Top enlisted military leader maintains close-up view of battlefield - Daily trips around area of operation keeps division command sergeant major connected to Soldiers

Courtesy Photo | Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers from Company C, 2nd Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, are racked out on their bunks, March 5, at Joint Security Station Beladiyat, when Command Sgt. Maj. John Gioia, a native of Buffalo, N.Y., who serves as the senior enlisted Soldier for Multi-National Division – Baghdad and the 4th Infantry Division, visited them during a battlefield circulation mission to assess his Soldiers' living and working conditions in and around the MND-B area of operation. (U.S. Army photo/ Spc. Aaron Rosencrans)  

BAGHDAD, IRAQ

03.07.2008

Courtesy Story

Multi-National Division Baghdad

By Spc. Aaron L. Rosencrans
Multi-National Division - Baghdad

BAGHDAD - Making daily trips around Baghdad is a small price to pay for this leader to have an accurate idea of what the operational environment is like for his Soldiers.

Command Sgt. Maj. John Gioia, a native of Buffalo, N.Y., who serves as the senior enlisted Soldier for Multi-National Division – Baghdad and the 4th Infantry Division, said he found it more effective for him to go where his Soldiers go, and travel how his Soldiers travel, to have a better assessment of the battlefield environment.

"I feel like I can accomplish more by getting off the (Forward Operating Base) and visiting our coalition outposts, joint security stations and patrol bases," Gioia said. "I like to drive to the outposts rather than fly because it shows I am experiencing the same thing the Soldiers do."

To fulfill his many missions as the senior enlisted Soldier, Gioia said he must wear many hats and juggle several responsibilities to provide a safe and secure environment for Soldiers to operate at their peak efficiency and ability.

Part of Gioia's job includes communicating with all Soldiers, from the junior enlisted to the senior brigade leaders.

"Part of my job involves understanding my audience," he said. "The message I'll deliver to a young private is a lot different than the message I'll deliver to a brigade commander."

"A private can only fully grasp what his or her primary mission is in Iraq," Gioia continued. "For me to go into the strategic reasons for sustainable security in efforts of achieving tactical over watch in Baghdad, most privates won't fully understand that. All he or she wants to know is what my mission is and what the threat is. So I am concerned with making sure he applies the right escalation of force when necessary, fully comprehends the rules of engagement and practices what I call tactical patience in dealing with both."

With every visit Gioia makes to the outposts around Baghdad, the overall situation for each Soldier is affected.

"The mission is always impacted when the sergeant major gets out and sees these young guys because they don't expect it," said Sgt. Philip Harvey, personal security officer, Company D, Special Troops Battalion, 4th Inf. Div. "It's rare for them to see their own sergeant major, let alone the division sergeant major. That is his whole purpose, to go out and make sure the quality of life is good, make sure the Soldiers have what they need to stay safe, make sure they are being taken care of. He does this by checking on the leaders and, but more importantly, he does it by checking on the Soldiers."

According to Harvey, the Soldiers are very receptive to Gioia when he visits their area.

"From the Soldiers, the feedback he receives is always positive," Harvey said. "When (Gioia) goes out, he awards coins for excellence and gauges morale. From the leadership, it's usually high, but sometimes he'll go out and find leaders not enforcing standards and allowing their Soldiers to be complacent. That's when the leaders say you should have given us a heads up of when you were coming out here. That's not how he works. He wants to have unannounced visits to see how each mission is really being conducted."

Another part of Gioia's job in Baghdad is the safety and wellbeing of his Soldiers.

"While I'm out on these missions, I'm looking for any force protection issues. I'm getting a pulse of the morale and gathering any concerns that Soldiers have," said Gioia. "My goal is to improve the overall quality of life of the Soldiers and improve their protection."

As a part of improving the quality of life and the safety of the Soldiers, Gioia plays the role of the enforcer of standards and discipline.

"Every rule and standard we have is in place for a reason," said Gioia. "When we lose a Soldier, we take a look at how the incident happened and attempt to find a solution that will prevent that loss from reoccurring."

Each Soldier lost hits Gioia in a very emotional way.

"This is tough business," he said with emotion. "When you lose a kid, it fractures you inside. The commanding general and I attend every memorial service for every Soldier we lose. We have not missed one yet, and we will not miss one. It doesn't matter if it's a Soldier killed in action or a non-battle fatality, we're there. Every time we go to one of these memorials, it takes a piece of you away. It takes a piece inside of me away, but it strengthens my drive to emphasize protecting the force. That's my number one primary job – to protect the force."

"If I know a Soldier was shot and killed by a sniper because he wasn't wearing his helmet, and I find a Soldier not wearing his helmet, it compels me to make the correction – now. Then, I seek out the sergeant that allowed it to happen; you can fill in the rest ... ."

He may not have known every MND-B Soldier who lost his or her life serving in Baghdad, but Gioia said he feels as though he loses a part of his family when a Soldier dies.

The other aspect of Gioia's job in a combat zone is to be the messenger, communicating an accurate depiction of the battlefield to the commanding general.

Gioia said his job is not to tell the commanding general what he wants to hear, that everything is great and wonderful. He said his job is to tell the commanding general the truth about the battlefield. Whether the news is good or bad, it is Gioia's job to inform the commanding general and provide him an accurate pulse of the division.

In addition to his normal duties, Gioia said he visits the main combat support hospital in Baghdad once per week to talk to the Soldiers who have suffered battle injuries.

The battlefield circulation missions are a constant mission for him, Gioia said. He said he spends six days out of the week driving to the different areas in the MND-B area of operation.

"I don't take any of it lightly, nor do I take any of it for granted," said Gioia. "This is a very humbling job. I'm one person, and I have 15 guys who are risking their life to get me to where I need to be and do what I need to do."

He said, what keeps him grounded is never forgetting where you came from.

• Date Taken: 03.07.2008
• Date Posted: 03.07.2008 15:21
• Story ID: 17119
• Location: BAGHDAD, IQ