Transcript Sergeant Major of the Army

William O. Wooldridge - Former Sergeant Major of the Army
July 1966 - August 1968
William O. Wooldridge, the 1st Sergeant Major of the Army, was sworn in on July 11, 1966 and served
until his term ended in August of 1968. He was born in Shawnee, Oklahoma, on August 12, 1922.
He entered the Army on 11 November 1940 at Fort Worth, Texas. His early assignments were with the
23rd Infantry Regiment, 2d Infantry Division and detached service with British forces in Iceland in
1941 and 1942. In 1942 he was assigned to the 1st Infantry Division in Europe and participated in the
North Africa and Sicily Campaigns and the D-Day landings on June 6, 1944. In October 1944 he was
wounded during the battle for the fortress city of Aachen and was awarded the silver star for gallantry
in action. He received his second silver star in the Battle of the Bulge Campaign in December 1944.
Upon his return to the United States in May, 1945, SMA Wooldridge was assigned to numerous posts.
He then served a brief tour with Post Headquarters at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii and in 1947 was
assigned to Japan, where he served with Headquarters, Eighth U.S. Army. Sergeant Major Wooldridge
was again assigned to the 1st Infantry Division in July, 1949, as First Sergeant, Company K, 26th
Infantry Regiment, then stationed in Germany.
Returning to the United States in May, 1954, he was assigned as First Sergeant of Company G, 3d
Infantry, Fort McNair. He returned to the "Big Red One" as First Sergeant, Company D, 26th Infantry at
Fort Riley, Kansas in December, 1955. He was appointed Sergeant Major of the 3d Battalion, 26th
Infantry on 20 December 1956. In 1957 he became Sergeant Major of the 2d Battle Group, 28th
Infantry, 1st Infantry Division at Fort Riley . In December 1958 he was assigned with the 2d Battle
Group, 28th Infantry, to the 24th Infantry Division in Germany. He became the 24th Infantry Division
Sergeant Major in March, 1963. Sergeant Major Wooldridge returned once again to the 1st Infantry
Division as Sergeant major of the 1st Brigade, Fort Riley in January, 1965. He was appointed Division
Sergeant Major in June, 1965 and was deployed to Vietnam with the division in August 1965.
Upon completion of his term as Sergeant Major of the Army in 1968, he returned once again to
Vietnam as Sergeant Major of the Military Assistance Command-Vietnam. Upon his return stateside he
was assigned to the White Sands Missile Range in the Fall of 1969, and after 30 years and ten months
of service retired at Fort MacArthur, California on 1 February 1972.
Sergeant Major Wooldridge's awards and decorations include the Silver Star (with Oak Leaf Cluster),
Legion of Merit (with Oak Leaf Cluster), Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, Air Medal (with Oak Leaf
Clusters), Army Commendation Medal (with Oak Leaf Clusters), Army Good Conduct Medal (6th
Award), American Defense Service Medal, European - African - Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, World
War II Victory Medal, Army Occupation Medal (Germany and Japan), Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal,
Armed Forces Expeditionary Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service
Medal, Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal, and Combat Infantry Badge with Star. He is also
authorized to wear unit decorations from the United Kingdom, France, Belgium, and the Republic of
Vietnam.
George W. Dunaway - Former Sergeant Major of the Army
September 1968 - September 1970
George W. Dunaway, the 2d Sergeant Major of the Army, was sworn in on September 1, 1968 and
served until his term ended in September of 1970. He was born in Richmond, Virginia, on July 24,
1922.
After attending the Airborne Course in August 1943, Sergeant Major Dunaway remained at Fort
Benning, Georgia as an Airborne School Instructor until January 1945 when he joined the 517th
Combat Team in France as a Platoon Sergeant. He returned to Fort Benning in December 1945 with
assignment to the 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment where he served as First Sergeant of Company
"A". In March 1948, Sergeant Major Dunaway was reassigned to the 82d Airborne Division at Fort
Bragg, North Carolina. There he became a member of the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment as
Operations Sergeant, ascending to the Regimental Sergeant Major position in 1952.
In early 1954 he transferred to the 187th Regimental Combat Team as the Combat Team Sergeant
Major. He continued in that position for seven years during which he saw the Airborne Regimental
Combat Team renamed as the 187th Infantry, when the 101st Airborne Division was reactivated on 21
September 1956, at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. Departing Fort Campbell in 1961, he took the reins of
the 1st Special Forces Group, 1st Special Forces in United States Army Pacific and later moved to the
5th Special Forces Group in Vietnam, where he remained until June 1967.
Returning to the United States, he re-joined the 101st Airborne Division as it prepared to move to
Vietnam in the largest unit deployment by air in the history of the Vietnam war. Sergeant Major
Dunaway arrived in Vietnam with the Commanding General's Command Group on 13 December 1967.
In February 1968, he moved to Camp Eagle in the I Corps Tactical Zone with the Division where he
remained until July 1968 when he was selected as the 2d Sergeant Major of the Army.
Sergeant Major Dunaway's awards include the Distinguished Service Medal, Silver Star, Legion of Merit,
the Bronze Star Medal (with "V" Device), Purple Heart, Air Medal (with "V" Device), Army
Commendation Medal (with Oak Leaf Cluster), Good Conduct Medal, European-African Middle Eastern
Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal,
Vietnamese Armed Forces Honor Medal, Second Class, the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry (with Silver
Star), Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal, and the Combat Infantryman Badge with Star.
Silas L. Copeland - Former Sergeant Major of the Army
October 1970 - June 1973
Silas L. Copeland, the 3d Sergeant Major of the Army, was sworn in on October 1, 1970 and served
until his term ended in June of 1973. He was born in Embryfield, Texas, on April 2, 1920, and died Dec.
4, 2001.
After serving at various posts in CONUS, he was sent overseas in January 1945 and assigned to
Company E, 66th Armored Regiment, 2d Armored Division, as a Tank Commander and later a Tank
Platoon Sergeant. In late 1945, he returned from Germany with the 2d Armored Division and was
stationed at Fort Hood, Texas, where he became Operations and Intelligence Sergeant of the 67th
Tank Battalion and 82d Reconnaissance Battalion. In 1950 he joined the 2d Battalion, 8th Cavalry
Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, then located in Japan. From there, his unit was moved into Korea on
18 July 1950, making the landing by assault boats. He served as the Reconnaissance and Intelligence
Platoon Sergeant and Battalion Operations Sergeant.
From 1951-1953, he was assigned to Senior ROTC duty at Texas, A&M University. In 1953 was
assigned to the 2d Battalion, 22d Infantry Regiment, Germany, as a First Sergeant. He remained with
that unit until November 1954 when he was reassigned to the 1st Armored Division at Fort Hood,
Texas as Operations Sergeant and Sergeant Major of the 4th Tank Battalion. In 1957 he was selected
as an instructor, Senior ROTC, Centenary College of Louisiana at Shreveport, Louisiana. Upon
completion of his tour of duty at Centenary, he was assigned to the 3d Reconnaissance Squadron, 8th
Cavalry, 8th Infantry Division in Germany as Sergeant Major and remained until he was reassigned to
the 2d Armored Division, Fort Hood, Texas in October 1962.
Selected to be the division sergeant major in June 1963, he remained in that position until December
1966 when he was transferred to the 4th Armored Division in Germany. He was chosen to be the
division Command Sergeant Major in April 1968 and served in that capacity until July 1969 when he
was assigned to the Republic of Vietnam as the division Command Sergeant major of the 1st Infantry
Division (Big Red One). For seven and a half months he performed duties as the division CSM when the
1st Infantry Division re-deployed from RVN, he accompanied the division colors to Fort Riley, Kansas.
He returned to VN to complete his tour as division CSM of the 4th Infantry Division located in the
Central Highlands of VN.
Sergeant Major Copeland's awards and decorations include the Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of
Merit, Bronze Star Medal with V Device (with Oak Leaf Clusters), Meritorious Service Medal,
Distinguished Flying Medal, Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal, Army Commendation Medal (with
Oak Leaf Cluster), Good Conduct Medal, American Campaign Medal, European Campaign Medal, World
War II Victory Medal, Army of Occupation Medal (Germany), National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam
Service Medal, United Nations Korean Service Medal, Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal, and the
Combat Infantryman Badge.
Leon L. Van Autreve- Former Sergeant Major of the Army
July 1973 - June 1975
Leon L. Van Autreve, the 4th Sergeant Major of the Army, was sworn in on July 1, 1973 and served
until his term ended in June of 1975. He was born in Eeklo, Belgium, on January 29, 1920 and died
March 14, 2002, in San Antonio, Texas.
He entered the Army in August 1941 from Delphos, Ohio. After basic training at Fort Belvoir, he served
overseas with the 9th Infantry Division and participated in the invasion of Port Lyautey, Africa. He was
discharged in August 1945 and enlisted again in March 1948. After a tour in Germany from 1950 to
1954, he served as an instructor with the ROTC at the University of Toledo until 1958. From ROTC duty
he was assigned to CONRAC Armor Board at Fort Knox, Kentucky, remaining there until reassignment
to Korea in 1960. Upon completion of his tour in Korea, Sergeant Major Van Autreve returned to Fort
Belvoir and was promoted to Sergeant Major in 1962. He served as Sergeant Major of the 91st
Engineer Battalion from 1962 until 1963.
From 1963 to 1964, Sergeant Major Van Autreve was stationed in Indonesia, 1964 to 1967 in Germany
as Sergeant Major, 317th Engineer Battalion, and 1967 to 1969 in Vietnam as Sergeant Major of the
20th Engineer Brigade. In July 1969 he was selected for assignment to Alaska as the Command
Sergeant Major, where he remained until he was selected as the Sergeant Major of the Army.
Sergeant Major Van Autreve has attended George Washington University, University of Toledo,
University of Maryland and Alaska Methodist University, and has been a member of Phi Alpha Theta.
Sergeant Major Van Autreve awards and decorations include the Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of
Merit (with Two Oak Leaf Clusters), Soldier's Medal, Bronze Star Medal (with Oak Leaf Cluster), Army
Commendation Medal (with Oak Leaf Clusters), Air Medal, Good Conduct Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Theater
Campaign Medal, American Campaign Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, World
War II Medal, Army of Occupation Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal,
Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal and Parachute Badge.
William G. Bainbridge - Former Sergeant Major of the Army
July 1975 - June 1979
William G. Bainbridge, the 5th Sergeant Major of the Army, was sworn in on July 1, 1975 and served
until June of 1979. He was born in Galesburg, Illinois, on April 17, 1925.
He entered the Army in June 1943 from Williamsfield, Illinois. Following basic training Sergeant Major
Bainbridge was recalled to active duty in January 1951. Following assignments at Camp Atterbury,
Indiana; Fort Sheridan, Illinois: Fort Riley, Kansas: and Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri: he was
reassigned to Europe and served as the Operations Sergeant with Headquarters, VII Corps. In 1962 he
returned to Fort Riley, Kansas, where he served with the 1st Infantry Division as Sergeant Major of the
1st Battle Group, 28th Infantry, late reorganized as the 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry. In 1965 he
accompanied the battalion to Vietnam. Midway through his tour in Vietnam, Sergeant Major Bainbridge
was appointed Command Sergeant major of the II Field Force.
From September 1966 through August 1967 he was Command Sergeant Major of the U.S. Army
Infantry Training Center, Fort Benning, Georgia. He then was appointed the Command Sergeant Major
of the First United States Army at Fort George G. Meade, Maryland and later selected to serve as
Command Sergeant Major of the United States Army, Pacific located in Fort Shafter, Hawaii. In October
1972 Sergeant Major Bainbridge became the first Command Sergeant Major of the newly created
United States Army Sergeants Major Academy at Fort Bliss, Texas and remained there until his
appointment as Sergeant Major of the Army on 1 July 1975.
Sergeant Major Bainbridge's awards and decorations include the Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of
Merit (with Oak Leaf Clusters), Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart Medal (with Oak Leaf Cluster), Air
Medal, Army Commendation Medal (with Oak Leaf Clusters), Good Conduct Medal, American Campaign
Medal, European-North African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal, National
Defense Service Medal, Army of Occupation Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Vietnam Service
Medal, Prisoner of War Medal, Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal, and the Combat Infantryman
Badge.
William A. Connelly- Former Sergeant Major of the Army
July 1979 - June 1983
William A. Connelly, the 6th Sergeant Major of the Army, was sworn in on July 2, 1979, and served
until his term ended in June of 1983. He was born in Monticello, Georgia, on June 2, 1931.
Ordered to active duty in March 1954, he was a Tank Crewman, Tank Commander, Platoon Sergeant
and First Sergeant in the 761st Tank battalion, 3d Armored Division at Fort Knox, Kentucky. The first of
his four tours in Europe was with the 826th Tank Battalion at Hammelburg and Schweinfurt, Germany,
from January 1955 until November 1956. The 826th returned to Fort Benning, Georgia, where
Sergeant Major Connelly served as an Operations Sergeant and Platoon Sergeant until August 1958.
He returned to Europe, serving as Platoon Sergeant with the 2/67th Armor, 4th Armored Division in
Furth, Germany, from August 1958 through September 1961. He was back in CONUS at Fort Stewart,
Georgia, as a Platoon Sergeant with the 3d Medium Tank Battalion, 32d Armor for less than 30 days
when that unit was sent to Germany as part of the build up during the Berlin crisis.
Sergeant Major Connelly remained in Augsburg serving as a Platoon Sergeant with the 3/32d Armor
until November 1962. He then moved to Munich, Germany, as a First Sergeant and Operations
Sergeant in the 32nd Tank Battalion, and 24th Infantry Division. Back at Fort Stewart, Georgia, in
August 1964, Sergeant Major Connelly served as First Sergeant of Company C, 4th Battalion, 68th
Armor, 2d Infantry Division. In October 1965, his company was ordered to the Dominican Republic and
remained there until July 1966. In January 1967, Sergeant Major Connelly assumed duties as Chief
Enlisted Advisor to the Cavalry Squadron or the Georgia National Guard, headquartered in Griffin,
Georgia.
His combat duty in Vietnam was as First Sergeant of Troop B, 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry, 1st Cavalry
Division from October 1969 to November 1970. From then until May 1973, Sergeant Major Connelly
served at Fort Knox, Kentucky as First Sergeant of the reception Station and several companies of the
First Training Brigade as well as Sergeant Major of the 1st and 2d Battalions. Upon graduation he was
assigned to Germany for his fourth European tour. Sergeant Major Connelly initially served as Sergeant
major of the 1/35th Army, 1st Armored Division at Erlangen. In June 1975, he became Sergeant Major
of the Seventh Army Training Command Grafenwohr and in July 1976, became Sergeant Major of the
1st Armored division at Ansbach. From that position, he was nominated and selected to the position of
Sergeant Major of the United States Army Forces Command, Fort McPherson, Georgia, in July 1977.
Sergeant Major Connelly's awards and decorations include the Distinguished Service Medal, Bronze
Star Medal with V Device and (with Oak Leaf Clusters), Meritorious Service Medal (with Oak Leaf
Cluster), Air Medal with V Device, Army Commendation Medal (with Oak Leaf Clusters), Good Conduct
Medal, Army of Occupation Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal,
Vietnam Service Medal, Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Gold Star, Republic of Vietnam
Campaign Medal, and the Combat Infantryman Badge.
Glen E. Morrell - Former Sergeant Major of the Army
July 1983 - July 1987
Glen E. Morrell, the 7th Sergeant Major of the Army, was sworn in on July 1, 1983 and served until his
term ended in July of 1987. He was born in Wick, West Virginia, on May 26, 1936.
He served in the United States Army for over 31 years. Since his entry on active duty in November
1954 he has served in virtually every noncommissioned officer leadership position. His career has
taken him through many CONUS assignments, two tours in Europe, three tours in the Republic of
Vietnam and two tours in Panama.
His units of assignment include the 6th Infantry in Berlin; 14th Armored Cavalry Regiment, Germany;
82d Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, North Carolina; 5th Special Forces Group at Fort Bragg, North
Carolina, and three tours in the Republic of Vietnam; two tours with the 7th and 8th Special Forces
Group, Panama; 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kansas; Reserve Officer Training Corps instructor
duty with St. John University, Minnesota; 1st Ranger Battalion, 75th Infantry, Fort Stewart, Georgia,
Special Forces Detachment (AIRBORNE) Europe; United States Army Recruiting Command, Fort
Sheridan, Illinois; and the United States Army Forces Command, Fort McPherson, Georgia.
Sergeant Major Morrell's awards and decorations include the Distinguished Service Medal, Meritorious
Service Medal (with Oak Leaf Clusters), Army Commendation Medal (with Oak Leaf Clusters), Good
Conduct Medal, Army of Occupation Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Armed Forces
Expeditionary Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Overseas Service Ribbon, NCO Professional Education
Ribbon, Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal, and the Combat Infantryman Badge.
Julius W. Gates- Former Sergeant Major of the Army
July 1987 - June 1991
Julius W. Gates, the 8th Sergeant Major of the Army was sworn in on July 1, 1987 and served until his
term ended in June of 1991. He was born in North Carolina on June 14, 1941.
Sergeant Major of the Army Julius (Bill) William Gates, native of North Carolina, entered the United
States Army on 12 August 1958 and attended initial training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. He served
three tours in Germany, two combat tours in Vietnam, and a tour in the Republic of Korea.
His stateside assignments include duty with the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Kentucky,
the United States Army Infantry School at Fort Benning, Georgia, the 1st Ranger Battalion at Fort
Stewart, Georgia, the Virginia Military Institute of Lexington, VA and Fort Bliss, TX. Sergeant Major
Gates has served in numerous noncommissioned officer leadership positions. Highlights of his
assignments are: Command Sergeant Major of the 2d Armored Division (Forward), the Command
Sergeant Major of the 3d Infantry Division (Mechanized), Command Sergeant Major of the U.S. Army
Sergeants Major Academy, and the Command Sergeant Major of U.S. Forces Korea/Eighth Sergeant
Major of the Army.
Sergeant Major Gates awards and decorations include the Distinguished Service Medal, Defense
Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal with V Device and (with Oak Leaf Clusters),
Purple Heart, Meritorious Service Medal (with Oak Leaf Clusters), Army Achievement Medal, Good
Conduct Medal, Army of Occupation Medal, American Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal,
NCO Professional Development Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, Republic of
Vietnam Campaign Medal, and the Combat Infantryman Badge.
Richard A. Kidd - Former Sergeant Major of the Army
July 1991 - June 1995
Richard A. Kidd, the 9th Sergeant Major of the Army, was sworn in on July 2, 1991 and served
until his term expired in June of 1995. He was born in Morehead, Kentucky on June 24, 1943.
His assignments include two combat tours in Vietnam (1966-67 & 1970-71) and multiple tours
in Korea and Europe. Before becoming the ninth Sergeant Major of the Army, he was Command
Sergeant Major of I Corps (America's Corps) & Fort Lewis, Fort Lewis, Washington. Among his
other assignments, he has been Command Sergeant Major for numerous organizations,. These
included CSM of the 9th Aviation Battalion; 2d Battalion, 2d Infantry; Commandant, 1st
Armored Division, NCO Academy, Katterbach, Germany. He returned to Fort Lewis after his tour
in Germany and served consecutively as CSM of the 4th Battalion, 23 Infantry Regiment; 3d
Brigade, 9th Infantry Division (Motorized); and 9th Infantry Division (Motorized).
Sergeant Major Kidd's awards and decorations include the Distinguished Service Medal (with
Oak Leaf Cluster), Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit (with Oak Leaf Cluster),
Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal (with Oak Leaf Clusters), Air Medal, Army
Commendation Medal (with Oak Leaf Cluster), Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry (with Palm), Army
Staff Identification Badge, Combat Infantryman Badge, Master parachutist Badge, Military Free
Fall Badge, and Special Forces Tab.
Gene C. McKinney - Former Sergeant Major of the Army
July 1995 - October 1997
Gene C. McKinney, the 10th Sergeant Major of the Army, was sworn in on July 1, 1995 and served until
October of 1997. He was born in Monticello, Florida, on November 3, 1950.
Sergeant Major McKinney's awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal
(with Oak Leaf Cluster), Meritorious Service Medal (with Three Oak Leaf Clusters), Army
Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service
Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, NCO Professional Development Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas
Service Ribbon, Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal, Combat Infantryman Badge, and the Parachutist
Badge.
Robert E. Hall- Former Sergeant Major of the Army
October 1997 - June 2000
Sergeant Major of the Army Robert E. Hall was sworn in as the 11th Sergeant Major of the Army on
October 21, 1997 and served until June 23, 2000. A career soldier, SMA Hall has held many leadership
positions within the Department of the Army and Unified Command environments.
As Sergeant Major of the Army, Hall serves as the Army Chief of Staff's personal advisor on all
enlisted-related matters, particularly in areas affecting soldier training and quality of life. The SMA
devotes the majority of his time to traveling throughout the Army observing training, and talking to
soldiers and their families. He sits on a wide variety of councils and boards that make decisions
affecting enlisted soldiers and their families and is routinely invited to testify before Congress.
SMA Hall was born in Gaffney, South Carolina, on May 31, 1947. He entered the Army in February
1968 and attended basic training at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and advanced individual training at
Fort Bliss, Texas. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Management from Park College, Parkville,
Missouri.
SMA Hall has demonstrated his personal commitment to the Army and his soldiers as he advanced to
positions of higher responsibility. He has held a variety of important positions culminating in his current
assignment as the Sergeant Major of the Army. He previously held the senior enlisted position as
Command Sergeant Major of the United States Central Command, MacDill Air Force Base, Florida.
Other assignments he held as Command Sergeant Major were: the 1st Battalion, 5th Air Defense
Artillery, Fort Stewart, Georgia; Commandant, 24th Infantry Division Noncommissioned Officer
Academy, Fort Stewart; and the 24th Division Artillery, Saudi Arabia and Iraq; the 2d Infantry Division,
Korea; and First U.S. Army, Fort Meade, Maryland.
Throughout his 32-year career, SMA Hall has held every key leadership position including: squad
leader, 2d Infantry Division, Korea; platoon sergeant, battalion operations sergeant and battalion
intelligence sergeant, 1st Armored Division, Germany; first sergeant, B Battery, 2nd Battalion, 59th Air
Defense Artillery, Germany; and drill sergeant, Fort Bliss, Texas. His military education includes Drill
Sergeant School, Advanced Noncommissioned Officers Course, First Sergeants Course, and the
Sergeants Major Academy, where he served as an instructor upon graduation from class 26. He also
served on the staff of the Training and Doctrine Command, Fort Monroe, Virginia. His experience and
expertise distinguished him as the 1979 Army Drill Sergeant of the Year and selection and induction
into the prestigious Sergeant Morales Club and the Sergeant Audie Murphy Club.
His awards and decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit with oak
leaf cluster, the Bronze Star Medal, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Meritorious Service
Medal with five oak leaf clusters, the Joint Service Commendation Medal, the Army Commendation
Medal with four oak leaf clusters, the Army Achievement Medal with one oak leaf cluster, tenth award
of the Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal with bronze star, the Armed Forces
Expeditionary Medal, the Southwest Asia Service Medal with two bronze stars, the Noncommissioned
Officer Professional Development Ribbon with numeral 4, the Army Service ribbon, the Overseas
Service ribbon with numeral 3, the Kuwait Liberation Medal, the Department of the Army Staff
Identification Badge and Drill Sergeant Identification Badge.
Jack L. Tilley - Former Sergeant Major of the Army
June 2000 - January 2004
Sergeant Major of the Army Jack L. Tilley was sworn in as the 12th Sergeant Major of the Army on
June 23, 2000 and served until January 15, 2004. A career soldier, SMA Tilley has held many
leadership positions within the Department of the Army and Unified Command environments.
As Sergeant Major of the Army, Tilley serves as the Army Chief of Staff's personal advisor on all
enlisted-related matters, particularly in areas affecting soldier training and quality of life. The SMA
devotes the majority of his time to traveling throughout the Army observing training, and talking to
soldiers and their families. He sits on a wide variety of councils and boards that make decisions
affecting enlisted soldiers and their families and is routinely invited to testify before Congress.
SMA Tilley was born in Vancouver, Washington, on Dec. 3, 1948. He entered the Army in November
1966 and attended basic training at Fort Lewis, Washington, and advanced individual training at Fort
Knox, Kentucky. Following tours in Vietnam and Fort Benning, Georgia, SMA Tilley left the Army for two
years before enlisting again in September 1971.
SMA Tilley has demonstrated his personal commitment to the Army and his soldiers as he advanced to
positions of higher responsibility. He has held a variety of important positions culminating in his current
assignment as the Sergeant Major of the Army. He previously held the senior enlisted position as
Command Sergeant Major of the United States Central Command, MacDill Air Force Base, Florida.
Other assignments he held as Command Sergeant Major were 1st Battalion, 10th Cavalry, Fort Knox,
194th Armor Brigade, 1st Armored Division, Bad Kreuznach, Germany and United States Army Space
and Missile Defense Command, Arlington, Virginia.
Throughout his 34-year career, SMA Tilley has held every key leadership position including tank
commander, section leader, drill sergeant, platoon sergeant, senior instructor, operations sergeant and
first sergeant. His military education includes the First Sergeants Course and the Sergeants Major
Academy. He is also a graduate of the basic airborne course, drill sergeant school and master gunner's
course.
His awards and decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit with two oak
leaf clusters, Bronze Star with V Device, Meritorious Service Medal with one oak leaf cluster, Vietnam
Service Medal and Campaign Medal, Presidential Unit Citation, Overseas Service Ribbon (2), NCO
Professional Development Ribbon (4), Drill Sergeant's Badge, Parachutist's Badge and the Army Staff
Identification Badge.
Sergeant Major of the Army Kenneth O. Preston- Sergeant Major of the Army
Sergeant Major of the Army Kenneth O. Preston- was sworn in as the 13th
Sergeant Major of the Army on January 15, 2004.
MOST RECENT ASSIGNMENT:
Command Sergeant Major for Combined Joint Task Force 7 serving in Baghdad,
Iraq