Today, we’re going to cover the ninth lesson from the book Starship Troopers. This is the ninth lesson in the mini-series. If you haven’t read the previous post yet, please do so right now and try to follow it in order.
Lesson # 9: NCOs are the backbone of the Army!
Quote: “There never have has been an outfit in which officers and men were more dependent on each other than they are in the M.I., and sergeants are the glue that holds us together. Never forget it.”
My Take: Both officers and NCOs have a very important role in combat. They must work together to achieve success and lead the troops. That being said, the NCOs really are the backbone of the Army. They are the glue that keeps things together. They provide the experience, discipline and experience to successfully guide the unit. They run the day-to-day operations in the military and provide the stability.
That doesn’t mean the officer’s job isn’t important. It is. In combat, a good officer is worth their weight in gold. But to think that the officer is the key to success, I would have to disagree. The NCO is really the key to success. The officer needs the NCO, just like the Soldiers do. A good NCO can make a bad officer okay, a good officer great and an excellent officer, superb! And they can do it without the officer even realizing that it is happening.
Another point I get from this quote is about the brotherhood in the infantry. In the infantry things are different than in non-combat arms units. In infantry units,there is an extremely close brotherhood between the Soldiers, NCOs and Officers. They know that when the bullets start flying they will have to rely on each other to survive. In the infantry, there is no “I” in team.
What are your thoughts? Leave a comment and let me know.