FORT RUCKER, Ala. -- Soldiers often have various ideas of what makes good leaders.
For Command Sgt. Maj. Marlin Smith, career success came from taking initiative in every job he's held during more than 25 years in the Army.
It's also a quality he's tried to impress upon younger servicemembers up until his upcoming retirement.
"Initiative is huge. In the Army, you've got to have initiative," Smith said. "A good leader does what's right. All leaders leave a legacy (which is) the impact you have on your units and the Soldiers you lead."
Friends and fellow Soldiers bid Smith farewell during a retirement luncheon at The Landing May 28.
During the event, Maj. Gen. James O. Barclay III, U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence and Fort Rucker commanding general, presented Smith the Legion of Merit and the Honorable Order of St. Michael Silver Award for his courage, justice, gallantry and excellence.
"You'll never find a better friend than (Smith)," Barclay said. "(He is) always honest and you could always count on him to have your back. I appreciate that and all you've done for (Fort Rucker)."
Barclay also presented Smith's wife, Tonya, the Honorable Order of our Lady of Loretto and the Outstanding Civilian Service Medal for her volunteerism and work with academy Soldiers and Families.
After 2 1/2 decades of hard work, he said it's simply time to retire.
"It kept me so busy, I didn't notice it was past 20 years," he said of the traditional retirement timeframe. "I liked it and I enjoyed it. (When I enlisted) at 17, it gave me direction and gave me lots of opportunities. There's always a challenge in the Army."
Smith served as the Noncommissioned Officer Academy commandant since Sept. 11, 2007. He steps down from his position later this month, and officially retires Nov. 1. His replacement arrives in July.
His job included acting as primary advisor to the Fort Rucker commanding general and Branch command sergeant major on the NCO Education System. Smith also managed all academy training and its more than 20 staff members. During his tenure here, he helped train about 1,500 NCOs Armywide.
Under his leadership, the academy adopted the new Advanced and Senior Leaders courses last year to make training "more relevant and realistic," Smith said.
Even though his service here removed Smith from the battlefield, he said he never felt out of touch with the world outside of training. Classes of 120-150 new NCOs would converge upon the academy every two months and bring fresh knowledge and information with them.
Smith's peers, who recalled their service with him over last week's lunch, said they were sad to see him leave the military.
"(Smith is) a man dedicated to being a Soldier, a man who leads by example and is always a friend you can count on and who would do anything for anyone," said 1st Sgt. Michael McGee, NCO Academy assistant commandant.
Command Sgt. Maj Antoinette Aila, 110th Aviation Brigade, said Smith has been instrumental in helping other Soldiers excel, noting many of his former troops are now first sergeants and sergeants major.
"You are a trooper, a warrior, a Soldier, a friend, a husband and a father - (fulfilling the) total Soldier concept," she said to him at the retirement luncheon.
The Army's NCO creed chronicles the level of professionalism required of NCOs, according to Col. Kenneth Biland, 1st Aviation Brigade commander, and he said the creed "describes Command Sgt. Maj. Smith to a 'T.'"
"He's lived every day of his military career as a standard for what's right," Biland said Friday. "When I think of Command Sgt. Maj. Smith, I think of what it means to serve. When you know him, you see what he does ... the very notion of service is found on the premise that you give more than you receive. He's done that for everybody. It's not what the Army's done for you, but more about what you've done for your Soldiers. He's done that every day of his life."
Spending his formative years in blue collar, steel industry-based Youngstown, Ohio, impressed these qualities, along with patriotism and resilience, into himself as a young man, Smith said.
He entered the Army with a high school diploma. Now, he leaves after recently completing his Master of Business Administration at Touro University International.
"Growing up in this environment instilled the values of hard work, perseverance, loyalty and keeping your word in me and in my character," Smith said. "These values have served me well in life and (have) been my foundation when I face challenges and ethical dilemmas."
Smith hopes he's impacted the lives of other Soldiers during his career. He has simple advice for up-and-coming NCOs on how to train and lead from the front.
"You've got to go where your Soldiers are. Leadership is rarely executed behind a desk," he said. "Presence is the most important leadership trait."
To him, that means meeting Soldiers where they are - from the field to the classroom or barracks to the running track. Leadership is also about taking the initiative to get to know Soldiers and their personal lives outside of work, which is what he said he's always tried to do.
Even with years of experience under his belt, Smith is quick to give "99-percent" of the credit to those around him for his achievements.
"Any success I get is because of others," he said. "It's not just me. You win with people."
He and his wife currently reside in Enterprise with their sons, J.C., 21, and Jared, 7.
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