Fort Rucker welcomes new CSM

By Nathan Pfau, Army Flier Staff WriterAugust 4, 2016

Fort Rucker welcomes new CSM
Command Sgt. Maj. Christopher D. Spivey, Fort Rucker garrison command sergeant major, accepts the unit colors from Col. Shannon T. Miller, Fort Rucker garrison commander, as he assumes command from Command Sgt. Maj. William D. Lohmeyer, outgoing garr... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT RUCKER, Ala. -- Fort Rucker welcomed a new garrison command sergeant major while it bid farewell to the outgoing senior NCO during a ceremony at the U.S. Army Aviation Museum Aug. 2.

Command Sgt. Maj. Christopher D. Spivey assumed responsibility from Command Sgt. Maj. William D. Lohmeyer.

Col. Shannon T. Miller, Fort Rucker garrison commander, presided over the ceremony to welcome the new command sergeant major while she bid farewell to her friend and confidant.

"Command Sergeant Major Lohmeyer, you have been a phenomenal battle buddy to me, a phenomenal adviser, confidant and friend, and I sincerely appreciate everything you've done for me and the garrison," said the garrison commander. "I feel blessed that God and the Army saw it fit to pair me up with Sergeant Major Lohmeyer because I know that we would not have been successful without your leadership.

"At the same time, we are welcoming another great team -- Command Sergeant Major Spivey and his wife (CW3 Gina Spivey), who serves at the Warrant Officer Career College," she continued. "Command Sergeant Major Spivey, I have the utmost confidence in you. I know that you have exactly what it takes to lead our organization to higher levels of excellence and I look forward to serving with you."

Spivey comes to Fort Rucker with a wealth of experience. He enlisted in the Army in 1988 as a tube-launched, optically tracked, wire-guided missile crewman and has held multiple positions throughout the Army.

He's served across multiple continents and held many leadership positions, including team and squad leader, platoon sergeant and operations sergeant major.

Spivey has also served in multiple deployments, including Operation Desert Storm, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, as well as deployments to Bosnia and Djibouti.

With his wealth of experience, Spivey said he hopes to be able to follow in the footsteps of the path set forth by his predecessor.

"I've heard it once and I've heard it many times -- I have big shoes to fill," said Spivey. "After the past couple of weeks, I see what they mean. I really don't think anyone could come in here and have as large of an impact as you have had. You have done an amazing job, and it shows how much by the amount of respect you get from the people around you and how much they genuinely care for you.

"I may not be able to fill your shoes, but I can certainly walk in the path that you've created," he said. "I will continue where you left off. Fort Rucker has a very distinct history, and as each day passes, I look forward to adding to that history.

Lohmeyer thanked his family, friends and leaders for their support throughout his assignment on Fort Rucker and expressed his vote of confidence in Spivey, as well as a bit of advice.

"Command Sergeant Major Spivey, I envy you," said the outgoing command sergeant major. "You and Gina are about to embark on a job where you don't have to wake the workforce up in the morning and you don't have to tell them (how to do their job) -- they just do it all on their own, and all you have to do is walk around and tell them thanks every now and then."