FORT BENNING, Ga. - CSM Todd Hibbs capped his military career today at a retirement ceremony feet away from the benches he sat on as a young private in his first days in the Army.
"My first exposure to the Army, aside from the military entrance processing station, was 30th Adjutant General's Battalion (Reception)," said Hibbs, the former senior NCO for 192nd Infantry Brigade, on wrapping up his career in the same place it started. "The same room I walked into my first days in the Army is the last room I will walk out of after 25 years in the Army."
At a change of responsibility prior to the retirement ceremony, Hibbs passed his leadership mantle to CSM Clyde Glenn, former command sergeant major for 3rd Battalion (Officer Candidate School), 11th Infantry Regiment.
The Caldwell, Idaho, native completed one station unit training at the post in 1985 as a 17-year-old and still remembers his most influential drill sergeant.
"I didn't know anything about the Army or what I'd gotten myself into," Hibbs said. "I remember Drill Sergeant Hasson as the one who set the foundation for my career - he was a true professional. He was the one who took the extra time to do all those things that set me up for success. Because of him, the attitude I had going into the military carried me through the rest of my career."
Hibbs said he has told his story of being new in the Army to thousands of young privates at the reception station. He's also counseled new drill sergeants on the role they play in the lives of recruits.
"What I tell drill sergeants when I talk to them is this: You can be remembered two ways. You can be remembered as the guy who mentored, spent extra time and put forth the effort, or you can be remembered as the (jerk), the complete idiot," Hibbs said. "In their two-year rotation, drill sergeants will be exposed to more than 300 Soldiers. I tell drill sergeants, 'I guarantee you can't sit down with a piece of paper and write down 300 people's names who've impacted your life. But there are going to be 300 people whom you've impacted and that's going to be life lasting.'"
Hibbs traveled extensively throughout his career and served in long-range surveillance, light and mechanized Infantry assignments throughout the U.S. and overseas. He's served multiple combat tours including three rotations in Iraq, one for Desert Storm and two for Operation Iraqi Freedom. In OIF 1, Hibbs' company was part of the initial push into Baghdad.
"We were there fighting on the airfield at Saddam International Airport," he recalled.
Among his assignments, Hibbs served as a drill sergeant with 2nd Battalion, 58th Infantry Regiment on Sand Hill, command sergeant major of 1st Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment at Fort Drum, N.Y., and command sergeant major of the 6th Ranger Training Battalion at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla.
Hibbs said highlights in his career included assignments in Hawaii and Germany.
"The Army has been great and I will definitely miss the people, the camaraderie and the flavor of the Army," Hibbs said. "It's been great being a part of the next generation, setting the direction for the guys who are going to fill our boots."
Hibbs and his family plan to remain in the Columbus area.
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