FORT SILL, Okla. (Nov. 19, 2015) -- The Chief Warrant Officer of the Field Artillery Branch officer saber passed hands Nov. 13, during a change of responsibility, and retreat ceremony outside McNair Hall.
Chief Warrant Officer 5 Robert Wilson took over for Chief Warrant Officer 5 Robert Whigham, who was the first Soldier to hold the position since it was created in November 2009; he began his duties in April 2010.
Whigham will move on to the Fort Sill Center for Development Integration Directorate. Wilson was most recently the course manager and senior instructor at the 428th Field Artillery Brigade's Warrant Officer Instruction Branch.
"I'm looking forward to it," said Wilson of his new job. "We can continue the goals that Mr. Whigham put us on the right path, and solidify them."
The role of the chief warrant of the branch is to advise the FA School commandant about all FA warrant officer matters, including leader development, bringing in new warrants to perpetuate the field, and the strategy of the branch for the Army today through 2025 and beyond.
Brig. Gen. William Turner, FA School commandant and chief of FA, hosted the ceremony. He thanked Whigham and recounted his numerous accomplishments in the Field Artillery Targeting Technician Branch, or 131A.
"Chief Whigham has worked tirelessly to improve the 131-Alpha professional education, leader development and technical training," the general said. "He's also a great sounding board for me and other leaders in the Fires Center of Excellence."
Whigham spearheaded efforts to restore competencies in warrant professional education, while maintaining pace with emerging technologies, Turner said.
"Because of his tenacity, our field artillery warrants are now the premier Fires technical experts, systems integrators and targeting experts," he said.
Whigham also worked to make precision Fires certification a 131A graduation requirement, and he produced the first course graduates who were certified in target accuracy and collateral damage estimate methodology, Turner said.
"He has also effectively impacted the broader Army to include other branches, TRADOC [Training and Doctrine Command], and several Army leaders through engagements and representing the field artillery in several key forums," Turner said.
The general welcomed Wilson, who before working at the 428th FA Brigade, led Soldiers in the Middle East, Korea, Germany, as well as stateside assignments.
"He comes to us with a wealth of knowledge, experience and leadership, and I know he will continue the legacy of our great CW5s, who serve with heart and energy, and accomplish great and wonderful things for our school and our branch," Turner said.
In his remarks, Whigham thanked many noncommissioned officers, warrants and officers by name, who helped him thrive in his position.
"To all of our warrant officer branches at Fort Sill across three components, thank you for creating a warrant officer network that brought great leadership from the Army-level and TRADOC-level to support our professional leader program," said Whigham, who enlisted in the Army in 1985.
He then highlighted retired Chief Warrant Officer 4 Lynn Taylor, "who dared to make the field artillery warrant officers better than they could ever imagine, not just for themselves, but also for our commanders and our Army."
In 2008, at a senior warrant council meeting in Washington, Taylor realized that field artillery was the only branch that did not have a CWO of the branch, so he began the initiative to get the position created, Whigham said.
On Nov. 23, 2009, Brig. Gen. Ross Ridge signed the authorization for the establishment of the CWO of the FA Branch position submitted by Taylor, Whigham said.
"CW4 Taylor, I hope we have made you proud," Whigham said.
Afterward, Wilson described his leadership style as participative.
"I like to get the different ideas, and try to move forward as an aggregate (a whole)," said Wilson, who has been a Soldier for 31 years.
He said one of the many things he will continue to work on is the full integration of the warrant officer cohort into the officer corps as a one-officer corps.
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