Bryant new top NCO of the Army Sustainment Command

By Justin Graff, ASC Public Affairs OfficeJanuary 9, 2015

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1 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
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2 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Current ASC NCOs depict historical Medal of Honor recipient NCOs from the Revolutionary War, Spanish-American War, World War I, World War II, Vietnam War, and Korean War during a change of responsibility ceremony, Jan. 9, at Rock Island Arsenal, Ill.... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
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3 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Command Sgt. Maj. James E. Spencer receives a certificate of appreciation with his wife, Laura, from Lt. Gen. Patricia E. McQuistion, deputy commanding general, Army Materiel Command, during Spencer's retirement ceremony, Jan. 9, at Rock Island Arsen... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
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4 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
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5 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Maj. Gen. Kevin G. O'Connell, ASC's commanding general, hands Command Sgt. Maj. Anthony M. Bryant, incoming top enlisted Soldier, the NCO sword during the change of responsibility ceremony held Jan. 9 at Rock Island Arsenal, Ill. (Photo by Justin Gra... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

ROCK ISLAND ARSENAL, Ill. - Command Sgt. Major Anthony M. Bryant became top enlisted Soldier of the U.S. Army Sustainment Command during a Jan. 9 change of responsibility ceremony held at Heritage Hall, here.

Bryant assumed responsibility from Command Sgt. Major James E. Spencer, who held the position since 2012. In a retirement ceremony following the handover, Spencer was honored for his 29 years of military service.

Maj. Gen. Kevin G. O'Connell, ASC commanding general, presided over the change of responsibility ceremony.

The ceremony is steeped in military traditions and serves a dual function of rendering honors to the departing command sergeant major and providing official recognition of the transfer of authority to the incoming command sergeant major.

To mark the transfer of responsibility, Sgt. Maj. Douglas Martin, ASC, handed the NCO sword to Spencer, who then passed it to O'Connell. O'Connell continued the rotation to Bryant. With his position as ASC's top enlisted Soldier established, Bryant then passed the sword back to Martin for safekeeping.

"I look at the non-commissioned officer as the back-bone of the Army," said O'Connell. "They're very trusted professionals, leaders of character, confidence and commitment. They accomplish the mission, while taking care of Soldiers, families, civilians and simply people."

"We used to say officers plan, and non-commissioned officers execute, but the more you really see things, non-commissioned officers do more than just execute," O'Connell continued. "They plan, they prepare, they rehearse, they execute, they conduct after-action reviews. As you rise in the ranks of the NCO corps, to be a command sergeant major, you're an advisor. You're a teacher, a coach, a trainer, a mentor, an adviser to the commander."

In his farewell remarks, Spencer recapped his many years as a command sergeant major, thanking his former mentors and commanders.

"I greatly appreciate the time that I've had with each one of them," Spencer said. "And ma'am, gentlemen, thanks so much for empowering me as your non-commissioned officer, to give me the latitude to move across the sectors to be the command sergeant major I needed to be. And for me there's no greater honor than to serve the Soldiers, civilians, and family members of this great Army."

Spencer plans to remain in the Quad City area, which O'Connell described as "good news."

Moving the spotlight from Spencer to Bryant, O'Connell said, "The other good news is, we're getting another great command sergeant major team into ASC."

As command sergeant major, Bryant will serve as the primary adviser to the ASC commanding general on all matters pertaining to enlisted personnel assigned to the command. Particularly, he will oversee all areas related to training and development and to the quality of life and well-being of Soldiers and their families.

"I am very excited to join the Army Sustainment Command, as your command sergeant major," said Bryant. "I can think of no greater organization at this time in my career that I would rather be a part of."

Bryant comes to ASC from the Joint Munitions Command, right here at RIA.

Retirement Ceremony

In a retirement ceremony immediately following the change of responsibility, Lt. Gen. Patricia E. McQuistion, Army Materiel Command, deputy commanding general, decorated Spencer with the Legion of Merit. McQuistion presided over the retirement ceremony.

"It's been said to be born free is an accident, to live free is a privilege, to stay free is a responsibility," said McQuistion. "Jim Spencer's borne that responsibility for three decades for himself, his family and his nation."

"There may be a few things that the command sergeant major will not miss as he departs uniformed service, but one I know he will miss is being with Soldiers every day."

Spencer's wife and children were also recognized in the ceremony.

"It isn't a retirement, it's just a milestone," said Spencer. "There are many other things that team Spencer is going to do, and this is one of the great things we will always look back upon and say, 'Hey, this was an awesome time of our lives.'"