A senior NCO shined when I needed it

The smears against Tim Walz don't change why it's incredible to have a former CSM as our Number 2

When I was broken my right hand NCO picked me up

Every command in the United States military at every level has an officer in charge and a senior non-commissioned officer as his number two partner. Platoon Leaders have Platoon Sergeants(PSG). Company Commanders have First Sergeants. (1SG) Battalion and Squadron Commanders have a Command Sergeant Major (CSM) and right up to even the Chairman-of-the-Joint Chiefs who has the Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman (SEAC).

The role falls an NCO who is a master at their craft and is charged with caring for the enlisted service members, managing the maintenance and preparation of the equipment, and advising the commanding officer on tactical employment and management of the unit. They are truly the officer’s right hand man, counselor, and mentor.

I had the distinct honor to lead three different Aeroscout platoons in Korea, Hunter Army Airfield in Georgia, and in combat for Operation Desert Storm with exceptional platoon sergeants. Then I got to command two different companies at Fort Campbell and in Hawaii. As a more senior officer I was a Battalion Operations and Executive Officer in peacetime and combat where I worked directly with our CSM to employ our units.

Time and time again that senior NCO gave me candid and often uncomfortable advice, raised my morale, took care of my soldiers, and was the needed voice of common sense in our planning.

Then one time he literally picked me up off the floor.

This is why I value a former Command Sergeant Major like Tim Walz serving as the right hand man of Vice President Kamala Harris.

In chaos the Non-Commissioned Officer shines

I was a 29-year old Captain commanding a Headquarters and Headquarters Company of an Apache Attack Helicopter battalion at Fort Campbell, Kentucky in September of 1994. I had a seasoned NCO as my First Sergeant who always took care of the company and guided me through the challenges of a complicated unit that had soldiers assigned ranging from the actual senior officers to the kids that put fuel in our helicopters.

On September 26th I was sitting in the conference room at the hanger when my former boss, and current Battalion Executive Officer, came into whisper in the new Battalion Commander’s ear and asked him to step outside. It was a tense meeting as this guy was taking over that week and was already proving to be a real asshole.

This can’t be good

I took the opportunity to go out in the hallway and grab a coke from the machine. They both were engaged in an animated conversation and were startled when I stepped into the hallway.

The XO asked me, “What are you doing?” I told him I was grabbing a soda and he instead asked me to step into the flight planning room next door. It was odd, but I followed them in to a room filled with probably 15 people including the Battalion Chaplain, looking pretty grim.

If you’ve been in the Army even a day you know it’s never good to find the Chaplain waiting for you. I was right this time too.

The XO sat me down in a chair facing him and crouched down to tell me there had been an accident. I said, “Jenn?” and he shook his head no. I said, “the baby?” and he said no.

I had lost my seven and a half month pregnant wife and unborn child in a car accident on her way back from errands in Nashville. I lost my entire family.

Jennifer at her baby shower on September 11th, 1994. She was lost two weeks later.

Chaos and a life line

To say that all hell broke loose would be an understatement. The new commander started bellowing, “HAS THIS BEEN CONFIRMED?!?” The XO and Chaplain were telling him it had and the Military Police were trying to explain it. People were arguing, yelling, and freaking out.

I fell out of the chair and as near as I can remember crawled or walked over to the wall and slid down to the floor in shock. Alone.

I vaguely remember the First Sergeant sliding in next to me. Looking at me. He put his arm around me and asked, “You alright, sir?”

I was not.

Then he took charge. Trauma memory is funny so its all hazy. But I remember him yelling for them all to “SHUT THE FUCK UP!” and “This officer needs our help and I’m getting him the fuck out of here.”

Then he literally picked me up by the shoulders and duck walked me out of the room. Away from the madness. Minutes later I was in the XO’s car heading to the hospital to see my now dead wife.

He took care of me when all hell broke loose.

We need that person

Why do I tell this story now? That’s what a senior NCO does for their commander. It’s different than a Chief-of-Staff or Assistant. They keep track of the morale of the unit. They know the “vibe” and understand how the boss is doing. They are there to support and understand their role isn’t to be in the spotlight or to be the face of the unit. Their job is to make the person in that role better. To help them achieve their goals and, when needed, step in to shoot them straight or even pick them up and carry them forward.

That’s what us old soldiers see when we see how Tim Walz looks at Kamala Harris and talks about her. That’s the reassuring face many of us know from our time in service. That old beyond his actual years, experienced face that will help her in tough times, and hype her when the going is good.

That’s why so many of us are scoffing at this ‘stolen valor’ bullshit and the idiots that are spreading it for nothing but political gain. We know the power of a good CSM and we want the first woman President in history to have that partner by her side.

That’s why I wanted Tim Walz to get the nod and will stand by him through this mess.

The Show

I wanted to talk about those issues on this weeks show so I brought on my old friend, fellow West Point grad, and co-chair of the of the Democratic National Committee’s Veterans and Military Family Council, Terron Sims II on to discuss Tim Walz and what Democrats have accomplished for veterans.

The conversation does not disappoint so I hope you will watch it. I tell the above story at the end in an unplanned burst of vulnerability. I hope it helps you understand how important this moment is for those of us who served honorably.

Terron Sims II

Terron Sims II is the co-chair of the Democratic National Committee Veterans and Military Families Council. Sims served on active duty in the US Army as a Field Artillery officer. Since leaving the military he has served in a host of political roles of increasing responsibility. In 2008 and 2012, he was Director, Virginia VMF for Obama and served on the Defense and Veterans Policy Teams, where he wrote the Service Member Life Insurance policy. In 2010, Sims wrote the Democratic National Committee’s VMF candidates’ platform, which is used in federal campaigns nationwide. During Sec. Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign, Mr. Sims wrote her DoD and VA Intergovernmental Agency Policy. For the 2020 Biden campaign, Mr. Sims wrote five pieces of veterans policy, primarily in the areas of entrepreneurship and business for military spouses and veterans. In addition to his political accomplishments, Terron has published two novels, With Honor In Hand and Hands of Honor, and has written his third novel, For Hands to Honor, along with his Iraq memoirs, Baghdad Peace, as well as other pieces of work. He also writes regularly about veterans and military families and national security issues.

Democratic National Convention Next Week

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