A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is a military officer who does not hold a commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority by promotion through the enlisted ranks. In contrast, commissioned officers usually enter directly from a military academy, officer training corps (OTC) or reserve officer training corps (ROTC), or officer candidate school (OCS) or officer training school (OTS), after receiving a post-secondary degree.
The sergeant major of the Army (SMA) is a unique noncommissioned rank and position of office in the United States Army. The holder of this rank and position is the most senior enlisted soldier in the Army, unless an enlisted soldier is serving as the senior enlisted advisor to the chairman. The SMA is appointed to serve as a spokesman to address the issues of enlisted soldiers to all officers, from warrant officers and lieutenants to the Army's highest positions. As such, they are the senior enlisted advisor to the chief of staff of the Army. The exact duties vary depending on the chief of staff, though much of the SMA's time is spent traveling throughout the Army, observing training and talking with soldiers and their families.
William O. Wooldridge was a United States Army soldier and the first Sergeant Major of the Army.
Gene C. McKinney is a retired United States Army soldier who served as the 10th Sergeant Major of the Army (SMA), serving from July 1995 to October 1997. He was the first African American to reach that rank in the United States Army. In 1998, he was court-martialed on a variety of charges including sexual harassment and obstruction of justice. He was convicted of the obstruction of justice charge and demoted to the rank of master sergeant.
Kenneth O. Preston is a retired United States Army soldier who served as the Sergeant Major of the Army. He was sworn in as the 13th Sergeant Major of the Army on January 15, 2004. Preston served 7 years and 2 months as Sergeant Major of the Army making him the longest serving Sergeant Major of the Army to date.
Richard D. Kisling was a senior airman of the United States Air Force who served as the 3rd Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force from 1971 to 1973. Richard Kislimg served in the US Army from 1944 to 47.
Alford L. McMichael is a retired United States Marine who served as the 14th Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps from 1999 to 2003. He was also the first Staff Non-Commissioned Officer for Allied Command Operations for NATO (2003–2006). McMichael retired from the Marine Corps in 2006 after 36 years of service.
Jack L. Tilley is an American businessman and retired United States Army soldier. He served for almost 37 years in the United States Army, culminating in his appointment in 2000 as the 12th Sergeant Major of the Army, a post he held until his retirement on January 15, 2004. He was the last Vietnam War veteran to serve in that position.
Robert E. Hall is a retired United States Army soldier who served as the eleventh Sergeant Major of the Army from October 21, 1997, to June 23, 2000.
Leon L. Van Autreve was a United States Army soldier who served as the fourth Sergeant Major of the Army. He was sworn in on July 1, 1973, and served until June 1975.
William A. Connelly was a United States Army soldier who served as the sixth Sergeant Major of the Army. He was sworn in on July 2, 1979, and served until June 1983. He is best known for removing the specialist ranks of specialist 5 through specialist 7.
The United States Army Sergeants Major Academy (USASMA) was established on 1 July 1972 at Fort Bliss, Texas, and began instruction in January 1973. Its curriculum is designed to broaden the student's current knowledge base. This approach differs from the Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) related training at the basic and advanced levels of the Noncommissioned Officer Education System. The prime educational technique employed throughout the course is the small group participatory learning process.
Raymond F. Chandler III is a former United States Army soldier who served as the 14th Sergeant Major of the Army. He was sworn in on March 1, 2011, and active on duty until January 30, 2015. Chandler served in all tank crewman positions and has had multiple tours as a troop, squadron and regimental master gunner. He has served in the 1st Infantry Division (FWD), 2nd Infantry Division, 4th Infantry Division, 1st Cavalry Division, 3rd Armored Division, 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, United States Army Armor School, and the United States Army Sergeants Major Academy. He also served as first sergeant in four different detachments, troops and companies. As a sergeant major, he served as Operations SGM in 1/2 ACR and as CSM in 1/7 Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division, United States Army Garrison Fort Leavenworth, Kansas and the United States Army Armor School CSM. Chandler was assigned as the United States Army Sergeants Major Academy CSM in December 2007. In June 2009, Chandler became the 19th Commandant of USASMA and the first enlisted commandant in USASMA history.
Richard C. Longo is a retired major general of the United States Army. At the time of his retirement on 22 July 2014, he was deputy commanding general and chief of staff for U.S. Army Europe. He previously served as the deputy commanding general for Initial Military Training for the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) at Fort Monroe, Virginia.
James A. Cody is a retired airman of the United States Air Force who served as the 17th Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force from 24 January 2013 until his retirement on February 17, 2017. He served as the personal adviser to the Chief of Staff and the Secretary of the Air Force on all issues regarding the welfare, readiness, morale, and proper utilization and advancement of the enlisted force.
John Wayne Troxell is a retired United States Army senior non-commissioned officer who served as the third Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (SEAC). This position made him the most senior enlisted member of the United States Armed Forces. He enlisted in the United States Army in September 1982, as an armored reconnaissance specialist and graduated from One Station Unit Training at Fort Knox, Kentucky.
Michael Anthony Grinston is a retired soldier of the United States Army who served as the 16th Sergeant Major of the Army from 2019 to 2023. Prior to his term as Sergeant Major of the Army, he served as the senior enlisted leader for United States Army Forces Command.
Timothy A. Guden is a former United States Army soldier. Over a 33-year career, he served as the Command Sergeant Major for the United States Army Infantry School at Fort Benning, Georgia, from August 2012 to March 2014, the Command Sergeant Major of the Maneuver Center of Excellence and Fort Benning, Georgia, from March 2014 to May 2015, the Command Sergeant Major of the Joint Force Headquarters-National Capital Region from June 2015 to July 2016, Command Sergeant Major of the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, from August 2016 to June 2018, and the Command Sergeant Major of the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command from February 2018 to September 2020. Guden retired from the Army on September 3, 2020.
Tony L. Whitehead is a senior noncommissioned officer in the United States Air Force and the sixth Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chief of the National Guard Bureau. He succeeded Army CSM Christopher S. Kepner on 25 August 2020, and is the first senior enlisted advisor of the NGB to wear a unique rank insignia. At the time of his selection, he was the Command Chief Master Sergeant, CONR-1 AF (AFNORTH), Tyndall AFB, Florida.
The United States Army Recruiting and Retention College (RRC), located at Fort Knox, Kentucky, serves as the United States Army training brigade responsible for providing U.S. Army officers and non-commissioned officers (NCOs) with the knowledge, skills, and techniques to conduct recruiting and career counselor duties for the United States Army and Army Reserve at the company, battalion, brigade, and headquarters levels.
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