Kenneth Preston

"Although our Army today is, in many respects, a very different force than the Army of 1989 or 1945, many things stay the same. Our Soldiers still serve the people of the United States and live the Army values. They embody the Soldier's Creed and our Warrior Ethos, which states, "I will always place the mission first, I will never accept defeat, I will never quit, I will never leave a fallen comrade.""

"Army NCO's trace their roots to the beginnings of American military history. They helped Washington preserve the Continental Army at Valley Forge, stood with Winfield Scott at Chippewa, and directed Zachary Taylor's guns at Palo Alto. They carried the nation's colors at Gettysburg and Vicksburg, fought yellow fever in Cuba with Walter Reed, and led Pershing's and Eisenhower's legions into Germany. Whether helping local populations build a village in Southeast Asia or teaching young Iraqi soldiers to conduct operations, American NCOs are leading from the front and are some of our nation's best ambassadors. Over time, through various changes in tactics and technology, Army NCOs have emerged as the Army's small-unit leaders, trainers, and guardians of standards."

"Our NCO Corps is unrivaled by any army in the world, envied by our allies, and feared by our enemies. Throughout the Army's history, the NCO has been a pivotal figure, but never more so than today with our spectrum of operations: full combat, tank-on-tank fighting, as during the invasion of Iraq; the guerilla/insurgency war ongoing in Iraq and Afghanistan; peacekeeping operations in Kosovo; and humanitarian support for survivors of the tsunami in Asia, hurricanes in the southeast, and fires in the southwest. Our Army must be ready for this broad range of operations in the years ahead. As NCOs embrace their ever-growing responsibilities in the twenty-first century, this volume will help them remember how they came to be the "backbone of our Army.""