Sergeant Major of the Army Daniel A. Dailey, visited Soldiers of the 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) at Fort Drum, N.Y., July 18-19. Dailey toured several locations on post to receive an inside look at the division's state of readiness.

"The Chief of Staff of the Army's number one priority is readiness. Why is it so important and what are Soldiers for?" Dailey asked. "Soldiers are for one thing, fighting and winning our nation's wars."

Dailey started his day with the 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) by participating in physical-readiness training with Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team. Dailey joined the Soldiers on a five-mile run around Fort Drum, with a completion time of less than 40 minutes, meeting the run-time standard for the Army Ranger Physical Fitness Test.

After his morning run with Soldiers, Dailey stopped by the 10th Mountain Division Light Fighters School, which supports the division's efforts to remain tactically and technically proficient.

"You can tell the instructors here and the leadership here, they are committed. They are well selected by the senior leadership of this division," Dailey said. "They have what I call the desire to want to train and educate the next generation of leaders in the Army."

He also heard from school leadership about programs they are implementing in the school to maintain physical readiness such as sports-medicine techniques and fitness goals.

"Over the last two years with the introduction of the Unbreakable Warrior Program, the Mountain Athlete Warrior and functional-movement screening we've lowered our injury rate through this course by 80 percent," said Sfc. Michael Patraw, the non-commissioned officer in charge of the school's Pre-Ranger Course.

These programs, exclusive to the 10th Mountain Division, teach Soldiers how to mitigate injury during physical training, and promote a healthy lifestyle. The programs aim to train Soldiers in fitness similar to how athletes train.

Dailey also had the chance to meet with senior leaders at Clark Hall, Fort Drum's in-processing hub, to see what they are accomplishing to prepare Soldiers for the challenges they will face while in the Army.

Clark Hall contributes to Soldier readiness by ensuring Soldier's needs are taken care of when first arriving to Fort Drum, and by preparing Soldiers for deployment through Soldier Readiness Processing.

"Personnel readiness is a continuous process at Fort Drum. It starts with in-processing, is continuously built and maintained by the unit, and validated during Soldier Readiness Processing," said Mark Oldroyd, the Chief of Personnel Services branch at Clark Hall. "We want everyone to focus on their role in their unit, and in the Army. Slow is smooth, smooth is fast. If you slow your move through in-processing so that you take care of the things you need, you can move fast at your unit and be a successful part of a team."

Dailey concluded his visit with a town hall meeting with Soldiers and their spouses at the Multipurpose Auditorium on post. During the meeting, Dailey explained that Soldier readiness and deployability are the top priority for today's Army.

"My experience here with the 10th Mountain Division is just like it was the last time I came here, Dailey said. "Highly motivated Soldiers, committed to what they're doing for our Army, and keeping our Army strong."