Quote Originally Posted by Sir William View Post
No such thing!

NCOs are the backbone of any decent military force! History has proven that armies without good NCOs don't fight as well (courage of the individual soldier aside).

You may have been a low-ranking NCO, but you were surely not lowly, especially in the Corps.

I was an NCO before I took a commission. I've always been proud I wore stripes before I wore bars.
You, of course, speak the absolute truth, and we both know it. All officers are trained by NCOs, and the really good officers listen to their platoon sergeants--or chiefs-- when they first make their appearance. Not only do they become better officers, but they learn their craft and stay alive.

As a former platoon sergeant, I know that the military is run by it's staff NCOs, and that's as it should be. And since you first wore stripes, I imagine you were a better officer for it. The best officers I knew were all mustangs.

It is the perogative of any man who is self-confident and self-assured to assume a self-depricating posture. While the NCOs are "lower" in rank than the officers, they are not "lower" in standing. But a man need not ring his own chimes.

Thanks for pointing that out to the uninformed.