Email   Print   Share By Heather Graham-Ashley, Sentinel News Editor

Facebook Digg Delicious August 30, 2012 | News

Command Sgt. Maj. Scott Schroeder, III Corps and Fort Hood incoming command sergeant major, accepts the Sword of the Noncommissioned Officer from Lt. Gen. Don Campbell Jr., III Corps and Fort Hood commanding general, during a change of responsibility Wednesday morning at Sadowski Field in front of III Corps Headquarters. Schroeder replaces Command Sgt. Maj. Arthur L. Coleman Jr. Daniel Cernero, Sentinel Staff

Command Sgt. Maj. Arthur L. Coleman Jr., III Corps and Fort Hood outgoing command sergeant major, gives his remarks at his change of responsibility, which welcomed Command Sgt. Maj. Scott Schroeder, III Corps and Fort Hood incoming command sergeant major, Wednesday morning at Sadowski Field. Daniel Cernero, Sentinel Staff

III Corps and Fort Hood has a new member on its team of teams.

The corps said farewell to longtime Command Sgt. Maj. Arthur L. Coleman Jr. and welcomed incoming Command Sgt. Maj. Scott Schroeder during a change of responsibility ceremony Wednesday at Sadowski Field.

When Schroeder accepted the Sword of the Noncommissioned Officer from Coleman, he also accepted responsibility for the health and discipline of the post’s more than 48,000 troops. It was a responsibility Coleman took to heart over the past 35 months at Fort Hood.

III Corps and Fort Hood Commanding General Lt. Gen. Don Campbell Jr. lauded Coleman as someone who exemplifies the NCO Creed.

“Command Sgt. Maj. Coleman lives by this creed every hour of every day,” Campbell said. “I have never encountered a more professional leader during my time in the Army.”

Noting Coleman’s ability to consistently accomplish his mission using an adaptive and aggressive approach, the general reviewed some of Coleman’s contributions to Fort Hood.

“He is an innovator, and a leader who never stops serving Soldiers and their Families,” Campbell said. “He never lost focus on the accomplishment of his mission, or the welfare of his Soldiers and their Families.”

Coleman planned and implemented the post-wide Courtesy Patrol.

“He designed the program to maximize supporting unit participation while minimizing the impact on those units’ operations,” Cambell said, adding that the program was adopted by Sgt. Maj. of the Army Raymond Chandler to serve as a template for similar programs to be implemented across the Army.

“Command Sgt. Maj. Coleman is also a trainer of Soldiers and was a driving force and architect behind establishing the first-ever fully certified air assault school at Fort Hood,” Campbell said.

He was also involved with the establishment of Fort Hood’s first sniper training range and the completion of two physical training tracks and two obstacle courses, the general added.

Coleman maintained a focus on the growth of the NCO Corps.

“His focus on the development of the III Corps and Fort Hood NCO Corps may very well be his greatest contribution to III Corps and the Army,” Campbell said.

The general credited Coleman with providing focus and command support to programs such as Survivor Outreach Services and the Warrior Transition Brigade.

“He ensured the success of Soldier wellness efforts by addressing suicide prevention, sexual assault prevention and domestic violence prevention,” Campbell said. “III Corps and Fort Hood are in a higher state of readiness than we have seen in years, and you have created the perfect conditions for Command Sgt. Maj. Schroeder as he takes over.”

Before signing off on his nearly three years at Fort Hood, Coleman looked back at his time here.

“It has been an awesome responsibility,” Coleman said. “It has been an incredible experience.”

Coleman thanked Campbell for giving him the latitude to create what they have created – a culture of empowered noncommissioned officers that drives all the other accomplishments seen each and every day.

“Thank you so much for those accomplishments,” Coleman said. “Our Soldiers will benefit for years to come.”

New training and school opportunities for Soldiers at Fort Hood will better prepare leaders to do what they do best, Coleman said.

“They will provide the leadership, experience and tactical knowledge that are needed to fight and win,” he said. “That is what our noncommissioned officers do best, and that is exactly what our team of teams has accomplished.”

Looking back, the command sergeant major said he is pleased with what the team has done at Fort Hood.

“I am proud of the accomplishments,” Coleman said. “I didn’t do it, you didn’t do it, but we did it together.”

Schroeder and his wife, Marla, come to Fort Hood from Fort Campbell, Ky., where he served as the division command sergeant major for the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), and recently completed a deployment to Afghanistan.

The general said Schroeder possesses the “perfect blend of leadership, combat experience and organizational insight that we need here on our team of teams.”

Schroeder will continue the established precedent of discipline and training at Fort Hood.

“Command Sgt. Maj. Schroeder is a standards bearer,” Campbell said. “He is a disciplinarian. He is a warrior, a leader and a trainer.”

For his part, Schroeder’s remarks were brief but included a commitment to the Soldiers, Families and greater Fort Hood community.

“I will always work to do what’s right, I will do my best and I will treat others as I would be treated,” Schroeder said.