Sgt. Maj. of the Army Michael A. Grinston checks out the groupings on his target after firing an M4 rifle with basic combat trainees Dec. 6, 2019, at Fort Sill's 25 Meter II Range. Grinston visited the post to learn about the Basic Combat Training, f...

Sgt. Maj. of the Army Michael A. Grinston meets with the media Dec. 6, 2019, at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. He said he attended Basic Combat Training and Advanced Individual Training here to become a field artillery Soldier; and also was a drill sergeant at...

FORT SILL, Oklahoma (Dec. 6, 2019) -- Sgt. Maj. of the Army Michael A. Grinston visited the Fires Center of Excellence and Fort Sill, Dec. 6. It's where he began his Army career as a field artilleryman 32 years ago; and where he was a drill sergeant from 1997-1999.

As the Army chief of staff's personal adviser on the enlisted force, Grinston has only been in the position since Aug. 9. He was here to see the post's basic combat, field artillery, and air defense artillery training missions.

In the morning he visited basic combat trainees from the 434th Field Artillery Brigade.

"It's always good to come out and see what training we have going on," he said, "to come out and feel it, to touch it -- it reminds us of what we're doing; did we get it right or do we need we need to make any adjustments?"

Grinston said he talked to young trainees about goal setting.

"Have goals and if you achieve those goals, then make new ones," he said. It takes discipline and striving every day to meet those goals, whether it's fitness or eating habits.

He said as sergeant major of the Army he's established some goals that he'd like to have for the Army, and now has four years to reach them.

Grinston said there may be changes in training in 2020, such as increasing the duration of one unit station training for infantrymen, and cavalry scouts. Also, rigorous training in basic combat training will be maintained.

The U.S. Army is the greatest army in the world, Grinston said.

"The people that we bring in are smarter, they're fit and the future for the Army looks really good," he said. "We serve the people of the United States and we're going to protect them with our lives if that's what it comes to."