Quartermaster standard-bearers

The Army theme for 1989 rightly focuses attention on the noncommissioned officer as the backbone of the Army. Special emphasis is placed on NCO responsibilities for training the Soldier to established standards.

How great is this responsibility? Let's compare it to our sister services.

Enlisted men and women in the Navy and Air Force play key roles; but, generally speaking, officers fight the major combat systems. Officers maneuver the ships and fly the planes into combat.
In the Army, with few exceptions, Soldiers maneuver and fight every combat system, from the M16 rifle to the M1 tank.

The same comparison can be made within the ranks of combat service support Soldiers. Quartermaster Soldiers are spread throughout the battlefield, relying on their tactical/technical competency and initiative. They cannot rely on the security of a base or the close supervision on board a ship with the complexity of the battlefield and the sophistication of modern weaponry.

Combat today requires Soldiers who are tough, bright, and highly motivated. Enforcing discipline, maintaining standards, and excellent training by NCOs make it all happen.

NCOs maintain the high standards and quality that are the foundation of our current trained and ready force.

... [W]e must continue performing four critical roles: we must be exemplary first-line leaders, we must serve as the Army's primary trainers, we must be standard-bearers of units, and we must continue to instill and maintain discipline in the ranks. The execution of these four roles is necessary in producing the quality of force needed for the future.

I think our role as leaders is captured best by the image of NCOs as standard-bearers.

Throughout history, the national and unit standard or flags have served as rallying points for Soldiers embroiled in battle. Because of the symbolic importance of the colors, the NCO has historically been
entrusted with the unit standard.

In this day of sophisticated communications, rapidly moving forward support elements, and a constantly changing battle focus, we no longer have the ability to constantly display our colors at all battle locations.

However, this does not represent a change in the tradition that holds the senior NCO present responsible for the display, care, and security of unit colors. Symbolically, by that charge, the spirit of the Army through the units that those colors represent is in the hands of the NCO Corps.

Fulfilling this challenge is not easy. Standard-bearers lead from the front of the unit. They set high standards and enforce them. The standard-bearers must be tactically and technically proficient, be in excellent physical condition, and be of sound judgment. They must possess and display unquestionable moral and ethical standards. Those who are unwilling or unable must be appropriately dealt with.
As standard-bearers, NCOs have the honor of leading America's finest men and women.

It is a great feeling when you see a Soldier you have mentored successfully progress through the ranks and contribute to the mission. It is also rewarding when you ensure that Soldiers and their personal concerns are appropriately dealt with.

As long as we have NCOs who feel this pride, the year of the NCO will never end. Standard-bearers will continue to pass ... colors to new professional[s] into the next century.

Editor's note: The following was originally published in the Winter 1989 issue of the U.S. Army's Quartermaster Professional Bulletin during the first Year of the NCO. Although it was written to address the Quartermaster Corps, the truths captured by Hazzard, then the Quartermaster Regimental Sergeant Major, still apply to all NCOs in every branch of the Army.