While he walked through the post Exchange the night before he would take command of Fort Jackson, Brig. Gen. Roger L. Cloutier found inspiration from a special source the post is known for -- a newly graduated Initial Entry Training Soldier.
When the general met Pvt. Moses, who "stood tall, full of pride and disciplined," he was profoundly affected. And when he saw Pvt. Moses's grandmother in tears, Cloutier said, the "magnitude of what occurs here every day" hit him.
"There is no greater responsibility than training the great young men and women who volunteer to defend this idea we call America," Cloutier, a career Infantry officer and father of three, said during his initial speech as post commander. "Their Families give us their prized possessions -- their sons and daughters -- who join an Army at war, and willingly defend our freedom. We owe them our very best, and I am committed to that."
When the chief of staff of the Army asked Cloutier to command Fort Jackson, he was putting in place a leader known for taking care of Soldiers and friends.
Command Sgt. Maj. Neal Seals, Special Troops Battalion senior enlisted leader, characterized the new post commander as a great leader, a "Soldier's leader."
"He really cares for the troops," said Seals, who served under Cloutier as operations sergeant major for 1st Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division. "He understands what they go through and ensures they have everything they need."
While commanding the 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment during Operation Iraqi Freedom, Cloutier became known for acting quickly after a roadside bomb killed one of his Soldiers.
In an event chronicled in the Los Angeles Times article "A Death in the Family," then Lt. Col. Cloutier mounted an aggressive campaign to root out insurgents near his base in Iraq. He sent Abrams tanks and Bradley fighting vehicles, in cooperation with a nearby Iraqi Army unit, into the town of Muqdadiyah, hunting those responsible and reportedly capturing eight insurgent leaders.
Times reporter David Zucchino quoted Cloutier as saying he wanted to "haunt" the enemy's dreams.
Cloutier later would be the first person to welcome a wounded Iraqi Army hero to the United States for treatment of multiple gunshot wounds suffered in an assassination attempt. The Washington Times reported in the story "Fighting a new battle" that Cloutier told his colleague, Capt. Furat that "it took a long time, but we were able to do it." Cloutier's arrival signaled the end of a two-month campaign by Army and Air Force officers, civilians and senators to bring Furat to America for treatment.
On Christmas Day 2005, Capt. Furat -- of the Iraqi Tiger Battalion -- had been shot 12 times and paralyzed by a group of insurgents. Though severely wounded, Furat fought off his attackers and in the process killed one of them. (The Iraqi Soldier's first name never was released publicly.)
Cloutier also understands how Soldiers must learn to adapt to challenges.
During a 2005 air assault, Soldiers in Cloutier's battalion found themselves having to switch from fighting the enemy to conducting humanitarian missions in the blink of an eye.
"A Soldier in Iraq has to be ready to fight one second and then transition to handing out leaflets, passing out candy, or just helping the local population," he said in an article released by the 42nd Infantry Division Public Affairs Office in 2005.
Several other sources spoke off the record, citing Cloutier's tenacity and determination.
Cloutier has an extensive military record that includes combat leadership as brigade and battalion commander in Iraq, and leadership positions such as director, Army force management; commandant of the Army Force Management School; executive officer to the Supreme Commander, Europe; and deputy commander, maneuver, for the 3rd Infantry Division.
These stops along his military career reinforced his command style and philosophy. In January, Cloutier wrote in the Army Force Management School newsletter that his charges should "Remember to 'lift as you climb,' which means that when you achieve success in your craft that you should also 'lift' those that supported you to multiply success."
Cloutier, who will be promoted to major general in the near future, is no stranger to Fort Jackson and Columbia. He led nationwide listening sessions that sought out community feedback about local bases, among them Fort Jackson.
During his going-away address, Maj. Gen. Bradley Becker said the Fort Jackson community was "in even better hands" with Cloutier in command and predicted: "He is going to love Fort Jackson."
Cloutier said he and his Family "already feel like we're home" and are ready to "get after it."
The new Fort Jackson commander has been married to his wife, Diane, for 25 years and has three children, Haille, Roger III and Cameron.
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