SEAC visits Osan Air Base

Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Heather Denby | Marine Sgt. Maj. Brian Battaglia, senior enlisted adviser to the Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, promotes Staff Sgt. Matthew Spurlock, an Air Defense Artillery fire control officer battle systems manager, assigned to 35th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, to the rank of sergeant first class Feb. 6, 2015 at the Osan Fitness Center. Spurlock has served in the U.S. Army for 12 years.  

OSAN AIR BASE, 41, SOUTH KOREA

02.06.2015

Story by Staff Sgt. Heather Denby 

35th Air Defense Artillery Brigade

OSAN AIR BASE, South Korea - The Senior Enlisted Adviser to the Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Brian Battaglia visited with troops at Osan Air Base Feb. 6 while touring military bases in the Pacific region.

During his visit, Battaglia spoke with 35th Air Defense Artillery Brigade Command Sgt. Maj. Jose Villarreal about the viable missile threat on the Korean Peninsula and his brigade’s capabilities to counter air and missile attacks.

“We maintain a high state of readiness through our crew certification program and by executing Eighth Army emergency deployment readiness exercises,” said Villarreal. “Our ready crews must report to battle stations within a very short amount of time and carry out all the key tasks necessary to make our combat mission a success.”

These words were echoed during a joint and combined mission brief hosted by Seventh Air Force.

“The threat is real, which is why we take the motto ‘Fight Tonight’ so serious,” said Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Shelina Frey, principal senior enlisted adviser to the Seventh Air Force commander. “It takes all of us on this base working side-by-side to make this mission happen.”

In addition to the mission brief, Battaglia spent some time speaking with service members across the installation on the state of the military, its missions and what to expect next.

“The senior leaders in this room understand the saying ‘back to the basics’ but I’m not sure that’s a complete picture of what we want our future service members to focus on,” said Battaglia.

“We want a renewed emphasis on those things we did in garrison that kept us disciplined and focused but we cannot forget the lessons we have learned over the past decade of conflict…those are the things we need to pass on to the next generation of troops,” he said.

Battaglia closed out his brief with the troops by conducting a promotion ceremony for a Soldier entering the senior enlisted ranks.

“I am incredibly humbled to have been selected for this opportunity,” said Sgt. 1st Class Matthew Spurlock, an Air Defense Artillery fire control officer battle systems manager for 35th ADA. “He placed my new rank on my chest and gave me the oath of enlistment. Those words couldn’t be truer today than they were when I first enlisted 12 years ago,” he said.

Battaglia returned Spurlock’s previous rank and charged him with presenting it to the next “up and coming” Soldier.

The SEAC is slated to continue visiting troops across the Pacific for the next couple days and will then return to the Pentagon.

• Date Taken: 02.06.2015
• Date Posted: 02.09.2015 00:34
• Story ID: 153983
• Location: OSAN AIR BASE, 41, KR
• Hometown: POCAHONTAS, AR, US