412th CSB welcomes new command sergeant major

By Daniel P. Elkins, Mission and Installation Contracting Command Public Affairs OfficeAugust 13, 2015

412th CSB welcomes new command sergeant major
1 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Command Sgt. Maj. Jerry Charles addresses members of the 412th Contracting Support Brigade during an assumption of responsibility ceremony Aug. 13 at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, Texas. Charles assumed responsibility as the 412th CSB comm... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
412th CSB welcomes new command sergeant major
2 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas -- (Aug. 13, 2015) Members of the 412th Contracting Support Brigade welcomed their new command sergeant major during a change of responsibility ceremony here Aug. 13.

Command Sgt. Maj. Jerry Charles assumed responsibility of the organization from outgoing Command Sgt. Maj. Jesse Hammond Jr. during a ceremony officiated by Col. Tim Strange, the 412th CSB commander.

The brigade commander said Hammond ensured Soldiers were trained and ready to support Army worldwide operations.

"He led the brigade for 37 months with perseverance and personal example," Strange said. "CSM Hammond was the senior enlisted member for the Operational Contracting Support Joint Exercise for the past three years and was integral for the success of these exercises as they were recognized by senior DOD leaders. He was the lead trainer, the lead motivator, a leader of Soldiers and Army civilians, and a fine NCO."

Charles comes to the 412th CSB from Fort Drum, New York, where he served as the command sergeant major for Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry). He said he looks forward to leading Soldiers assigned to the brigade.

"It is a privilege to join the ranks of the 412th CSB, and it is a privilege I do not take lightly," Charles said. "To the men and women of the 412th: You have sacrificed greatly, and I accept the challenge to serve with each and every one of you."

Charles entered the Army in January 1993 as a supply specialist. He has served in a variety of operating and generating assignments in both staff and leadership positions to include tours with the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, 1-19th Infantry Battalion, 192nd Infantry Basic Combat Training Brigade, 10th Area Support Group, Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, V Corps, Multi-national Corps-Iraq, NATO Training Mission Afghanistan, and 13th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary). The command sergeant major's operational deployments include three tours in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and two tours in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

A native of the Caribbean island of Trinidad, Charles calls Hempstead, New York, home. He has accomplished all essential professional military development throughout his career and holds a master's degree in management and leadership from Webster University.

Hammond retires from the Army in a ceremony Aug. 27 after 32 years of service. The Cleveland native entered the service in November 1983 as a material control and accounting specialist and has served in a variety of positions before joining the Army Acquisition Corps and earning a Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act Level III contracting certification. A recipient of the Expeditionary Contingency Contracting Medallion #45, he has deployed to Kuwait and Iraq in support of Operations Desert Shield, Desert Storm and Iraqi Freedom.

"It has been a pleasure to serve in the premier contracting brigade in the Army. Remember to treat everyone as a member, and together everyone achieves more," said Hammond, concluding with his personal mantra, "Team, team."

The 412th CSB plans and executes contingency contracting support for U.S. Army North in support of Army and joint operations throughout the Northern Command area of responsibility. The brigade trains, mobilizes, deploys, sustains, transforms, and reconstitutes contingency contracting forces, providing relevant and ready acquisition support and capability to global combatant commanders

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