Sergeant Major

Sergeant First Class Brent Colvin I had the honor and privilege of serving under the authority of Sergeant First Class Brent Colvin while I was a soldier with Bravo Battery, 2/222, Field Artillery and I have chosen him as my “Leader of Influence.” I served with SFC Colvin in various capacities while he was my Platoon Sergeant, including as a Fire Direction Specialist, unit radio equipment specialist, and his personal driver. I observed his leadership abilities during garrison activities and…

and what to do with my platoon. When giving commands, I had a severe stutter. I failed to voice my authority to a chaotic and noisy platoon, which consisted mainly of experienced cadets and some of my friends. On top of that, my jealous platoon sergeant wanted to establish himself above my authority. My instructors felt disappointed in my first time as a platoon leader that at one point they considered firing me on the spot. Luckily class ended, however my senior instructor berated my first…

fought with weapons, but they are won by men. It is the spirit of the men who follow and of the man who leads that gains the victory. (General George S. Patton) When Junior Soldiers think about command, typically the thought process is to assume sergeant fist classes, higher enlisted and officers. However, the command team can involve members of any rank depending on mission needs. Every mission, should have a good command team with excellent communication skills that possess the ability to…

Officer, or Sergeant. This was the first bit of one on one professional development that I had received in years. It was an important event. Additionally, it set the tone for the unit I was entering and let me know my limits. Furthermore, the counseling gave me a set of standards to live up to. The counseling was given by a man with eighteen years of experience serving his country, First Sergeant Bradford Bygness, a true professional. Six months after I arrived to the unit, First Sergeant…

In post 9/11 America, it is not very common to see a book that doesn 't portray the men and women of the United States Military in a positive light. Most Americans regard all soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines as heroes who have a strong moral compass and always try to do the right thing. However the reality can be quite different. The reality of war is that it is dirty, ugly, and rarely, if ever, a glorious affair. All armies throughout history have had their share of incidents that they…

boot camp pushed Mr. Gillanders to strive to a better ranking in the National Guard. Before the time he left the military, Mr. Gillanders earned the rank of Command Chief Master Sergeant, the ninth highest non-commissioned officer rank. Although he worked is all forces of the military, being Command Chief Master Sergeant was his favorite. Before earning this rank, my grandfather was in charge of the food facility. “The food was always alright,” he…

Coda of Freshman Year I’m eighteen days away from being twenty, and I believe I’ve made many accomplishments at such a young age. I’ve graduated high school, became a U.S Army soldier, bought my parents a car, gave my mother legal documentation in the United States after twenty-one years in this country, and continuing my education to become a professional in the future. It has never been easy but I was able to push through all the obstacles put in my way to accomplish every goal I’ve set for…

Pit Bulls Should Not Be Banned Pit bulls are often called violent dogs. They are stigmatized as the breed often known as fighting dogs. These dogs are singled out to be restrained or banned and are put to death just for their breed. In Lafayette, Louisiana, two men were arrested for dog fighting and fifty-seven pit bulls were confiscated. Some of the confiscated dogs had scars from fighting, and just because of the breed’s reputation, all of the dogs were considered dangerous. The Louisiana…

prepare our Soldiers to deploy when the nation calls. One part of our preparation relates to ensuring Soldiers are qualified on their assigned weapons. During one planning event I was in a meeting with my supervisor, or First Sergeant, and my peers, or fellow Staff Sergeants, were planning our annual weapons…

Tempelhof, he retired from the air force on September 30, 1974, with over 8000 flying hours. First in addition to other Air Force decoration has been awarded the legion of Merit Cheney award. In 1998 he was awarded the americanism award, Air Force Sergeants Association, in 1998 he was also awarded the Freedom award from the city of Provo. The distinguished Humanitarian award from institute of German American Relations in 1999. On the way home to Texas he flew two place p-51 Mustang a lifelong…