U.S. Army Central Welcomes New Command Sergeant Major

Photo By Staff Sgt. Matthew Britton | Lt. Gen. Terry Ferrell, U.S. Army Central commanding general, speaks during Command Sgt. Maj. Brian Hester’s Assumption of Responsibility ceremony at the command’s headquarters, Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., Sep. 17, 2019. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Matt Britton)  

SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, SOUTH CAROLINA, UNITED STATES

09.17.2019

Story by Staff Sgt. Matthew Britton 

U.S. Army Central   

SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. – United States Army Central (USARCENT / Third Army) held an Assumption of Responsibility ceremony Sep. 17, 2019 at the command’s headquarters on Shaw Air Force Base. Command Sgt. Maj. Brian Hester assumed the role as senior enlisted advisor for USARCENT.
Lt. Gen. Terry Ferrell, USARCENT commanding general, presided over the ceremony.
“As you come aboard, you will immediately have an impact,” said Ferrell. “Not only here, but more importantly downrange. Our Soldiers need your leadership. Banded together, you must work with our junior soldiers, our officers and our partners within the region, and make us a viable force that can deal with any threat. And there are threats out there as we’ve seen in the past few days.”
Ferrell also spoke on the importance of having non-commissioned officer leadership.
“From second lieutenant all the way up to lieutenant general,” said Ferrell. “I can tell you the platoon sergeants, the first sergeants, sergeant majors, the command sergeant majors who have affected my life. I can tell you that I would not here be alive here today, if it was not for a command sergeant major. The command sergeant major is more to an organization than just the right-hand-man to the commander, he is the standard bearer of the organization.”
The commanding general went on to give his upmost confidence in the new sergeant major.
“We go when our nation asks us to go,” said Ferrell. “We live and work in a very violent and volatile, extremely complex region. There’s no one more prepared to do what our nation asks us to do than the people sitting here in uniform today and those already in the region. With our new sergeant major on board, we’ll be ok.”
With warm words the commanding general welcomed the new sergeant major to the podium.
“I promise each every day I will work to get after the mission, taking care of Soldiers, making sure we’re lethal and ready when our nation calls,” said Hester. “This is a complex environment. Each and every day we need to strive to understand the environment, and to get after our adversaries.”
Hester talked about the importance of continuing to work with USARCENT’s regional partners.
“We need to get after our partners as well to make sure they’re ready to go with us,” said Hester. “We will not do this alone and we have to make sure each and every one of those partners are ready.”
Hester thanked his wife and children for being so resilient during their many transitions, and said he looked forward to serving at USARCENT and the surrounding community.
“We’ve been around Shaw Air Force Base and Sumter, this is a great location,” said Hester. “I know we’re going to love serving with each and every one of you.”
Before becoming selected to serve as USARCENT’s senior enlisted advisor, Hester was the senior enlisted advisor for the 25th Infantry Division. His military education includes the Primary Leadership Development Course, Basic NCO Course, Advanced NCO Course, Airborne School, Air Assault School, Ranger School, Jump Master School, Recruiting School, Pathfinder School, First Sergeant's Course and the Joint Special Operation Senior Enlisted Academy. He holds a bachelor's degree in Liberal Arts from Excelsior College in Albany, New York.

• Date Taken: 09.17.2019
• Date Posted: 09.17.2019 16:45
• Story ID: 341615
• Location: SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, SOUTH CAROLINA, US