The Sergeants Major Coleman

Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Veronica McNabb | Command Sgt. Maj. Jonathan B. Coleman, incoming land component command sergeant major of the Mississippi National Guard, addresses the audience during a change of responsibility ceremony in the Mississippi Armed Forces Museum’s Grand Gallery, Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center, Mississippi, June 9, 2022. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. 1st Class Veronica McNabb)  

JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI, UNITED STATES

01.31.2023

Story by Staff Sgt. Connie Jones 

Joint Force Headquarters - Mississippi National Guard

Seated at his desk, Command Sgt. Maj. Jonathan “Brent” Coleman took a big sip of his coffee and offered some to the others in the room. Plaques hung from the walls, boasting his many military accomplishments. His brother, Sgt. Maj. William “Mark” Coleman, declined the offer for coffee and found a seat on a couch by the window. The two brothers fell into an easy conversation about family matters and children, switching gears to Mississippi Army National Guard operations as casually as if they were talking about their favorite sports team.
Brent and Mark are part of a unique trio of brothers who have earned the rank of sergeant major.
The family had humble beginnings in Fulton, Mississippi. Their parents, Billy and Betty Coleman, made a quiet life for the family of six and maintained active roles in church. Their father, a Navy veteran, worked as a store manager for many years before settling into what would become a 24-year-long career as a postman for Itawamba Community College. Their mother also found employment at the college as an accounts payable clerk, retiring after 32 years and becoming the church secretary.
The Coleman Brothers had a few military influences throughout their childhood.
“We had several WWII veterans in our neighborhood,” said Brent. We had Mr. Foster, Mr. Mills, and Mr. Holland. These men were our heroes not necessarily because we heard them tell their stories but because we would hear other people tell their stories.”
Their brother Ron, the oldest, enlisted in the MSNG in 1982, at the age of 20. His younger brothers, Mark being 12 and Brent, who was 10 at the time, looked up to him with a desire to wear the uniform one day.
“We would steal his gear when he first got in, wearing the field jackets and things when it was cool,” said Mark.
Once they were old enough, they enlisted for a set of gear of their own. All of them began at the unit near their home.
“We all started out at [Detachment 1, Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 198th Armor], which was the armor battalion back then, in Fulton,” said Brent. “At one time, we were all in the Mortar platoon [together].”
Mark chose college shortly into his enlistment with the intention of becoming a commissioned officer through the Reserve Officer Training Corps at the University of Southern Mississippi. The needs of the country led him in a different direction.
“I had a 3.5 or 3.6 grade point average my first semester at USM,” said Mark. “We were pulled out of school for Desert Storm/Desert Shield in 1990 and went to Fort Hood to mobilize. We didn’t end up deploying but I had lost interest by the time we came back from Fort Hood. I ended up finishing my bachelor’s degree later while we were working [Active Guard Reserve]. I just as well could’ve been sitting here as an officer but I’m glad the way things turned out the way they did.”
Ron went to college to pursue nursing. He has specialized in trauma care for 30 years.
As for Brent, he began playing football at a junior college and excelled at physical training in the military.
The brothers moved throughout the Mississippi Army National Guard’s every major subordinate command during their careers, including the 155th Armored Brigade Combat Team, where they spent the majority of their time. They also spent time in the overhead units at Camp Shelby and Camp McCain. Brent and Mark climbed the AGR ranks while Ron maintained a traditional Guardsman role and earned the rank of sergeant major in 2001.
In 2010, they were all deployed to the Middle East at the same time.
“I was in Northern Iraq in Tal Afar and they were at Camp Spiker in Tikrit, Iraq, so we were all over there at the same time,” Brent said. “Our oldest brother was still in at the time. He was the [1st Battalion, 98th Cavalry Regiment] command sergeant major. I was the acting first sergeant with what was then Troop A, 1-230th Air Cavalry Squadron. Mark was the master gunner with the 155th ABCT.”
Brent achieved the rank of sergeant major in 2015, working as the logistics (G4) sergeant major for the MSARNG at the United States Property and Fiscal Office (USPFO) in Flowood. In early 2022, he was selected for the land component command sergeant major of the MSNG.
“I tried to figure out the best way to do every job I’ve had or the best possible solution to help my Soldiers, whether I was readiness NCO or supply sergeant or any other position,” he said. “I’m the state log sergeant major and the land component command sergeant major part-time. It’s never part time when you work for a one-star general though,” he joked.
Brent said his newest role gives him the opportunity to help more Guardsmen at one time.
Mark earned his current rank in 2019 and serves as the operations sergeant major for 66th Troop Command.
“In my job, I concentrate a lot on military education for the enlisted and officers in 66th Troop Command. I also focus on the general systems that we have and making sure our shop understands them. At this level, I’m the senior enlisted full-time guy so I’m like the mentor for the AGR Soldiers in Troop Command.”
The closeness between siblings is apparent when they speak of one another.
“Nobody is more dedicated to his Soldiers or the MSNG,” said Mark, speaking of his younger brother. “He gives his all to every job he’s ever done. He is also a man of integrity. When he became land component CSM, that was a good thing for the state. And that’s not just because he’s my brother; that’s because he’ll definitely make sure we’re taken care of.”
Brent said that he would describe his brother Mark as patient and intelligent.
“Mark is the kind of guy who sits back,” Brent said. “If you go into a room and 100 people are talking, Mark’s not going to be one of them. He’s gonna [sic] hear what everybody in the room’s saying and by the time everyone is done putting in their input, Mark’s already got it all added up. He will finally comment and everyone’s like, ‘Yeah, that’s the right way to go.’”
Of their brother Ron, who retired in 2015 after more than 30 years of military service, the two agreed that he exuded leadership qualities that they’d admired since childhood.
“He was a hands-on leader,” Brent said. “He really cared. He would learn about his people and work with them. He will bend over backwards for people and talk to Soldiers all night if they need it.”
Many can vouch for the qualities of the Coleman brothers.
“I’ve worked with all of them and the one thing that all three of the Command Sergeants Major Colemans have in common is that they are all very passionate about Soldiers and the well-being of Soldiers,” said Col. Bobby Ginn, the director of logistics (G4) for the Mississippi Army National Guard.
While they are related through blood, they feel that the MSNG has also provided them with a close family that helped to raise them and in turn, they were able to mentor others.
“This is a brotherhood that we’ve built,” said Brent. “It’s more than just these three brothers. It comes down to love. I’ve got over 30 years’ worth of friendships. Kids getting in now, I know their dad or mom or their uncle. That’s the good thing about the Guard. Knowing the people you work with makes it more of a family and people want to help their family. I think that’s why we succeed.”

• Date Taken: 01.31.2023
• Date Posted: 04.05.2023 11:35
• Story ID: 441979
• Location: JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI, US