Whoa Arty - who is better to a board and which board would that be ? Maybe the Flt lt who hauls Doggy doo and 250 plus grumpy pax to an unscheduled tech stop or the A cat QHI Sgt that is mission Commanding an AH in dire conditions abroad?
He chooses to, and has worked hard to, be a SNCO with the kudos and privileges that entails. There is more than one benefit to being a SNCO in HMF and many of them similar to the Officers. Commissioned NCOs (ex NCA) are very similar and I know many an MALM that would happily remain WOs but would prefer to be front end, and could easily be.