The U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy changed leadership June 10 when Command Sgt. Maj. Dennis Defreese assumed the responsibility as commandant from Command Sgt. Maj. Rory Malloy during a change of responsibility ceremony held in the Academy's Cooper Lecture Center, Fort Bliss, Texas. Lt. Gen. Kevin Mangum, Deputy Commanding General/Chief of Staff for U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, presided over the ceremony and gave remarks after the unit colors were passed between the outgoing and incoming commandants.
"It is a significant change in leadership in one of our hallmark institutions," Mangum said. "It is a great honor for me to share this time with you at the pinnacle of our noncommissioned officer education system a place where we really put the backbone into the backbone of our NCO Corps."
Mangum said the United States Army is the best the world has ever seen and the admiration of militaries across the globe. The biggest reason it is so admired, he added, is due to the Noncommissioned Officer Corps.
"Our NCOs are the special sauce that sets our Army apart and gives us an asymmetric advantage," he said. "A key ingredient, if not the key ingredient, to that special sauce is the crown jewel of our Noncommissioned Officer Education System, the United States Army Sergeants Major Academy. It is here we educate, train, develop, challenge and broaden our most senior NCOs preparing them to lead our Army and are the magnificent standard bearers of our NCO Corps."
Changes of command are bittersweet, Mangum told the crowd, as they force units to say goodbye to a team that has given so much over the last few years.
"Luckily the bitterness of today's farewell is more than mitigated by the pride and respect we have for the Malloys as we reflect on what they have meant to the Sergeants Major Academy. Over the past [three] years Command Sgt. Maj. Rory Malloy has added his own flair and flourishes to the secret sauce; setting the standard as he enhanced training, established new and innovative programs and ensured the hard lessons learned on the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan improved the readiness and leadership of NCO leaders across our Army," he said. "At his side and often leading the way was Deborah whose genuine care and affection was always on display. Deborah was the heartbeat of many of the organizations on this installation that provide service and support to Soldiers and our families. Know that you [both] made a huge difference here improving your foxhole, well done."
The sweet part, Mangum said, was welcoming a new leadership team.
"Sergeant major Defreese is a proven leader who has excelled in both peace and war and has successfully led Soldiers at every level from platoon to major command. [His] selection to be the third enlisted commandant of the Sergeants Major Academy is a testament to his abilities and our Army's great trust and confidence in the job he will do at Fort Bliss," Mangum said. "Luckily for the Fort Bliss and El Paso community, sergeant major Defreese brings with him his lovely wife Jane who will quickly win the hearts of everyone she meets."
Following Mangum's comments, Malloy and Defreese addressed the crowd.
"It is not about Malloy. It never has been and I don't believe it ever will be. Today rather we gather to celebrate three wonderful years and accomplishments of this Academy and this wonderful institution," Malloy said. "Over the past few weeks I have been asked what you think your legacy is going to be here and I have been able to avoid answering that question quite successfully. I will tell you I have no one thing that will be Malloy's legacy here. This Academy's success is my legacy. The people make this a great organization and it is not any one individual, especially the commandant. I have been blessed to have had the best cadre and staff a leader could ever ask for."
Defreese, a native of Goshen, Indiana, kept his remarks short as he said the new guy only gets a couple of minutes and someone out there has a stopwatch.
"I want to start by saying what an honor this is and at the same time very humbling. I cannot think of a position in the Army that I would rather serve in," he said. "I look forward to serving the Soldiers, civilians and family members of the United States Army Sergeants Major Academy to ensure the NCOs of our Army get the best education and training that we can give them."
Defreese comes to USASMA from an assignment as the division command sergeant major for First Army Division East, Fort Meade, Maryland. Malloy is currently awaiting reassignment and will remain on Fort Bliss working special projects.
Social Sharing