Email   Print   Share By Command Sgt. Maj. Scott Schroeder, III Corps and Fort Hood Command Sergeant Major

Facebook Digg Delicious August 30, 2012 | Editorial

I am honored and humbled to have the opportunity to serve the Soldiers, civilians and Families of Fort Hood in garrison and in combat as the III Corps and Fort Hood command sergeant major. My wife, Marla, and I look forward to having the chance to serve this great community both on and off post. The welcome we have received has been nothing short of amazing. I will always work to do what is right, do my best and to treat others as I would like to be treated.

My priorities are to support the commander’s objectives, develop leaders at all levels, assist units preparing for combat and to focus on the agencies that support the installation, commanders, Soldiers and Families.

I pledge to work hard to be accessible, approachable, available and to set a good example for all Soldiers assigned to Fort Hood. I consider myself everyone’s command sergeant major, from the commanding general to the Soldiers who are currently in AIT waiting to PCS to Fort Hood. This applies to Soldiers that are in transition and those on PCS leave.

Our Army is always in a state of transition, but the transition that will take place in the coming years will see an Army that will deploy to combat less frequently and will reduce in size. During this transition, we will draw down our force while continuing to take care of Soldiers who have been injured and wounded during the last 11 years of combat. We have the best fighting force the world has ever seen and we are the most precise combat force ever fielded, but there is room for improvement. While building this force during the last 11 years of combat, we have made sacrifices in leader development, training management and

focusing on the basics. We must re-engage these areas and make improvements, because they are the foundation of the future force.

My goals are to establish a focused NCO leader development program, improve the reception and integration of our Soldiers into the formation and ensure our formations are focused on the basics.



NCO leader development

The NCO leader development must be focused across all NCO grades and all unit levels, the most important being at the company, troop and battery level.



Reception and Integration

The way we receive and integrate our Soldiers into our formations is critical. This is where we begin to build resiliency in our Soldiers and their Families, as well as build trust in leadership.



Focused on the Basics

Leaders across the Army continue to talk about our formations getting back to the basics. No doubt this is important, but I believe it is up to us to define what those basics are, because some of the basics have changed. Today we ask our leaders to do much more than in the past and they deliver. Together, we will work hard at defining these basics and ensuring we focus on them in order to improve our day-to-day operations.

Again, I am proud to have the opportunity to serve at the Great Place. I feel that it is my responsibility to serve you, and I look forward to working with everyone to improve our Corps and continuing to take care of Soldiers and Families.