From WLC

Normally I wouldn't post stuff like this but...Its memorial day. I wrote this as my WLC essay. The topic was "what the NCO creed means to me." It was supposed to be written in Army writting style, but I suck at that. So I just decided to write and see what came out. I was surprised. The truth came out.

Here it is:

The Noncommissioned Officer's Creed to me, is an embodiment of what a Noncommissioned Officer should be. For my entire active duty army career, I thought I understood what it meant to be a Noncommissioned Officer. From the rank of Private to Specialist, I believed the role of a Noncommissioned Officer was to "tell lower enlisted what to do, and make more money." I actually was promoted to the rank of Sergeant, and exited active duty service before my mindset changed. Many events have led me to see the Noncommissioned Officer as something else: "the backbone of the army."

One incident in particular that shaped me was the death of a comrade. I remember Sergeant Trista Moretti as the Private First Class that I personally worked with and trained as a Specialist. When she made the rank of Sergeant, I was initially angry. I trained her, and she was promoted before me? I cordially congratulated her, but held a secret grudge. A year and a half later, I got the news that Sergeant Morretti was killed in action, in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. This incident forced me to look at what being a Noncommissioned Officer really meant. By this time I had a family and was married to a Noncommissioned Officer who was deployed to Iraq.

SGT Morretti may have been a PFC I met her, but she became and will always be a Noncommissioned Officer. She strived to be tactically and technically proficient, she set the standard. I realized it was an honor that I was a part of her career. This brings to mind line one of the Noncommissioned Officers Creed, "No one is more professional than I." I interpert this as, "I am the standard." PFC Moretti exceeded expectations and excelled to the rank of Sergeant. I will strive to always excel and will motivate others to follow my example just as SGT Moretti and generations of Noncommissioned Officers have done before me, as to carry on the tradition.

I yearned to return to military service and fulfill my duties as a Noncommissioned Officer. I feel I am meant to lead and mentor soldiers. I often relect on all of the Noncommissioned in my career and what characteristics they possessed. I realized they all have different leadership styles, but each and every one of them are leaders. They are or were in a position of responsibility and respect. They were appointed to that position because they were trusted with the accomplishment of the mission and the welfare of their soldiers. I returned to military service with these characteristics in mind. Each day I wear the uniform, I consider a tribute to Sergeant Trista Moretti and no other document embodies her spirit than the The Creed of the Noncommissioned Officer.

----------end essay---------

I look back at the essay and I realize that a few of the details maynot be accurate, but that is the way I remembered it at that time. The thing that got me is I cried when I had to read it to the class. Like a REAL cry. I used to get teary eyed when I thought about her death, but as I read the essay out loud, I cried. I realized that it was not just something I was writting down to appease the cadre at WLC. I really did think about Trista everytime I wore the uniform. I never even knew her as an NCO, but I can imagine the kind of NCO she was. I continually think of what she would do if she was me. Trista was not the only NCO that influenced my life, My ex-husband, SGT Richens (now lt?), SSG Money, and SSG Terell were some that stick out in my mind. I remember Ann Baltz as a firey SFC, and I smile. I sometimes hate that I am addicted to this kind of life. But I am also proud of it. I know my life would be easier if I could get a nice little job where I stayed in one place and made more money. Or I could commission and get paid A LOT more for doing this. But I struggle with letting go of the NCO. I feel my life is more meaningful when I spend it directly working with soldiers and helping them. That would be lost if I commissioned. I have been meaning to share this since december, but today is as good as time as any.