While in the U.S Army I have encountered many leaders. When I reminisce on the past and try to remember all of the different leaders I have encountered, I realize they have all influenced my life in different ways. Although some of the leaders I have had made bad impressions, most have influenced my life positively. Throughout the years I have been in the U.S Army, one particular leader has helped me develop into the Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) I am today. I am Staff Sergeant Eric Duty and I would not be the professional I am today without SGT Buchan’s leadership.
When I joined the U.S Army I didn’t really know what I was getting myself into. Once I arrived at Fort Benning, GA for Basic Training, I noticed that most of the NCO’s were just yelling a lot. As an eighteen year old Private (PVT) straight out of high school, I didn’t know how a good leader was supposed to act. After Basic Training, I went to Schofield Barrack, HI, which was my first duty station and I expected the yelling to continue. The first person I met upon my arrival was a Sergeant (SGT) Buchan. SGT Buchan was very helpful in getting me settled into a barracks room and explaining to me what I needed to do. SGT Buchan was not what I was expecting after arriving. My first impression of SGT Buchan was that she was very nice and seemed to actually be interested in who I was and what my future goals were.
An important section of the NCO Creed states, “My two basic responsibilities will always be uppermost in my mind—accomplishment of my mission and the welfare of my Soldiers.” SGT Buchan fulfilled her responsibilities to the fullest. SGT Buchan was in charge of the section that I was assigned to work in. My first day in the shop I realized that I was the lowest ra...
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... in the professional setting as well as in the home life. When I had issues with finances, relationships, or any other personal issues I could always go to SGT Buchan for advice and help. SGT Buchan had no issues with helping me during her off time whenever I needed it. I knew that she was the kind of leader I wanted to be.
My first experience with having a leader to guide and mentor me was positive. SGT Buchan demonstrated what a good leader should be and do. She has helped me develop into the leader I am today. SGT Buchan’s guidance and influence sparked my interests in computers and helped me to set goals for pursuing a career in technical fields. SGT Buchan’s knowledge and dedication to leadership has truly been my motivation to be the best leader that I can be. My leadership philosophy is directly contributed to the skills and knowledge she has shared with me.
The Non Commissioned Officer (NCO); the "backbone" of the Marine Corps. The driving force behind the battle of Belleau Wood, the battle of Hue City, the fight for Fallujiah, the taking of Marjah and, most recently, the battle against suicide and sexual harassment. No other group of men and women in the world have been called to fight across such a broad area of operation. As we look at the ever-adapting role of the NCO, we must first look to the past. One of the foremost examples that comes to mind is John Basilone. To Marines, Basilone needs no introduction. He was a hero, and Sergeant when he was awarded the Medal of Honor. No words can better describe his heroism than his citation. “For extraordinary heroism and conspicuous gallantry in action against enemy Japanese forces, above and beyond the call of duty, while serving with the 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division in the Lunga Area, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, on 24 and 25 October 1942. While the enemy was hammering at the Marines' defensive positions, Sgt. Basilone, in charge of 2 sections of heavy machine guns, fought valiantly to check the savage and determined assault. In a fierce frontal attack with the Japanese blasting his guns with grenades and mortar fire, one of Sgt. Basilone's sections, with its gun crews, was put out of action, leaving only 2 men able to carry on. Moving an extra gun into position, he placed it in action, then, under continual fire, repaired another and personally manned it, gallantly holding his line until replacements arrived. A little later, with ammunition critically low and the supply lines cut off, Sgt. Basilone, at great risk of his life and in the face of continued enemy attack, battled his way through hostile lines wit...
...ia taken care of countless times, from his days as the Cadet Colonel at City College, to the invasion of Iraq, there have been situations in which he has shined and handled with grace.
I had a mentor who saw the potential in me and developed me in a way befitting to my situation. The simple and fundamental skills I learned from SFC Miser were exactly what I needed as a new leader. They enabled me to become a successful NCO and a competent leader later in my Army career. I hope to be a leader who understands his Soldiers’ needs and develops them in the way that is most appropriate for them. Only in this way can the Army develop the most effective leadership and the strongest
Working with my fellow leaders day and night, I began to form close friendships with each of them. We were all from different parts of the country and different battalions; meaning we all had our own approach on how to lead the recruits. We had to learn to work together and play off each other’s strengths and weaknesses in order to ensure a successful training for the recruits. Through the hard work put into the training, both the recruits and staff cadets were able to form lifelong friendships. Although the training is done, I still work hard to maintain relationships with my fellow staff cadets and friends who have helped me to become a better leader and person.
... patrols and his men had very little trust in him because he would not do anything that he was asking them to do. He was however a good leader in that he did not give up on his men like SFC Gallagher did. He had a plan going into the situation and did not let his inexperience detour him. He knew the platoon he was going to was a problem platoon and he accepted the challenge and attacked it head on. He held the men to a higher standard than they had been in the past and tried to pick them up and dust them off. He aided 1LT Norton in reviving 1st platoon and building their morale back up, they were just getting back on their feet when the incident at JSB happened where two soldiers went missing and then the rape and murder was investigated effectively ending 1st platoons deployment, but nonetheless SFC Fenlason was there through it all and stuck with his platoon.
Staff Sergeant (SSGT) Louis Moeller shaped me into the Recon Marine I wanted to be and the Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) that I am now. By embodying the Recon Creed and always setting the example, he made me want to be an NCO that my troops would look up to and want to follow. Even when not in charge he was constantly the one peers and junior Marines alike, turned to for guidance and inspiration. To this day, I still find myself asking “What would Louis do?” when confronted with a leadership dilemma.
As a Non-commissioned Officer you can expect me to be a professional leader dedicated to taking care of soldiers, the mission, and the army way of life. You can expect me to use Army Regulations, Technical Manuals, and direct orders from my superiors as my guidance on what actions to take in each situation faced whether tactical or technical. I will not be afraid to make sound and timely decisions in the absence of my leadership’s orders. When left in charge I will take charge.
All soldiers, especially leaders, are highly recommended to keep a certain set of values that radiate throughout the entire U.S. Army. They are challenged to keep them near and dear to their hearts and to define and live them every day. A leader is one who takes these challenges serious and abides by
As our forefathers before us stated, ‘‘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 (“The NCO Creed written by SFC Earle Brigham and Jimmie Jakes Sr”). These words to the Noncommissioned Officer should inspire us to the fullest with pride, honor, and integrity. The NCO creed should mean much more than just words whenever we attend an NCO’s school.
Since the Army puts everything down on paper, from how to perform maintenance on an M4 weapon (“Rifle…”, 2003, para. 1.4) to how to write a letter to your commander (“Preparing…”, 2001, p. 30), a good NCO must know and follow the rules and instructions that apply to him or her on a regular basis. For example, a good NCO must be able to correct a soldier’s uniform to the exact standard. In order to order a soldier to tuck in his or he...
Officers in the army do a great job to. The reason the NCO’s are most important Because the spend the most time with the soldiers. They understand the soldiers more then the officer do because they are always around them more. In the book Band of brothers the NCO’s is what makes the company the one of best companies in world war 2. 1st Sgt Lipton in my personal opinion is the best NCO’s because he displays the ultimate show of leadership he was a natural born leader. From the time that Lipton was a regular sergeant until he became a first sergeant he always had a bond with the men that they would listen to him, more than anybody else. When Easy company lost Captain Winter because he got promoted and the new Lt. accidentally got shot by a worry some private. The new leader that easy company received wasn’t really a leader not cause he made bad decision, it was cause he didn’t make decision at all and he never spent time with his soldiers, and get to know them. The NCO’s are what kept the company together when they didn’t have a leader, and when the company would go through tough times in
Non-Commissioned Officers are deficient in vital areas of leadership due to a lack of training. This leads to inexperienced Soldiers becoming inexperienced leaders. The NCO corps needs to develop and enforce comprehensive interactive training that will challenge the next generation to achieve a functional level of communication skills before advancing to leadership positions. This will generate leaders who can write effectively, speak meritoriously and teach adaptively while training others to do the same.
The Army spends a great deal of time making followers into leaders and leaders into followers by utilizing several levels of training throughout their military career. This training allows a Soldier to perfect the knowledge and skills required to be an effective leader in every aspect of their job. ...
There are literally hundreds of book definitions of the word leadership. Even in the ALS curriculum there are multiple definitions, theories, and modules; I even considered using one to open this essay but I figured using an example would be more sufficient. So far in my Air Force career I’ve been extremely lucky to have great supervisors, but there is one leader I had that’s had a transformative effect not only on me, but the organization we worked for. Maj Eric Mehrtens, that name is synonymous with leadership for me. Before meeting him, I never really thought about what type of leader I am or would desire to become. He was my Senior Intelligence Officer at RAF Lakenheath, he really cared about people and the understood the gravity of what it meant to be a leader of people. To cite ALS, he embodied every single aspect of FRL. He was the epitome of individualized consideration, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and idealized influence. Working for him really made me think about the fact that I may become an NCO soon, and if
I am lucky enough to say that I have had a variety of leadership opportunities and experiences in my life that have led me to be the person I am today. Many of these experiences came from involvement in wrestling, Boy Scouts of America, volunteer projects, friendships, and different employment opportunities. I recurrently underestimate the degree of impact these experiences have had on my life. Although a considerable amount of these have been positive experiences, some of them have definitely been quite challenging. But all have played their part in molding and shaping my personality and values.