In order to highlight the importance of the NCOs within the ranks, we must first understand where we came from and take a few minutes to look at how we became known as the most professionally developed and competent NCO Corps envied by Army leaders spanning countless of international borders. Throughout the history of the U.S. Army, the NCO has played a key role in the readiness of our force. The need for NCOs was first recognized by Baron von Steuben, a Russian volunteer in 1778. He, in writing our first army manual, known as the Blue Book, acknowledge the importance of selecting the right soldiers as NCOs: "The order and discipline of a regiment depends so much upon their behavior, which too much care cannot be taken in preferring none to that trust but those who by their merit and good conduct are entitled to it."

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