FORSCOM CSM motivates Fort Bliss NCOs

Headquarters, Fort Bliss
Story by Sgt. Valerie Lopez

Date: 09.09.2010
Posted: 10.25.2010 13:00
News ID: 58772
FORSCOM CSM Motivates Fort Bliss NCOs

FORT BLISS, Texas -- Senior non-commissioned officers of Fort Bliss gathered at the Centennial Banquet and Conference Center on East Bliss Sept. 9, for a Non-commissioned Officer Professional Development session with guest speaker Command Sgt. Maj. Ronald T. Riling.

Riling, the top enlisted soldier from U.S. Army Forces Command is responsible for the training and development of over 750,000 active duty, reserve and national guard soldiers.

As guest speaker for the Fort Bliss NCOPD training, Riling reviewed a list of topics and commended the audience because Fort Bliss was on the “right” track since many items on his list were covered prior to his speech.

Fort Bliss Post Command Sgt. Major David S. Davenport opened the session by thanking attendees and introducing the speaker for finance.

Sgt. Maj. Andrea` D. Wright, Senior Financial Operations Advisor, encouraged the NCOs to use their battalion personnel shops to assist Soldiers with their finance questions.Wright also reminded the leaders to help their Soldiers learn to read Leave and Earnings Statements, paying special attention to numbers and codes.

After Wright's briefing, NCO's heard from Sgt. Maj. Daniel E. Hall, Logistics Sergeant Major; Sgt. Maj. Jose D. Alegado, Supply and Services Sergeant Major; Sgt. Maj. Gary L. Fields, Food Service Sergeant Major and Sgt. Maj. Jeffrey A. Thielemann, Chief Mechanic of Operations, touched on accountability, road side inspections, and the Excess Parts Warehouse on East Bliss.

Master Sgt. David Wilburn, Division Health Care and Medical Operations non-commissioned officer in charge, discussed the Medical Protection System that tracks all medical readiness and deployability information for soldiers.

During each section of the briefings, Davenport directed NCOs to ask questions to the presenters.

Once Riling had the floor, his main topic was getting back to leadership basics.

“Let’s get back to the basics,” Riling said. “There’s nothing wrong with a staff sergeant going to parade rest for a sergeant first class.”

Several NCOs including Riling said that during this time of war we have become too busy to maintain some army standards and values.

Riling said it’s OK for us to go back to using bars to reenlist; it’s OK to do the paperwork on soldiers failing a urinalysis. Let us hold soldiers and NCOs accountable.

Staff Sgt. April L. Williams, Training NCO for Headquarters Fort Bliss said, she learned a lot and appreciated the opportunity for the NCOs to give their opinions on certain Soldier issues to the FORSCOM's top NCO.

To close the NCOPD, everyone came to attention, and led by the members of the Sergeant Audie Murphy Club, they recited the NCO Creed.

“No one is more professional than I. I am a non-commissioned officer, a leader of soldiers…”