Photo By Staff Sgt. Ryan Getsie | State Command Sgt. Maj. Dennis Basilio speaks to Nevada Guard Soldiers and family...... read more read more
LAS VEGAS - Dennis Basilio finally achieved his lifelong goal of becoming the Nevada Army Guard’s state command sergeant major on July 11 in Las Vegas after overcoming the challenge of mastering English at the age of 24 when he moved from Guam to the mainland.
Basilio officially stepped into his new role as the state command sergeant major on Saturday. Command Sgt. Maj. Edward Franco succeeded Basilio as the 17th Sustainment Brigade’s top enlisted Soldier.
Basilio, 54, of North Las Vegas, was born in the Philippines and enlisted in the Army in May 1996 while living in Guam. Some of the highlights of his nearly 25 years of service include four years on active duty with the 2/63rd Armor in Germany and his recent Nevada Army Guard deployment to the Middle East that saw him overseeing personnel in seven countries including Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar.
Brigade commander Col. Troy Armstrong complimented Basilio on his final day as the brigade’s command sergeant major.
“I’ve had the honor of serving with you for most of my 31-year career. I know no other individual -- officer or enlisted -- whose professionalism, expertise, and judgment I trust more than yours,” Armstrong said. “You are absolutely the right individual to lead our Army formations across the state.”
Basilio said he looked forward to becoming familiar with every unit and enlisted Soldier in the Silver State.
“My biggest challenge is to transition from being a brigade command sergeant major to connecting with the entirety of the enlisted corps of the Nevada Army Guard,” Basilio said.
Franco, 42, of Las Vegas, was born in Olongapo, Philippines, and moved to Rhode Island at age 7. He joined the Army National Guard in January 1998.
After serving about 29 months with the 422nd Expeditionary Signal Battalion as a first sergeant, he was promoted to battalion command sergeant major.
“I am grateful and blessed.” Franco said. “Please know that I work for you, the enlisted Soldier. Please realize that we are a team and forever we will be family.”
| Date Taken: | 07.15.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 07.15.2020 18:32 |
| Story ID: | 373995 |
| Location: | LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, US |
| Web Views: | 715 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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