Affairs, Pentagon INTERVIEWER: CSM Dan Elder, US Army, Retired This is one in our series of interviews with influential noncommissioned officers, these are leaders in key or strategic positions who are influencing the Army and the Noncommissioned Officer Corps. This interview is with SGM Jose Velazquez Jr., who serves as the Sergeant... Read More

The Changing Role of the Command Sergeant Major

October 15, 2015January 17, 2018 Dan Elder

This is from a presentation I gave to the US Military Historian’s annual meeting 8/6/2006 while serving as the 12th command Sergeant Major of the U.S. Army Materiel Command. The Changing Role of the Command Sergeant Major Command Sergeant Major Daniel K. Elder Frederick von Steuben, author of the first drill manual for George Washington’s Army, wrote in 1774 that the Sergeant... Read More

The NCO Induction Ceremony

November 7, 2014January 17, 2018 Dan Elder

An unofficial guide for Noncommissioned Officers inducting the newly promoted into the Corps Prepared by: The NCO Website & SGM Dan Elder 2 October 1998 The concept of inducting newly promoted noncommissioned officers into the corps has a long-standing tradition, however is not an officially recognized or sanctioned activity. There are no official requirements to perform a ceremony of any... Read More

When was the US Army NCO Corps formed?

May 31, 2014January 17, 2018 Dan Elder

I was asked a question recently about the creation of the US Army Noncommissioned Officer Corps. I had to scratch my head for a moment because it was not a question I had heard before. I am a self-declared military historian and I specialize in the history of the NCO. I run the NCO Historical Society to help catalog and archive... Read More

You are a Command Sergeant Major, together we are Command Sergeants Major

December 1, 2013January 18, 2018 Dan Elder

Together we are Command Sergeants Major I got a frantic text from a former soldier who is working for the Army and her boss, an Army Veteran, directed that she was to brief a senior sergeant major and he was demanding that she address him as “command sergeants major.” She was contacting me to make sure she wasn’t crazy and... Read More

Are Noncommissioned Officers Professional?

October 1, 2011January 18, 2018 Dan Elder

This is in response to the Joint Forces Quarterly article Who Is a Member of the Military Profession? by COL Matthew Moten Are Noncommissioned Officers Professional? In “Who Is a Member of the Military Profession?” (JFQ 62, 3d Quarter 2011), Colonel Matthew Moten, USA, brings up some valuable points in his discussion of the professionalization of career enlisted Servicemembers, but it would be useful... Read More