YONGSAN GARRISON, Republic of Korea - In a change of responsibility, the senior enlisted leadership of United States Army Garrison Yongsan was passed from outgoing Command Sgt. Maj. John C. Justis to incoming Command Sgt. Maj. Daniel L. Willing on Lombardo Field here, May 10.
Though it had only been one year since Justis' arrival, his absence would be clearly felt, as he had done an outstanding job of supporting the garrison and inspiring Soldiers and Civilians not to settle for the status quo, but to strive for the best. Some of his legacies on garrison include his weekly Facebook column allowing Community members to ask any questions they had, as well as his "Give the Gift of a Lifetime" stop smoking campaign which invited people to join him in his decision to quit smoking for his loved ones.
As Soldiers and Civilians stood in formation, the garrison commander Col. William P. Huber, shared special words recognizing Justis for his meritorious service, congratulating him on his retirement, and bidding him farewell. With the departure of one exceptional Command Sgt. Maj. however, U.S. Army Garrison Yongsan welcomed the guidance of another, as the commander expressed his faith in Willing's ability to excel in the duty of garrison Command Sgt. Maj.
As a 19D cavalry scout, Willing's excellence in leadership ability landed him in every single enlisted leadership position possible to him, starting from squad leader all the way up to Command Sgt. Maj. Additionally, Willing was deployed to Operation Desert Shield, SFOR 1, and several other deployments. Despite the variety of experiences in his career, Willing would be tasked with a brand new assignment on U.S. Army Garrison Yongsan. Compared to his past assignments as well as his most recent assignment as the Command Sgt. Maj. of solely the Military side at Fort Bliss, Texas, his responsibilities on USAG Yongsan would present a task of a different nature.
"I knew how to be a combat Soldier, but this is going to be a little different," Willing said. "This is taking care of Families, Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, our DoD civilians and our host nation's Korean nationals who are with us."
Despite being a new experience, Willing confidently stated, "I'm looking forward to serving the Community and making Yongsan the best U.S. Army Garrison. I don't know what I don't know, and I still have to learn before I can really focus on where I see my energies going."
Willing expressed his intent to actively get involved with the Community and Korean culture in order to find out how best to support USAG Yongsan and its Community.
"I'm the kind of guy, I learn by doing."
In his endeavors to discover Korea, Willing expressed his interest in visiting Seoul and meeting the Korean Community.
"One of my personal goals as far as expanding my knowledge of the world is to get out and meet Korean people."
Willing also stated that one of the reasons he was so excited about his new assignment was that he was eager to find out how the Republic of Korea had changed ever since his last visit in 1995. Back then, a Squadron Bradley Master Gunner for the 4th Squadron 7th Cavalry at Camp Garry Owen, Willing said that Korea had developed and changed a great deal since then. Willing said, therefore, that it would be interesting to visit Panmunjeon and Munsan to see what kinds of changes had taken place there.
As the ceremony came to a close, Willing concluded his remarks by expressing his gratitude and excitement for being able to serve Yongsan garrison.
"I'm extremely happy to be here, my wife is extremely happy to be here," he said. "I think it will be a good experience not only for my Family but for everybody I can touch and influence in the Community. When I leave here, I want to leave it better than what I've found."
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