This week’s post starts a four part series from guest poster Terron Wharton, an active duty US Army Armor Major. He has served as a Platoon Leader, Company XO, and a Troop Commander with each position held both in garrison and while deployed. Additionally he is the author of “High Risk Soldier: Trauma and Triumph in the Global War on Terror“.
My military journey started in 1997 the day I walked into my first high school JROTC class where I met SFC(R) Alan Conrad. SFC(R) Conrad had spent 20 years in Special Forces and retired to his hometown to teach at his old high school. He was a huge part of why I joined the military and had a major impact on my leadership style. 10 years later, as I patrolled Baghdad as a Platoon Leader, I encountered many moral and ethical dilemmas. In every, single case one thought always came to my mind: What would SFC(R) Conrad think of my actions?
Without knowing it SFC(R) Conrad became my first mentor. He taught and instilled a work ethic, persevering spirit, and moral foundation that would serve me at West Point, in Baghdad’s streets, and Afghanistan’s hills. I am proud to say we still keep in touch, and this past year he made the trip to Fort Leavenworth to assist in my promotion to Major.
NCOs are present at every level of officer PME from Cadet to Captain. Every ROTC program and Cadet Company at West Point has a TAC NCO. Cadet summer training is led by NCOs. The primary instructors at my Armor Officer Basic Course were NCOs. Officer PME contains a heavy NCO presence until the Captain’s Career Course. MSG(R) James Gentile, my former 1SG, finished his career as an ROTC instructor. He strongly believes that early interaction with mature, experienced NCOs helped cadets establish good foundations, a view that grew stronger after he taught ROTC: “Listening to their concerns regarding development made me wish I had that assignment prior to becoming a PSG. I learned that despite being a new PL, these were people/leaders that truly cared and were passionate about leading teams in complex environments and wanting to win. Their number one fear was they would not be competent enough at first and would potentially lose credibility in the beginning of their tenure. I found that part not surprising but was shocked at how much importance they placed on that versus the other leadership attributes, especially personal character.”
At the cadet stage NCO mentorship should focus on the single most important officer trait: character. ADP 6-22, Army Leadership, defines character as the leader’s values and identity. Further, it states leaders with a strong, value based identity provide an example for followers to emulate. Conversely, it posits that a leader’s lack of confidence could stem from a lacking a strong idea of their own identity. In short, who are YOU as a person, a leader, and what is that based on?
Any young, college age kid has a hard enough time figuring out who they are as a person, let alone as an Army leader. However, that sense of identity, rooted in values, will establish a leader’s character. This is why the NCO’s role in Cadet development should center around character through example. By modeling the Army Values, the NCO-Officer relationship, and professionalism cadets get a comprehensive example of what “right looks like”, both in themselves as leaders and the NCOs with whom they will serve.
We often talk about mentoring junior officers and how important it is for senior officers to find and develop protégées. What we overlook is that the most important mentor for a young officer is not a senior officer. It is an NCO. NCO mentorship is critical in an officer’s success, a criticality that, while acknowledged to a degree, is drastically understated. In fact, NCO’s are the primary mentors in the three most critical stages of officer development: the Cadet, the Platoon Leader, and the Company Commander.
I have two senior officer mentors, one active duty and one retired who have been invaluable and irreplaceable in the things they have done for my growth and development. However, at each stage of my career it was an NCO who molded, shaped, and developed me into the leader I am today. Unfortunately, NCO mentorship’s criticality in officer development is often overlooked by both the officer and NCO Corps. Understanding this criticality enables the Army to leverage this relationship to improve junior officer leader development.
Molding future leaders begins at the pre-commissioning stage and has a lasting impact. This is especially true in helping to mold and establish character rooted in the Army Values, morals, and ethical behavior. Need proof? Nearly 20 years after our first meeting every tough decision I make is accompanied by the same question: What would SFC(R) Conrad think of my actions?
Critical Takeaways:
Mentorship Focus: Character
For All: NCO mentorship plays a critical role in officer development during the early years of an officer’s career that will help define how those officers lead Soldiers over their careers.
For Cadets: How does my TAC NCO embody the Army Values and professionalism? How do they interact with their officer counterparts?
For NCOs: My actions have a tangible, lasting impact on shaping future officers. How am I modeling the Army Values and Professionalism? How am I modeling the NCO role in the NCO-Officer relationship? Am I taking an active role in developing the cadet or am I simply following the POI?
Start a conversation, spark a transformation.