Return to the "POINTER VIEW"
                         August 9, 2002

SMA Tilley visits West Point

By Spc. Eric S. Bartelt
Asst. Editor

It has been nine years since West Point entertained an official visit from the Army’s highest-ranking enlisted soldier. That changed Aug. 1 when Sgt. Maj. of the Army Jack L. Tilley made a two-day trip here.

During his stay at the U.S. Military Academy Tilley met with soldiers and journeyed to training areas to chat with the cadets and observe training.

Fresh off his excursion from the Army Training and Leadership Conference, the sergeant major wanted to reiterate a topic from the conference: the important relationship between the noncommissioned officers and the officer corps.

"In the Army we have great technology and great equipment, but the difference [between us and other military powers] is the relationship between our noncommissioned officers and officer corps," Tilley said. "If we go to war, we go to war as a team. So the one thing I talked to the cadets about is the importance of developing as a leader and understanding exactly how to use their noncommissioned officers."

The cadets receive much of their introduction to military life from their 32 tactical noncommissioned officers. According to Tilley, these NCOs play a big part in the cadets’ future in the Army.

"If you ever talk to the Chief of Staff of the Army [Gen. Eric K. Shinseki], he talks about his first platoon sergeant, Ernie Kincaid," Tilley said. "In fact, he helped the chief get ready for war and talks about how he prepared him to be a platoon leader.

"NCOs establish the standards and the way a cadet conducts himself out in the field. I think there’s a balance between officer 

focus and NCO focus, and I think it’s important that cadets learn that right here at the academy."

Tilley believes cadets would function better if their NCOs were fresh from working in the field. He says it’s important to bring a tactical side to develop future officers who will need that knowledge once they enter the field.

His visit to West Point was to understand exactly what his NCOs are doing here and what he could do to help them.

"As a sergeant, I have a responsibility in the developmental phase of officers and NCOs," Tilley said. "So I think it’s important for me to understand how the NCOs function and work here."

The sergeant major observed the cadets at several training sites. During lunch he discussed with cadets what they should expect once they enter the Army.

One new cadet asked the sergeant major what he looks for in an officer.

"I look for honesty, being straight forward, having good communication skills and being a good listener," Tilley said.

He also told the cadets that communication between officers and enlisted soldiers is vital and that they should rely on the experience of seasoned NCOs.

"When you enter the Army as a lieutenant, listen to your sergeants. As you are learning, my responsibility as a sergeant is to tell you the way things are and that may include some things that you don’t like. Talk to and listen to your platoon sergeant because you may have four years at West Point, but he or she has 17 or 18 years in the Army -- that’s a big difference," Tilley said.

As the SMA left the ranges, the cadets’ youthful enthusiasm was not lost on the 33-year Army combat veteran. He said his travels to Afghanistan to meet with young soldiers fighting the war on terrorism made him conclude that the Army is in good shape with its dynamic group of 18-to-21 year olds.

"When I first took this job as the Sergeant Major of the Army, I kept hearing people talk about how soldiers are not as tough as they were 20 years ago," Tilley said. "I’ve been over to Afghanistan. You have soldiers fighting at 11,000 feet above sea level when its hard to breathe at the altitude, engaging targets in excess of 300 meters away, moving from point A to point B within nine hours when they had two days to do it with 80 pounds on their back.

"I talked to soldiers that were wounded, most of them 18-to-21 years of age," he continued. "I thought maybe they were going to tell me they wanted to go home and see their parents, but for the most part they said patch them up and send them back to their unit. So I don’t want to hear about how soldiers aren’t tough enough, aren’t as motivated as they use to be because they are as tough and just as motivated as ever."

Tilley was proud to see how motivated everyone is at West Point, especially during the battalion run Aug. 2. Soldiers here said they were happy to run with the Army’s top enlisted man and intently listened to his every word after the run.

"It was a great run with him, it’s always great to get everyone together at one time to run," said Spc. Stephen C. Bartlett, operating room technician, Keller Army Community Hospital. "Within our own individual units it’s good to do PT everyday, but this builds an esprit de corps among all the units on post -- it’s a lot of fun to do that."

After the run, the sergeant major touched on pay and safety issues. He wants all soldiers to be safety conscience, such as using seat belts, and live by standards because the Army is a standards-based force.

Most of all, he relayed the importance of staying vigilant as the days grow further away from Sept. 11.

"The SMA told us we have to stay on our toes and keep the security up and make sure we don’t get complacent in what we do," said Sgt. William V. Wesolowski, flight operations, 2nd Aviation Detachment, 1st Battalion, 1st Infantry. "The sergeant major says there are still people here that want to hurt us and other Americans, so we have to keep doing our job."

The sergeant major talked about how the Army is progressing in many areas such as pay, the improved quality of life for family housing and single soldier quarters, TRICARE, retirement benefits and improved educational benefits through the G.I. Bill and programs like e Army U.

"We’re not just talking about making improvements, we’re doing it," Tilley said. "I like being Sergeant Major of the Army because it allows me to try to make a positive change in the military. There’s a lot of things we’re doing that I’m excited about, but it’s not just me, it’s the Chief of Staff and it’s the soldiers in the Army that are doing a great job."

Tilley, who had visited West Point once before in an unofficial capacity, mentioned how proud he is as a soldier to see how well this institution is run and what a great job it does at the developmental process of creating officers for the Army.

Before he left, he offered some words of advice to both the cadets and soldiers.

"[To the cadets], remember that we’re at war and that our country and our Army depends on your leadership and the things that you’re going to do, so don’t take lightly the things you do here," Tilley said. "[To the soldiers], Sept. 11 changed all of our lives, but the further we get from it, the more complacent we get, so don’t allow yourself to get complacent. Don’t back off because if it can happen once it can happen again -- so always stay focused."