Regimental Sergeant’s Major
David.Gettman December 11th, 2005
The history of the Noncommissioned Officer Corps
In the early days of the American Revolution, there was little standardization of the NCOs duties or responsibilities in existence. In 1778, during the long hard winter at Valley Forge, Inspector General Friedrich Von Steuben standardized NCO duties and responsibilities in his Regulations for the Order and Discipline of the Troops of the United States printed in 1779. Commonly called the Blue Book, it set down the duties and responsibilities for Corporals, Sergeants, First Sergeants, Quartermaster Sergeants, and Sergeant Majors, which were the NCO ranks of the period. It also emphasized the importance of selecting quality soldiers for NCO positions. Continue Reading »
