Torres takes over as ASC command sergeant major, Ulloth heads to Texas

By Paul LevesqueOctober 24, 2019

ASC Change of Responsibility
1 / 6 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Command Sgt. Maj. Marco Torres receives the ASC colors from Maj. Gen. Steven Shapiro, commanding general of the U.S. Army Sustainment Command, during a change of responsibility ceremony held Oct. 22 on Memorial Field at Rock Island Arsenal. (Photo b... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
ASC Change of Responsibility
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6 / 6 Show Caption + Hide Caption – A 13-gun salute is fired in honor of Maj. Gen. Steven Shapiro, commanding general of the U.S. Army Sustainment Command, who served as the presiding officer during a change of responsibility ceremony held Oct. 22 on Memorial Field at Rock Island Arsen... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

ROCK ISLAND ARSENAL, Ill. - In an outdoor ceremony held here Oct. 22 at a windswept Memorial Field, Command Sgt. Maj. Marco Torres officially became command sergeant major of the U.S. Army Sustainment Command.

Torres took over from Command Sgt. Maj. Joe Ulloth, who had served in the position since May 2017. Torres comes to ASC from Joint Base San Antonio - Fort Sam Houston, Texas, where he served as command sergeant major of the Mission and Installation Contracting Command.

Ulloth's next assignment will also take him to San Antonio, where he will serve as command sergeant major of the U.S. Army Installation Management Command.

As ASC's command sergeant major, Torres will hold the command's top enlisted rank and will serve as the senior enlisted adviser to ASC's commanding general.

In remarks delivered at the ceremony, Maj. Gen. Steven Shapiro, commanding general of ASC, noted that the change of responsibility ceremony was appropriately named.

"The command sergeant major of ASC has a lot of responsibility," he said. "This is a large command with a global presence and a diverse workforce, made up not just of Soldiers but also a very large number of (Department of the Army) civilians and contractors.

"Every day, it seems, we get a new mission," Shapiro continued, "and every day, the people of ASC just make it happen."

Shapiro described Ulloth as "quick on his feet and a very good listener" and said that three words summarized him as a leader: Courage, conviction and commitment.

"You had the courage to speak your mind in a forthright, direct manner, and we need that in this command," Shapiro said.

"Your courage is rooted in your conviction, which is shown in an unwavering belief in the Army's core values," Shapiro said. "You exemplify those values, more by what you do and how you act than by what you say.

"You have great compassion for all the Soldiers in our command, and for our civilians and contractor as well," he continued. "You gave of yourself and put the needs of others ahead of your own. You have earned the respect, not just of our Soldiers, but of our DA civilians and contractors."

Shapiro quipped that another word summed up Ulloth - "Merline" - Ulloth's wife, who was praised by Shapiro for her love and support, and for her contributions to the arsenal and to the Quad Cities community which surrounds the installation.

"The Ulloth family embraced the Quad Cities, and the Quad Cities embraced the Ulloths," Shapiro said. "You had a positive impact and will be remembered for your support of events like Run the Rock, the Quad Cities Marathon and so much more."

Shapiro then turned to Torres, noting that he came to ASC from an organization that also had a diverse workforce and a global mission.

"As I said earlier, you'll take on a lot of responsibility," he said, "but you have the experience, training and education needed to get the job done. I'm very confident that you'll meet all our expectations, and we all look forward to working with you."

In his remarks, Ulloth cited a quote from Winston Churchill: "A positive thinker sees the invisible, feels the intangible, and achieves the impossible.

"It's in my blood type: B Positive," Ulloth said. "I believe you need to go into an environment and change it for the better; don't let the environment change you.

"We are change agents as NCOs," Ulloth said. "We need to lead from the front and challenge our junior Soldiers to improve, and guide them by example."

Noting that he had worked with Torres in the recent past, Ulloth described him as the right person for the position of ASC command sergeant major.

"I've got to know him, and he has a phenomenal reputation," Ulloth said. "He's going to lead ASC to even greater heights."

Torres began his remarks by thanking everyone involved in making the ceremony possible.

"I'm humbled at the opportunity to serve as command sergeant major of an organization that delivers readiness to our Army every day," he said. "I truly appreciate having this privilege, and I promise that I'll give my best to our team, our Soldiers and our nation."

Torres' past assignments include serving as command sergeant major of the 13th Expeditionary Sustainment Command at Fort Hood, Texas. He enlisted in the Army in August 1987 and completed basic training at Fort Dix, New Jersey, and advanced individual training at Fort Belvoir, Virginia.

His career has included assignments at Fort Drum, New York, Fort Campbell, Kentucky, Fort Wainwright, Alaska, and Fort Polk, Louisiana, as well as at Schofield Barracks in Hawaii and the Los Angeles Recruiting Battalion in California. He has also served overseas in Germany and been deployed to Iraq, Kuwait and Afghanistan.

Torres has completed all levels of the Noncommissioned Officer Education System and is a graduate of the Sergeant Majors Academy. His civilian education includes a bachelor's degree in business administration and dual master's degrees in human resource management and leadership from Webster University.

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US Army Sustainment Command