BY COMMAND SGT. MAJ. STEPHEN HELTON
7th Infantry Division
My family and I are excited to join the team here at I Corps and Joint Base Lewis-McChord. I am personally humbled and honored to join this team as the 7th Infantry Division’s senior noncommissioned officer. This is my first time being stationed in the Pacific Northwest, but the exceptional reputation of this amazing community and installation have proven true since my arrival in January.
I entered military service in 1990 from Los Angeles and trained as a scout helicopter crew chief. Throughout 27 years of service, I have led, trained and mentored Soldiers at every level — most recently as the Army Special Operations Aviation Command’s senior enlisted leader. I look forward to a continued focus on the Soldier and family readiness of the Bayonet Division.
My assignment with Army Special Operations provides clarity and emphasis on the ambiguous and dangerous world we operate in today. We must be ready to deploy, fight, and win anywhere in the world whenever our nation calls.
Our ability to do this is squarely on the shoulders of our noncommissioned officer corps. We are responsible to train individual, crew and team fundamental skills — enabling complex, partnered operations to defeat our adversaries.
We do this through our commitment to mastering “America’s Big 6:” Physical Readiness Training, marksmanship, warrior tasks and battle drills, medical training, maintenance, and mission command.
Discipline, physical condition and resiliency are the keystones to readiness. Tough, daily physical training promotes physical and mental health and resiliency.
Soldiers must be physically capable of winning decisively across a wide spectrum of environments and conditions. The better we replicate adversity in training, the better we will perform in combat.
I look forward to continuing the Bayonet Division’s commitment to physical readiness through our Bayonet Academy and a more holistic approach to optimize Soldier performance. We will leverage our Army’s outstanding programs, initiatives and resources to generate trained and ready brigades, recognized as the “force of choice” for combatant commands.
It is clear the Division continues to build on its phenomenal reputation and maintains its legacy of combat capability and innovation. It is truly my honor to join this talented team of professionals.
Since my arrival, the Bayonet Division has continued at a high operational tempo. It was my pleasure to observe the dedicated “Ghost” Soldiers from 1st Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division as they participated in Exercise Bayonet Focus 18-02 at Fort Hunter-Liggett and Camp Roberts, Calif.
This tough, realistic training event prepared Soldiers for challenges they will face at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif., in April. Ghost will sharpen its skills while training in the desert under the constant pressure of a highly-trained opposing force.
The success of Bayonet Focus was enabled by the dedicated efforts of almost every unit in the Division.
The 2nd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, 2nd Infantry Division Artillery, 16th Combat Aviation Brigade, and 7th Inf. Div.’s Headquarters Support Company all provided necessary support to ensure successful execution of this critical training event. All units demonstrated outstanding teamwork and commitment that validates our motto: “Trust in me.”
I look forward to meeting and working with colleagues across the installation, and I recognize the incredible support of our teammates and regional partners. The Soldiers of 7th Inf. Div. are fortunate to have the resources, capabilities and assistance of this awesome installation network.
My wife and I have noted the dedication to families and amazing opportunities for us to live, work and play in this beautiful region. Our ability to deploy from and come home to this area are second to none and only realized through the remarkable efforts of our Soldiers, Airmen, Department of the Army civilians and dedicated community partners.
As the Division continues to build and maintain readiness, we rest assured knowing our ability to get to the fight and the welfare of our families are in the capable hands of an equally-dedicated team of professionals.
I am proud to serve the Soldiers of the Bayonet Division and will continue to honor the legacy of those brave warriors who have gone before me.