What is the best way to memorize Army creeds? The one that works. There are, however, a few key rules of thumb when practicing the Army creeds (The Soldier’s Creed, NCO Creed, Ranger Creed, National Anthem, Army Song, General Orders) First and foremost, you must practice the creeds orally. You MUST say them out loud. You will not be asked to write the NCO Creed at the Army promotion board, you will be asked to say it audibly and confidently.
Second, you must practice the creeds backwards and forwards. Specifically, this applies to the NCO Creed and the Ranger Creed. Do NOT learn the NCO Creed from beginning to finish and no other way. Army promotion board members are notorious for asking candidates to say the second stanza of the NCO creed or the third stanza by themselves. You must be able to do this! The best way to achieve this is to learn the stanzas as three separate parts. The same thing applies to learning The Ranger Creed.
Thirdly, you have to practice each and every day. When you have a spare moment or are just sitting in a class, practice the creeds in your head. Morning distance runs for PT are excellent times to practice the creeds. In addition, in the shower is an excellent time!
Lastly, you should practice with distractions. Distractions can be something simple such as letting a TV play in the background to practicing to music or saying the creeds in front of an audience. NCO of the month board members are notorious for speaking to each other during the creed in an attempt to shake the candidates military bearing. In addition, Army promotion board members frequently will get up and move around in an attempt to get the candidate to make a mistake.
If you make a mistake, take a tactical pause and recover. Do NOT let yourself become flustered or lose your military bearing. Making a mistake is acceptable; in fact, recovering from a mistake is likely to leave a good impression on board members. Be prepared by asking your leadership to listen to you say the creeds out loud. Oftentimes leaders will call board candidates in front of the PLT to say the creeds – impress them!
The best suggestion for learning Army creeds is to practice them out loud in the shower. #1 Showering is something you do every day, thus forcing you to practice. #2 Saying the creeds out loud in the shower will help your confidence because the acoustics are phenomenal. #3 It builds a habit for practice. The shower is where I learned every Army creed, song, and the SAMC bio.
You can find the most common Army Creeds/Songs here, including General Orders.
Army Board Questions 