Photo By Terrance Bell | Command Sgt. Maj. Gabriel Harvey, incoming CSM, 59th Ordnance Brigade; CSM Kenneth...... read more read more
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FORT LEE, Va. (Sept. 1, 2016) -- The Fort Lee community welcomed the new enlisted leader of 59th Ordnance Brigade while honoring the former’s tour of duty and career service during a change of responsibility and retirement ceremony Friday at Whittington Field on the Ordnance Campus.
Command Sgt. Maj. Gabriel D. Harvey, who comes here from the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, N.C., replaced CSM Vincent D. Noble, who retired from the position he has held since October 2014.
The ceremony, staged under hot, humid conditions, was attended by roughly 100 people to include Col. David Wilson, Chief of Ordnance, CSM Nathaniel Bartee Sr., CASCOM CSM, and W. Howard Myers, mayor, City of Petersburg.
Platoon-sized troop elements represented the companies of the brigade’s 832nd and 16th ordnance battalions on the parade field.
Col. Sean P. Davis, commander, 59th Ord. Bde., presided over the ceremony. During his remarks, he listed Noble’s many accomplishments.
“It was through your leadership the brigade trained over 24,000 ordnance Soldiers each year, and it was through your mentorship 16 noncommissioned officers were inducted into the prestigious Sergeant Audie Murphy Club,” he said of the 30-year Soldier. “Your fingerprints are all over this brigade. I want to thank you for your tireless efforts to make us all better Soldiers and citizens.”
Davis then turned his attention to Harvey, who he said “built a phenomenal reputation in our Army. I know you will do great things for the Power Brigade. You’re the right man for the job, and I’m confident you will build on the accomplishments of CSM Noble and CSM (Edward) Morris before him.”
Later in his speech, Davis presented Noble’s wife Almaz with a matching rocking chair matching one presented to Noble the prior week.
During his remarks, Harvey, a native of Burlington, N.C., immediately put the crowd at ease with a quip: “Being a part of a ceremony like this is beyond my dreams. I can honestly say I’m feeling like George Jefferson (from the ‘70s TV show ‘The Jeffersons’) this morning, and to my wife over there – ‘Weezie’ – I think we’re moving on up.”
A smattering of chuckles reverberated over the grandstand.
Harvey went on to thank his wife for her “work behind the scenes” and his past and present mentors including Morris and Quartermaster Corps CSM Jimmy Sellers for their “knowledge, wisdom and encouraging words” bestowed upon him. “It has truly made me a better leader,” he said, “and I’m forever indebted to you to give back to our future leaders.”
Wilson, who just recently took over duties as Chief of Ordnance, was the guest speaker. He retold a story about Noble relayed to him by one of his former noncommissioned officers. The story goes that Noble and his maintenance platoon were working on an important piece of equipment late into a Friday evening. His Soldiers, exhausted and sullen as a result, said Wilson, “quit working and sat down and waited for the inevitable butt-chewing from then-Staff Sgt. Noble,” who was just as tired as his charges.
Declining to pursue the expected, said Wilson, Noble walked past the Soldiers as if they did not exist and began working on the equipment alone, sweat dripping from his face.
“For several minutes, the Soldiers sat and watched,” he said. “… Then slowly, one by one, each stood up and resumed work.”
Noble, said Wilson, never said a word. “You see, no amount of yelling, threats or screaming would’ve had the same effect on them. Their respect for him, and the example he personified drove them to push on. The authority of his stripes would’ve never been as effective as his example that day.”
While at the lectern making his remarks, Noble committed himself to the formalities for such an occasion, thanking “my Lord, my Savior, Christ,” his wife and two daughters for their support as well past and current leaders and the multitudes of Soldiers who helped to make him the best warrior he could be.
Noble also broke with protocol several times in an attempt to elicit responses from the crowd. The first, a few minutes into his speech, was an invitation to sing an old marching cadence:
“‘Momma, momma, can’t you see,’” he sang in a hushed tone as audience members and the ranks repeated after him in unison.
As the cadence progressed into the second verse, Noble’s singing voice seemed to vibrate as he began to capture the timing and rhythm of a confident cadence caller guiding Soldiers to their destination. It was an obvious crowd wake-up, no doubt, but also a joyous reflection of the traditions and practices of leading troops. The crowd acknowledged the sentiment, approving it with roaring applause.
“That is truly what kept me motivated before the crack of dawn every single morning,” he said of his musical exploit.
Later in his speech, Noble talked about the current and trendy events of 1986, the year he joined, noting in a trembling voice how a kid from the Southside of Chicago “just wanted an opportunity to be all that he could be.”
Noble closed by saying the Army as an institution is only as good as the people who serve it.
“Remember, the strength of our nation is our Army,” he said in a heightened voice. “The strength of our Soldiers are our families. That is what makes this Army strong.”
Noble has plans to settle in the Fort Hood, Texas, area after retirement.
| Date Taken: | 09.01.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 09.01.2016 11:19 |
| Story ID: | 208693 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 595 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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