FORT JACKSON, S.C. -- Post Command Sgt. Maj. William (Dan) Hain was welcomed by the Fort Jackson community Feb. 7 during a change of responsibility ceremony held at Post Headquarters.
Hain accepted responsibility as Fort Jackson's new command sergeant major from Brig. Gen. Bradley Becker, post commanding general. Hain replaces Command Sgt. Maj. Kevin Benson, who retired after 28 years of service in the Army.
"Command Sgt. Major Dan Hain and his wife Barbara come to Fort Jackson with a wealth of experience," Becker said during the ceremony. "Hain is a decorated infantryman who has served in light and mechanized infantry units from Germany to Hawaii, and all points in between. In addition to having served during multiple combat tours, Hain has gained expertise as a trainer.
He's served as a drill sergeant, a senior observer controller at the National Training Center and, most recently, as the commandant of the Maneuver Center of Excellence, Non-Commissioned Officer Academy."
Hain said he has loved being a Soldier since taking part in One Station Unit Training shortly after enlisting in 1983. His arrival at Fort Jackson served as a reminder of his earliest sources of inspiration, he said.
"Every day since I've been here at Fort Jackson, the reasons for (my) motivation and passion are on display," he said. "From the sounds of freedom every morning starting about 0600 with PT, to the pride on the new Soldiers' faces -- as well as their families -- at graduation, the air of confidence in the drill sergeants in what they've accomplished ... it's just really exciting to be back here."
Benson called Fort Jackson a "gem of the Army" as he welcomed Hain to the installation. Fort Jackson is in the "people business," he said, and is tasked with not just motivating new Soldiers, but also their family members.
"They want to know what their tax dollars are doing," he said, "and that their sons and daughters, their most precious commodity ..., are being taken care of. And that's what we do. It's all about people."
Hain's previous duty positions and assignments include: Machine Gunner, C 1-12 Inf; BFV Driver, HHC 2-30 INF; Team and Squad Leader, C 2-7 CAV; Section Leader and Platoon Sergeant, D 1-7 INF; Drill Sergeant, B 1-38 INF; Platoon Sergeant, D 1-8 INF; Platoon Sergeant, B 2-9 INF; Platoon Trainer and Senior Operations NCO, Operations Group, NTC; First Sergeant, D 1-36 INF; First Sergeant, F Troop, 1st CAV; Senior Military Science Instructor, University of Central Oklahoma; Senior NCO Trainer for Mechanized Task Force and Brigade Training Teams, Operations Group, Fort Irwin, Calif.; Operations Sergeant Major, 2-27 INF; Command Sergeant Major , 1-27 INF; Command Sergeant Major, 2SBCT 25ID; Commandant, Henry Caro NCO Academy, MCoE.
His deployments include tours in Kosovo and Iraq. He is married with two daughters.
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