The position of the Office of the Sergeant Major of the Army (SMA) has been filled thirteen times by outstanding Soldiers. Before appointment to this position, individuals will have already demonstrated several years of leadership ability and...
Each year near the end of September, the Department of the Army hosts an event known as The Noncommissioned Officer and Soldier of the Year Competition. This event spotlights 20 Soldiers, representing 10 Army Commands (ARCOM), to test their skills...
In many ways the role of the SMA and the NCO corps will stay the same but in many ways it will change greatly. Core values and leadership won't change for the NCO corps. The Army is experiencing a technical revolution. The revolution is already...
Sergeants Major of the Army (SMA) have made many contributions that have changed, or in some way, affected the non-commissioned officer (NCO) corps and the Army. From the inception of the position, SMAs have refined the duties of their position,...
The Non-Commissioned Officer Corp has made many significant contributions to our Army. I agree that researching our past accomplishments and the significant impact we have made on our Army is something we need to pass on to our Soldiers. The...
The U.S. Army's Center of Military History gives today's Soldiers a useful prospective from which to appreciate the past and shape the Army's future. The origin of the Sergeant Major dates back as early as the sixteenth century when the English...
The Army established and office that is very vital to our Army. The soldiers selected made huge strides to better our enlisted force. They paved the way for quality of life, NCOES, pay raises, better equipment and better promotion opportunities to...
COMMANDANT’S SUMMARY: The years 2003 and 2004 were eventful at the Sergeants Major Academy. The academy tried to figure out its role in Army transformation. In its NCOES courses it sought to bring more field experience in the PLDC class and...
The creation of the Office of the Sergeant Major of the Army in July 1966 represented a major milestone in the development of the United States Army. For the first time in history, an enlisted person assumed the role of a senior enlisted adviser...
The highest ranking enlisted position in the army is held by none other than the Sergeant Major of the Army (SMA); a position, which has been bestowed to only 13 Soldiers over the past 40 years. The position was established in July 1966, by then...
The Office of the Sergeant Major of the Army (OSMA) has not always existed. The establishment of the position reflects a milestone in the history of the noncommissioned officer (NCO) and the importance of communicating the Soldier’s concerns to...
These individuals have set the bar for the growth, development and professionalism of the Noncommissioned Officer Corps known as the “Backbone of the Army."
The creation of the Office of the Sergeant major of the Army in July 1966 represented a major milestone in the development of the U.S. Army. For the first time in history an enlisted person assumed the role of an advisor to the Chief of Staff on...
Although the position of the Sergeants Major of the Army (SMA) is as common as today's squad leader, there may be a few facts that are not well known. Many soldiers know that the sergeant major was originally a part of the old Continental Army of...
The Sergeant Major of the Army is the senior enlisted Soldier in the United States Army. This position was created in 1966 for the purpose to be the senior enlisted advisor to the Army Chief of Staff. The Sergeant Major of the Army (SMA) is to be...
General Harold K. Johnson with General Order number 29 established the position of Sergeant Major of The Army on 4 July 1966. Since this positions establishment we have had thirteen Sergeant Majors of the Army SMA's. The SMA is the Chief of Staff...
SMA Wooldridge was born in Oklahoma and moved to Cross Cut Texas very early in life, so to this day he considers himself a Texan and proud of it. His Dad was an Oil Field Foreman but moved the family to his parents Ranch after his father pass away...
William O. Wooldridge was born on 12 August 1922, in Shawnee, Oklahoma. William was the eighth often children. At the age of five the family moved to Cross Cut, Texas where Wooldridge stated that life there was "hard but satisfying" (Elder,...
The United States Army NCO Corps has greatly benefited from Sergeants Major of the Army since 1966 (AUSA). As the first Sergeant Major of the Army, William O. Wooldridge had a great impact on the NCO corps as he determined his roles, duties...
The purpose of this research paper is to give an overview of the United State Army Command Sergeants Major and the contribution they have made to the Noncommissioned Officers Corps.