ISAF Joint Command’s sergeant major gives end-of-tour advice to ‘Bulldogs’
Sgt. Maj. John Troxell, the International Security Assistance Force Joint Command’s sergeant major, speaks during his visit to the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division. During his visit he talked about the future of the Army, as well as how to prepare Soldiers for successful careers. Photo by Sgt. Victor Everhart, 3rd BCT, 1st AD Public Affairs.
Sgt. Victor Everhart,
3rd BCT, 1st AD Public Affairs:
LOGAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan – Near the end of his Afghanistan tour, Sgt. Maj. John Troxell, the International Security Assistance Force Joint Command sergeant major, visited and spoke to the senior noncommissioned officers of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division.
During his visit, he awarded exemplary NCOs with coins and talked about how to improve young Soldiers and motivate them to stand out from the group.
“In the last 12 months we’ve gone from a force that was in the lead doing direct targeting and getting after the enemy to a force that puts our Afghan counterparts in the lead,” said Troxell, as he opened the conversation with senior NCOs. “That’s what we want, be it we still are a lethal force with our partners.”
After he gave the crowd a situational report of the state of the battlefield and where he believed it was going, Troxell then turned his attention to the preparation of young Soldiers for success.
“How can a young trooper separate themselves from their peers?” asked Troxell.
As the group pondered this question, those in the room came to a consensus that Troxell repeated.
“Schools,” said Troxell.
“Engineers can go to Sapper School, infantryman can get their Expert Infantryman Badge as well as go to Ranger School, and regardless of [military occupational specialty], you can go to Air Assault and Airborne School,” said Troxell. “Saying I’m different because I’ve been to combat isn’t going to cut it. College and military schools are just the beginning. … We need Soldiers that aren’t scared or too lazy to strive for glory. Top-of-the-line performers are what the Army is looking to retain.”
As he closed his speech to the senior NCOs, he commended the “Bulldog” Brigade for their hard work.
“I just want to say thanks for your hard work over here,” said Troxell. “I call this area of Logar and Wardak the objective rallying point for operations of the enemies in Kabul,” said Troxell. “If insurgents are successful here, they’ll be influential in assassinations of the Great Isl amic Republic of Afghanistan officials and key Afghan National Security Forces leaders.
“But the hard work you do here,” said Troxell as he closed his speech, “disrupting the enemy – and I don’t care what you do, whether it be the infantryman on the ground, an engineer doing route clearance or just someone linked or related to the supply chain – you all have a piece to the success of this organization.
“I have a few brigades over here and the ‘Bulldog’ Brigade is one of the best,” he added, “because you do the fundamentals better than almost everyone else.”
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