Building the Army’s BackboneIn September 1939, Canadas tiny army began its remarkable expansion into a wartime force of almost half a million soldiers. No army can function without a backbone of skilled non commissioned officers (NCOs) corporals, sergeants, and warrant officers and the army needed to create one out of raw civilian material. Building the Armys Backbone tells the story of how senior leadership created a corps of NCOs that helped the burgeoning force train, fight,