The Army’s Command Selection List (CSL) details which Sergeants Major are appointed to the position of Command Sergeant Major where they will serve as the most senior rank of Noncommissioned Officers in the Army. In this position they are responsible for enforcing enlisted training and standards and acting as advisors to their officer counterparts. The position is one of great importance and requires both experience and trust to achieve. The 2024 CSL included four members of the Noncommissioned Officer Leadership Center of Excellence (NCOLCoE).

The NCOLCoE, which is responsible for training Sergeants Major through the Sergeants Major Academy (SGM-A) was honored to see these four graduates and current staff members make the list. They include Sgts. Maj. Justin Hood, Michael Wahl, Soraya Bacchus, and Wendy Menendez.

Command Sgt. Maj. (select) Bacchus will transfer to a unit at Ft. Irwin, Calif. where she will not only serve as a Command Sergeant Major but will also serve as the first female Command Sergeant Major in the 94 Delta Military Occupational Specialty. She stated that her time as a student at the Academy was a valuable way to fill gaps in between experience and education, giving her a more complete understanding of how the Army works on a strategic level. Bacchus shared a piece of advice she would pass to other Soldiers; “Take the hard jobs no one else wants to take and do your best on them.”

Another Soldier on the list was Command Sgt. Maj. (select) Hood who will stay at Ft. Bliss, Texas but will transfer to a new unit on the base. “It is good to be able to continue to serve and to continue to serve on this installation,” said Hood. “I have had a lot of chances to earn degrees and experience in the Army as well as the opportunity to help others achieve their education goals. I am glad to have a chance to take some of what I have learned over the past couple of years and give something back that will have a positive impact on young Soldiers and officers.”

These graduates of the SGM-A and soon to be Command Sergeants Major get the chance to use their education and experience to improve the units they will be assigned to by drawing from their own unique abilities and experiences. In addition, they will have a valuable opportunity to train Soldiers and shape the Army for years to come.