Quote Originally Posted by thescot View Post
...or in my own lowly case, a lowly NCO...

No such thing!

NCOs are the backbone of any decent military force! History has proven that armies without good NCOs don't fight as well (courage of the individual soldier aside).

You may have been a low-ranking NCO, but you were surely not lowly, especially in the Corps.

I was an NCO before I took a commission. I've always been proud I wore stripes before I wore bars.