The first sergeant.

First commands never can be duplicated nor can the First Sergeants and other NCOs who went with them. In the late 1950s, First Sergeant Lawrence "Bud" McCarren was the "Topkick" of B Battery, 5th Battalion, 16th Field Artillery, part of the 4th Infantry Division at Fort Lewis, Washington. B Battery was my first Field Artillery command. I was a First Lieutenant at the time.

"Top" was a wonderful "Old Soldier," old enough to be my father, and I thought of him as being Supreme. A World War II veteran who had started out in the Army as a Cannoneer "Gun Bunny," he knew everything about the Artillery and the Army. He had little formal education but a great deal of talent and intelligence.

He was a solidly built Irishman from Minnesota with an Irish brogue who was ruggedly good-looking, very much like the sergeants played by veteran actor Victor McLaglen in the John Ford/John Wayne westerns. He was the type of career NCO that veteran USO performer Martha Raye doted on when she entertained the troops in Vietnam.

I was in awe of him and rarely did anything without consulting him. He had a group of career senior NCOs who he relied on to help him run the battery--the Motor Sergeant, Mess Sergeant and Chief of Firing Battery ("Smoke"). These senior NCOs were the types who extended a helping hand and provided the irreplaceable inner strength of the unit. They were hardcore professionals who always could be counted on in a pinch.

They were blocky, knurled NCOs who knew how to handle draftee soldiers and young NCOs during the Cold War era. The Army had just made the transition from brown to black footwear, and many soldiers dyed their relatively new brown boots black. Some ways to do that were better than others, and the career NCOs showed the troops the best way to do it. That was just one of the many things the Old Army soldiers could teach the new draftees. And teach they did.

They served soldiers and the Army selflessly--a model for generations to come. I was lucky enough to know them. This article is their portrait and a tribute to them.

Careful Attention to Detail/Enforce the Standards. My first observation of the First Sergeant at work was during my first Saturday morning inspection (SAMI). He formed the battery and then had the men face off and check each other over. He had a checklist that he talked them through. He started at the top--the hat (everyone had to wear his overseas cap at the same angle), the placement of the lapel and shoulder insignia (and a little last-minute polishing), the alignment of the buttons on the jacket, the length of the trousers (they were either pulled up if too long or pulled down a little under the blouse if too short) and so forth.

When he was satisfied the men were ready, he then called on me to inspect the formation. As one would expect, I was pleased with the results. Therefore, we could finish early. The men were released before Saturday afternoon had started, and the NCOs could repair to the NCO Club for a beer or two before going home.

Everything went like a well-run ship. The First Sergeant made sure it was so.

Expert Field Artilleryman. In the field during firing practices, First Sergeant McCarren could do all the jobs required of the soldiers. He could get a slow gun section firing faster, and he knew how to troubleshoot the battery switchboard if a "green" draftee had trouble making it work. He was a master at setting up the battery area, making it efficient and visually attractive for inspecting officers from higher headquarters.

Dedicated Professionals. He and the Motor Sergeant had a close relationship. McCarren always screened new men for their mechanical aptitude and made sure the Motor Sergeant had the right type of men who would make good mechanics to maintain the trucks and tractors that towed our battery's M114 155-mm howitzers.

The mechanics in the motor pool were not always pretty, but they were amazingly effective. We always left the motor pool with all our vehicles and came back with them all.

The Motor Sergeant was a little overweight and did not like to be seen around the headquarters. He was known for raiding the mess truck at night in the field. I always "turned a blind eye" to this. I had learned early on that he knew what he was doing with our vehicles.

The Mess Sergeant was another feudal baron in his own right. His domain was the mess hall. The troops always ate well, and therefore, so did the officers. Coffee and freshly made donuts or cake were available for mid-morning snacks in garrison and in the field.

Our supported infantry unit always came over to the battery area when we were in the field because of the good fresh-cooked food--no C-Rations for us. Sometimes B-Rations were issued in the field, but the Mess Sergeant always made them into meals that disguised the fact that they came out of GI-issued cans.

Cakes were baked for birthdays, and there were always extra things to eat that the Mess Sergeant had scrounged from his circle of NCO friends on the post.

Smoke kept the Cannoneers in line with rawhide toughness but human understanding. The 95-pound 155-mm shells were heavy, and the fuzes and primers required special care. We never had the accidents with ammunition or firing errors that other units had.

While it may seem from my description that life in B battery was idyllic, we had our share of problems and trouble. Some of the draftee soldiers were recalcitrant and some were criminals (those who local judges had given the option of going to jail or into the Army). But, the NCO chain-of-command could handle them.

Those NCOs planned and organized projects with little or no supervision, and then they could execute them as planned. They were loyal, sincere and all-business on duty. I rarely was asked to exercise my command authority with Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) punishments.

Role Model and Teacher. First Sergeant McCarren was a father figure and strict disciplinarian to the young soldiers and a role model for the young NCOs. He treated me with great respect, but he was a bit of a "Dutch Uncle." ff1 got carried away with something, he could bring me back to earth quickly. Sometimes he would tell me "Lieutenant, it's time for you to give a little." I soon learned to value his judgment.

He played me like a violin, and I loved the tune. It always was better to let him do most of the talking when the Battalion Commander came around.

The First Sergeant was helpful to the troops, but his Irish temper came through when provoked. No one wanted to cross him, and woe be it to those who tried.

When it came time for me to leave the battery, the First Sergeant gave me a swagger stick. Swagger sticks were going out of style by then, but I carried it proudly for a while. I still have it.

Postlude. Not long ago, I saw the old First Sergeant at the Post Exchange at Fort Lewis for the first time in more than 30 years. He was standing in the pharmacy line with his back to me. Now in his 80s, he was leaning lightly on a cane. He had had a heart by-pass operation in his 70s and needed some of the types of medications that most of us old soldiers depend upon as we age.

However, I recognized him instantly. I remembered how he looked when his back was to me in formation when he was forming up the battery for inspection. He looked the same to me now as then.

Time and pressure make diamonds, and he was still a splendid soldier. The years had been kind to his countenance, and his voice was still firm with a hint of that Irish brogue. We chatted about old times and the soldiers we had known.

I will never forget First Sergeant McCarren--and all the other quality NCOs in B Battery--or my chance meeting with him that day. I think I stayed in the Army until mandatory retirement because of him and his cadre of NCOs.

Character is essential in First Sergeants just as it is for successful officers. I hope the day has not passed when slightly undereducated but thoroughly dedicated professional soldiers can rise to the top.

Soldiers like First Sergeant McCarren (and the others) stayed close to the troops and were the backbone of the Army when First Sergeants were the real power block. They did not hold meetings and conferences, have reserved parking spaces or serve as "ornaments" on parade. They worked hard without fanfare and were not afraid to do the tough jobs. They were not in it for personal gain and were happy to serve as First Sergeants for years.

I kept looking for men like First Sergeant McCarren during my years of service. I found some who were almost as good but none who could top him. He epitomized the value of selfless service.

Lieutenant Colonel Thomas D. Morgan retired from the Army in 1986. He then worked 12 years as a Fire Support Analyst under contract with the Battle Command Training Program (BCTP) at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, since the BCTP's inception, retiring from the program in 1999. He commanded two firing batteries in the 5th Battalion, 16th Field Artillery, part of the 4th Infantry Division at Fort Lewis, Washington. Among other assignments, he was a Gunnery Instructor in the Field Artillery School at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, and the Executive Officer of 1st Battalion, 321st Field Artillery, 101st Airborne Division in Vietnam. He holds an MA in History from Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington, and a Master of Public Administration from the University of Missouri at Kansas City.