CSM forum - Command Sergeants Major

Military Intelligence Professional Bulletin, July-Sept, 2003 by Lawrence J. Haubrich

This past March, we had to postpone our Worldwide Command Sergeants Major/Sergeants Major (CSM/SGM) Military Intelligence (MI) Conference. However, we still selected the 2003 CSM Doug Russell Awardee, Sergeant (SGT) Andrew C. Rapp--a counterintelligence (CI) special agent assigned to 3d Special Forces Group (Airborne)--as the Third Annual Doug Russell Award recipient. The Army's top Special Forces leaders as well as representatives from the military intelligence community attended the ceremony on 7 March 2003 at Headquarters, U.S. Army Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. CSM (Retired) Sterling McCormick, our Honorary MI Corps CSM, presented SGT Rapp with the Knowlton Award during the ceremony. CSM (R) McCormick said,

   SGT Rapp is the perfect example of the type of
   soldier for whom the award committee was
   looking.... To win, it takes a soldier who distinguishes
   himself within the Military Intelligence
   community but it also takes a soldier who has
   demonstrated professionalism in his or her military
   occupational specialty.

Again, congratulations to SGT Rapp, the 2003 CSM Doug Russell Award recipient.

As we continue to fight the Global War on Terrorism ("GWOT") in Afghanistan and Iraq, our operations tempo (OPTEMPO) does not appear to be slowing down. I ask you all to try to find the time to think about next year's CSM/SGM conference. Please bring to the table those lessons learned from your formations involved with "GWOT." Your lessons learned will assist the schoolhouse in developing a better-trained intelligence professional. Again, if there are any briefings, issues, or speaking presentations you would like for next year's conference, please E-mail me at lawrence.j.haubrich@us.army.mil. Our conference's success will depend on what we, the senior noncommisioned officers (NCOs) of our Military Intelligence Corps, want to accomplish.

In May, we were fortunate to have the 12th SMA, Sergeant Major of the Army Jack L. Tilley, visit Fort Huachuca. He spoke with initial entry training (IET) students attending the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operator's course, human intelligence (HUMINT) collection course, and CI course, as well as the NCO Academy. SMA Tilley commented, "The technology our Army has is what separates us from the rest of the world," ... and "the information Military Intelligence gives us saves soldiers' lives on the battlefield." SMA Tilley also visited the Garrison, Health Clinic, and the U.S. Army Network Enterprise Technology Command/9th Army Signal Command, where he expressed his appreciation for what all the soldiers do for the nation.

SMA Tilley shared with the soldiers some of his experiences from his recent trips to Baghdad and Walter Reed Army Medical Center. "Since the war on terrorism began, we have had 150 plus soldiers killed and over 300 injured," SMA Tilley stated. "We won't allow ourselves to forget what we stand for. What we stand for is to protect the Constitution of the United States." He talked about visiting the wounded soldiers who came back from Iraq--his strong emotions visible on his face--and he praised their commitment to the Army and the nation. Team Huachuca thanks the SMA for taking care of soldiers, his continuing mentorship, and for his visit to the U.S. Army Intelligence Center and Fort Huachuca.

During the past few months, I visited our great MI career and assignment managers at MI Branch, U.S. Total Army Personnel Command. I also traveled to Fort Bragg, and visited MI soldiers assigned to the 3d and 7th Special Forces Groups (Airborne), 525th MI Brigade (Airborne), and the 313th MI Battalion (Airborne), 82d Airborne Division; these units all have soldiers who had just recently returned from deployments and prepared to deploy in support of the worldwide war on terrorism. In Utah, I visited the 300th MI Brigade, attended the language conference, and visited the Joint Language Training Center. At Fort Hood, Texas, I visited the 312th MI Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division, where many soldiers were on deployment orders to, or had just returned from, Iraq. The bottom line is that all of us are soldiers, we are warriors, all doing our parts fighting this Global War on Terrorism no matter where we are We are nation at war, so stay focused, embrace each other, and do not become complacent.

As always let's take care of each other and our families. You train hard you die hard; you train easy, die easy. Peace needs protection.