For 250 years, American overmatch has never come from steel alone, but from the warfighter who takes the tool in his hands and bends it into something more lethal than the manual ever imagined.

For 250 years, the American NCO has carried the Republic’s wars on his back, turning intent into action, chaos into discipline, and ordinary soldiers into the most dangerous fighting force on earth.

West Point is the longest continuously garrisoned military installation in the US. It's also home to the selective United ...