Recruiting Command leaders announced Fiscal Year 2011 as the Year of the Recruiting Station Commander Wednesday during its annual leadership conference held in San Antonio, Texas.
In a conference room full of USAREC brigade and battalion commanders and command sergeants major, spouses and staff, Commanding General Maj. Gen. Donald M. Campbell Jr. and Command Sgt. Maj. Todd Moore kicked off the year-long celebration via a nationally-webcast ceremony.
"This year will be different, I can assure you," Campbell said. "We are going to make this year exceptionally special as we recognize the accomplishments of our station commanders and enhance awareness around the force of what our noncommissioned officers do every day."
Campbell talked about noncommissioned officers as the backbone of the Army, and called station commanders the backbone of the U.S. Army Recruiting Command. They are the future of the command. He added the importance of recognizing USAREC's station commanders as coaches, teachers and mentors who set the bar high and are the bearers of standards and discipline for the command.
During the ceremony, Moore introduced the top station commanders for FY 10 representing each brigade in USAREC: Sgts. 1st Class Johnny Roman, 2d Brigade; Cedric White, 3d Brigade; Herman Jurgens, 5th Brigade; Jose Hernandez, 6th Brigade; and Jorge Larez, Medical Recruiting Brigade. Representing 1st Brigade, Sgt. 1st Class Jessica LaPointe is the USAREC Station Commander of the Year.
Moore also announced that the Station Commander of the Year award will now be named in honor of retired Command Sgt. Maj. Frank Shaffery, USAREC's deputy for recruiting operations who retires in January after 36 years with USAREC.
"The year of the station commander celebrates the critically important role our station commanders play every day in leading their teams to success," Moore said. "The command's top NCOs are put in these important roles as station commanders because we know they are going to make sure our team recruits the best Soldiers; they know what right looks like.
"There aren't many jobs in the Army that an NCO can assume the title of commander, but I think the Army got this one right, because the job is just that important."
The station commander is the most important leader in the USAREC chain of command, he said.
"I don't get a chance to talk to all of you individually, but as I go around the command I want you to know how proud I am of you, of the work that you do every day - day in and day out - to set the conditions for our success, to set the conditions for our Army of the future," said Campbell, speaking to those station commanders and recruiters watching the webcast from across the country. "You need to understand how important you are to what we do and how much the senior leaders of this organization and the senior leaders of our Army appreciate what you do every day for our great command."
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