HQDA G-4 sergeant major visits Oahu sustainers

Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Wynnfred Hoke | CSM Maurice Chaplin, 8th Theater Sustainment Command hosted SGM Edward Bell, Deputy Chief of Staff, G-4 over a two-day period and met with Soldiers from 8th TSC, 25th Infantry Division and U.S. Army Pacific and received briefings about Logistical operations while having an open dialogue about challenges.  

UNITED STATES

11.07.2018

Story by Sgt. Maj. Carolanne Wright 

8th Theater Sustainment Command

Sgt. Maj. Edward A. Bell, Sergeant Major, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, G-4, visited Soldiers in Hawaii Nov. 4-6.
Sgt. Maj. Bell and Lt. Gen. Aundre F. Piggee, Deputy Chief of Staff, G-4, run the organization that oversees logistics policies, programs and plans in support of sustainable Army readiness. As Bell stated in one of his several sessions with Soldiers, the way to really get after that is to get out and see what is happening in the sustainment field. Bell and Command Sgt. Maj. Maurice Chaplin, 8th Theater Sustainment Command’s command sergeant major, met with Soldiers from 8th TSC, 25th Infantry Division and U.S. Army Pacific and received briefings about Logistical operations while having an open dialogue about challenges.
What remained the same throughout all of the discussions with Bell is that the dialogue openly moved two ways, allowing free exchange of ideas and the opportunity for senior noncommissioned officers to share best practices and recommendations for logistics Army-wide.
During the visit , Bell conducted an array of office calls with senior leadership and sustainment organizations at Fort Shafter and Schofield Barracks, but he also took time for three NCO-centric open discussion sessions, most notably an NCO professional development session Nov. 6 at Schofield Barracks.
He spoke about his position, his role at the Army G-4 sergeant major and his philosophy. Contained in his philosophy were several of his personal values and perspectives that helped shaped him over his 31-year career, something appreciated by the audience of staff sergeants through command sergeants major from both 8th TSC and 25th Inf. Div. sustainment communities.
Bell closed the session with a question and answer period, providing the unique opportunity for many in the room to get the perspective of one of the Army’s top logisticians. Questions ranged from uniforms, to Army spending to updating sustainment-related regulations and training manuals.
On theme that remained the same for him was the need to focus on home-station training. He emphasized it as being one of the absolute most effective ways of getting after almost any problem and helping to “create the best leader for our Army.”
Over the course of the NCOPD and two working lunches his messages to the audiences remained the same.
“We have to train our Soldiers to be “large” thinkers,” he said. “We must train as we will fight with our joint partners and talk in the language of our warfighters.”
He [capped] his visit as an overall success being able to see first-hand the contribution of the logisticians of the Pacific.
“I am glad I was able to get out and come tell them thanks for their service and tell them they can reach out to the strategic level and let us know some of these problems they are having and make some recommended solutions,” said Bell. “It’s all about the team and having that collaboration and integration and synchronizing those efforts to make sure we’re all moving forward based on the perspective of our most senior Army leadership.”

• Date Taken: 11.07.2018
• Date Posted: 11.08.2018 16:00
• Story ID: 299293
• Location: US