Photo By Clemens Gaines | Cunningham's awards and decorations include multiple badges showing Army achievement...... read more read more
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By Clem Gaines
ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. – Steve Cunningham, new operations sergeant in the command section, was frocked to the rank of sergeant major in a brief ceremony in the atrium on Friday, Aug. 7. Slipping on the epaulets for his new rank was Maj. Chad Hughes, Operations Directorate. Frocking is an action that permits a Soldier to wear the prescribed rank commensurate to the duties an individual is assigned.
Only 0.8 percent of Soldiers who raise their hands on enlistment day reach this highest enlisted rank (E9).
Cunningham, a native of Lake Elsinore, California, is a 21-year Army veteran who has twice earned the Bronze Star. First as a staff sergeant during a one year deployment to Baghdad, Iraq, from 2008-2009, where he served as an explosive ordnance disposal team leader. His second award was earned during a deployment with the Regional Command East in Afghanistan from 2012-2013, where he led Soldiers as an operations sergeant, EOD team leader, and special missions intelligence liaison.
The Bronze Star Medal is a decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone.
The Command Section operations sergeant serves as an EOD advisor to the command team and supervises the support personnel. This includes synchronizing the command team’s (commanding general, deputy commanding officer, command sergeant major) calendars, solving any scheduling conflicts, and assisting the leadership in other areas.
His awards and decorations include multiple badges showing Army achievement in multiple areas. They include the Master EOD Badge, the Basic Aviation Crewman Badge, the Driver's Badge, and the Expert Marksmanship Badge (indicating expert qualification with the M4 Carbine, and M9 Pistol).
"Mentorship and respect have been important contributors to my career,” said Cunningham. “Many individuals have been critical to getting me here today. I say with confidence, my success thus far is due to mentorship from seniors, peers, and subordinates. It is possible for a leader to learn the greatest lesson from the most unlikely source. No person is so insignificant that they shouldn't be respected enough to be heard. Respect is given not earned. The quality of respect given by an individual, defines the caliber of their character. The best leaders seem to always credit their subordinates as their greatest teachers."
| Date Taken: | 08.11.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 08.12.2020 10:23 |
| Story ID: | 375799 |
| Location: | ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, MD, US |
| Web Views: | 309 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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