Noncommissioned Officers, Soldiers and guests charged their glasses during the 2009 Year of the NCO Ball held June 11 at the Fort Bliss Centennial Club. Glasses were charged and toasts were made in honor of the United States, the President, the Army, today's fighting force, to the civilian workforce and those who could not toast - "To our fallen comrades." "Let us not forget the Noncommissioned Officers of yesterday, for it was they who paved the way through their tireless efforts for the NCO successes of today. The NCOs of yesterday are our heritage. It is a very visible and long standing part of the Army's heritage, and the NCOs of today are in fact their legacy," said retired Command Sgt. Maj. Bill Morgan, guest speaker for the NCO Ball. A single white-cloth table was set for one, symbolizing the absences of Soldiers who are prisoners of war or missing in action. The small table symbolizes one prisoner's struggle, a slice of lemon reminds everyone of their bitter fate. The salt symbolizes the families tears shed as they wait for their loved ones return. The wine glass is inverted because they cannot toast. A yellow ribbon is tied to a vase with a single red rose to remind everyone of the families and loved one in harms way, said NCO Ball master of ceremonies Sgt. Maj. Perry Martin. Morgan thanked the Soldiers in attendance for their military service to the nation and acknowledged he understands it's tough. Morgan reiterated it's tough to leave families and go off in to the worlds unknown while the families keep the light burning at home and keep a strong faith that their loved one will return, he said. As a young Soldier, Morgan listened to older retired Soldiers say the Army isn't what it used to be. Now retired, Morgan agreed the Army is not what it used to be, yet he sees the Army better than when he was in uniform and sees it continue to get better. Soldiers are better educated, much more technically and tactically proficient in their warrior tasks. "This was my first NCO ball I've ever went to and I was pretty amazed," said Staff Sgt. Michael M. Humphrey, a combat engineer with the 40th Mobility Augmentation Company at White Sands Missile Range, N.M. "I had the opportunity to meet other NCOs you never really get to see at times." In celebration of the Army's birthday, Fort Bliss Commander Maj. Gen. Howard B. Bromberg and Fort Bliss Command Sgt. Maj. Robert Rodgers conducting a ceremonial cake cutting using a saber to honor the NCO Corps and Army's 234th birthday. The backbone is the skeletal vertebra that gives the body structure and strength, just as the NCO Corps has remained one of the strongest pillars in the structure of the Army and has helped maintain the strength and stature of the Army through perilous times which has propelled the Army through numerous conflicts and humanitarian efforts around the world, said Morgan. "Our Army's NCO Corps has won the admiration of almost every nation in the world, so much, our Corps is often tasked to help structure and train NCO Corps of other nations," said Morgan. "
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