Copeland assumes Command Sergeant Major responsibilities for U.S. Army Reserve

Photo By Timothy Hale | Grace Copeland, seated, listens to her husband, U.S. Army Reserve Command Sgt. Maj. Ted L. Copeland, as he gives his remarks during an assumption of responsibility ceremony at the U.S. Army Forces Command and U.S. Army Reserve Command headquarters, April 18, 2017, at Fort Bragg, NC. Copeland takes over the U.S. Army Reserve's top enlisted position after serving as the command sergeant major of the 79th Sustainment Support Command in Los Alamitos, Calif. (U.S. Army photo by Timothy L. Hale/Released)  

FORT BRAGG, NC, UNITED STATES

04.18.2017

Story by Timothy Hale  

U.S. Army Reserve Command

FORT BRAGG, N.C. – Command Sgt. Maj. Ted L. Copeland, assumed the responsibilities of U.S. Army Reserve command sergeant major in a ceremony at the U.S. Army Reserve Command headquarters, April 18, 2017.

Copeland, whose most recent assignment was command sergeant major of the 79th Sustainment Support Command in Los Alamitos, California, said that it was an honor to be selected as the U.S. Army Reserve’s top enlisted Soldier and is looking forward to the challenge.

In his remarks, LTG Charles D. Luckey, chief, of Army Reserve, and commanding general, U.S. Army Reserve Command, said that shaping the America’s Army Reserve into the most capable, combat-ready, and lethal federal reserve force in the history of the nation starts with the noncommissioned officer corps and Copeland will have a large role in this transformation.

“That’s what this is about. That’s why Command Sgt. Maj. Copeland is taking on the stick today to be the Command Sergeant Major of America’s Army Reserve,” Luckey said. “Anybody who knows this noncommissioned officer knows that this is about getting after readiness as job one. That, over time, we inculcate our Noncommissioned Officers Corps that ethos of readiness and to be able to go out there on the field of battle, on a really bad day, and win.”

A native of Wapakoneta, Ohio, Copeland enlisted in the Army in 1984 as a military policeman. Since that time, he has risen through the ranks serving in multiple stateside and overseas locations from team leader to command sergeant major and twice.

The Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm veteran has also served in mobilizations and operational deployments to Afghanistan, Guantanamo Bay, Iraq, and Turkey.

Copeland, who earned a degree in Criminal Justice from Vincennes University, has also served as a civilian police sergeant completed the Ohio Peace Officer’s Academy, the FBI National Academy, and has completed more than 1,400 hours of civilian law enforcement training.

“The commander talked about noncommissioned officers. I’ve been one for 30-plus years and I’ll tell you, it’s near and dear to my heart,” Copeland said. “I’m a firm believer the Army universe moves around the noncommissioned officer corps.”

He told the gathered Soldiers and civilians at the ceremony that he looked, “forward to rucking up with you and moving forward with our Army Reserve to the future to meet all the challenges that are in front of us.”

He closed his remarks by thanking his wife, Grace, his children and grandchildren for their support during his career.

• Date Taken: 04.18.2017
• Date Posted: 04.18.2017 12:45
• Story ID: 230709
• Location: FORT BRAGG, NC, US
• Hometown: WAPAKONETA, OH, US