Content area
Full Text
With more than 200 years of service, the US Army's NCO Corps has distinguished itself as the world s most accomplished group of military professionals. In 1989, then Chief of Staff General Carl E. Vuono declared the first "Year of the NCO. " Twenty years later, the enlisted corps will take center stage and be recognized for its significant contributions, courage and commitment.
The Army's most senior leaders officially kicked off the Year of the NCO at the home of the Army 's Sergeants Major Academy, Fort Bliss, Texas, on 5 January. In a letter the three had signed, Secretary of the Army Preston M. "Pete" Geren, Chief of Staff of the Army General George W. Casey Jr. and Sergeant Major of the Army Kenneth O. Preston announced that 2009 will be the "Year of the NCO. "
"Today's NCO operates autonomously, and always with confidence and competence, " Geren said during his address at the Association of the US Army annual meeting in October 2008, when he first unveiled the Army's plan to observe the Year of the NCO. "Our NCOs are empowered and trusted like no other NCO in the world, and most advanced armies in the world today are going to school on our model. "
Throughout 2009, the Army will honor NCOs through initiatives and events that enhance awareness and public understanding of the roles and responsibilities of today's NCO, and enhance and accelerate NCO development through education, fitness and leadershipdevelopment initiatives. These events also will foster pride in service among NCOs and show the American public what a "national asset" it has in the NCO Corps. For more information, visit the "Year of the NCO " Web site at http://www4. army.mil/yearofthenco/home.php.
The Merriam- Webster Dictionary defines pride as, "delight or elation arising from some act, possession or relationship." The Cambridge Advanced Learner 's Dictionary defines pride as, "a feeling of pleasure and satisfaction that you get because you or people connected withyouhave done or possess something good." Today, it is veiy easy to take pride in being a member of one of the most elite group of individuals to walk the face of the earth - the US Army Corps of NCOs, the "Backbone of the Army."
In 1989,...