13th Public Affairs Detachment

Story by Spc. Christopher Gaylord

FORT HOOD, Texas -- Just about the most important thing for Soldiers to have, especially amid back-to-back deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, is caring leadership.

A supportive chain of command can ease much of the stress on Soldiers heading into a first, second or even third tour of duty, but even more so those who return bearing the scars of war.

While in Washington, D.C., for the Association of the United States Army annual conference Oct. 4-7, Command Sgt. Maj. Arthur Coleman, Fort Hood's senior enlisted leader, had a chance to do something that mattered much more than any conference: visit Fort Hood's wounded warriors.

Traveling to Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Oct. 6, Coleman, who had jumped onboard with III Corps and Fort Hood just two weeks prior, proved to a handful of Fort Hood's own troops injured in combat that the command climate at Fort Hood is one that cares.

"You're part of their chain of command; you're part of the installation they're currently assigned to; you're that extended family, that military family, so to speak," Coleman said. "That makes the trip all worthwhile."

Coleman explained that since he already knows his troops are receiving first-rate medical care, he wanted to hear their concerns regarding promotions, awards, family issues, and anything else troubling them at the time.

"I'm interested in the things I can fix as the command sergeant major," Coleman said. "My job is to give them the very best I can give them."

It's no surprise to most individuals having some sort of involvement with the Army that Fort Hood has many of the most motivated, hard-charging, "cream of the crop" troops, and for Coleman, the visit re-established that notion.

"We have some of the toughest, bravest Soldiers I've seen in 31 years; Soldiers who do not give up easily; who are willing to go above and beyond on a daily basis," Coleman said. "You just cannot match the caliber, the caring and the whole atmosphere at this particular installation."

Accompanying Coleman on his stopover were his wife, Tanya; Jill Cone, wife of Lt. Gen. Robert Cone, III Corps and Fort Hood commanding general; and Bill Kozlik, the president of Harker Heights's Chamber of Commerce.

The group, aside from seeing wounded troops, toured the entire medical center with some of its staff to assess the level of care the facility provides.

"To me, it looks like they have everything," Klozik said. "[The center] doesn't just put them there to lie in a bed; they stimulate their minds and bodies to a speedy recovery."

The opportunity to meet with Fort Hood troops at Walter Reed is something Kozlik has wished for in previous years during the AUSA conference, but he said he was never able to go. This year, he arranged the trip far ahead of time.

"It opens your eyes to see firsthand the guys coming back," Kozlik said. "Your heart really goes out to them. They take their job seriously and they take freedom seriously."

Kozlik, who spent two years at Fort Hood as a military police Soldier and has since spent 42 years in the Central Texas community, added that after so much involvement with them, these troops almost now feel like sons to him.

Although it's no surprise that the Central Texas and Fort Hood community is quite possibly the single most supportive and compassionate military community that exists, this visit further proved that Fort Hood leaders will always go the extra mile for their Soldiers, just as their Soldiers do each day for them.

Associated Images

Control Panel