In this episode, we aren't going to just ask and answer a bunch of questions about FM 7-22.7. No, we are going to focus on questions that are at a difficulty level that every SPC should be able to answer.

The episode is broken into 2 chapters:

The Pre-Test

Repetition

Feel free to jump into the Pre-Test, and if you know everything, skip to the next difficulty level. If you want to know more about a question, stick around for the Lesson, where we will teach you what everything means. Then we'll re-evaluate at the Re-Test, and help you have it down consciously and sub-consciously in the Repetition chapter.

The questions we are going over are:

Question 1: When was the NCO Corps born?

Question 2: Who trained selected Continental troops to drill, lead, and teach others, thereby laying the foundation for the modern NCO Corps during the American Revolution?

Baron Von Steuben

Question 3: What was the name of the book that Baron Von Steuben wrote to help train continental troops?

The full title of the "Blue Book" was "Regulations for the Order and Discipline of the Troops of the United States", but it was nicknamed “The Blue Book.”

Question 4: What analogy did Baron Von Steuben use to describe the roles of the officer and the Sergeants within a company?

Baron von Steuben used the analogy that the officer should be the “father of the company while the Sergeants should be the mothers”

Question 5: What traditional symbol of the NCO, useful for dressing lines and identifying the NCO on the battlefield?

The Halberd

Question 6 During the period between 1814 to 1914, there were three major trends that shaped the NCO corps. What were those three trends?

The frontier, major wars, and the development of industry and technology.

Question 7: How did the frontier shape the NCO Corps?

Troops were used in place of militias to go out and secure the frontier. Officers relied more on their NCOs during this time of isolation, the relationship between officers and NCOs deepened as they relied on them more, and their duties and privileges were expanded. They took on more training responsibilities. NCOs were then allowed to lead troops on the battlefield during small unit engagements that were common on the frontier.

Question 8: How did major wars shape the NCO Corps?

The War of 1812, the Mexican-American War, and the Civil war saw the numbers of troops fluctuate a lot. Before the war, there were only a few thousand troops, during the war there would be 3 times to 80 times the size it was before, then would drop down to just a few thousand after the war. Privates that were experienced before the war would get promoted to high ranking NCOs during the war, become war heros, and then after the war get reduced back down to privates as everyone left the Army. This discouraged NCOs, and caused them to leave the Army with everyone else.

Question 9: How did technology and industry shape the NCO Corps?

As warfare became more technologically advanced, education became more important. The Army opened schools for technical proficiencies such as artillery, signal corps, mechanics, communications, and medical services. The idea of an NCO being a professional, not just a grunt, evolved. Promotions were tied to education, and better educated NCOs were promoted faster. As NCOs became more educated, they had opportunities in the private sector open up to them, where they could get paid more. The Army needed to elevate the position of an NCO to keep people from jumping ship. NCOs were now considered professionals.

Question 10: What three country traditions formed the foundation of our NCO Corps?

British, French, and Prussian

Question 11: During WWI, what concept of NCO leadership did America adopt after observing it in European NCOs?

The concept that an NCO should be able to lead units when their officer falls.