FORT BLISS, Texas -- The 32nd Army Air and Missile Defense Command held a change of responsibility ceremony, July 26, for the unit’s command sergeant major at Fort Bliss’ Memorial Circle.
The 32nd AAMDC welcomed Command Sgt. Maj. James N. Ross and bid farewell to Command Sgt. Maj. Richard S. Clem as the senior-enlisted adviser for the command.
“Command Sgt. Maj. Ross, welcome to the team. You’re bringing exactly what we are looking for right now,” said Brig. Gen. John G. Rossi, 32nd AAMDC commanding general. “This is going to be a great ride. I’m personally thrilled to have you here and look forward to our journey.”
“This is a great military community and we are excited to once again serve at the best installation in the U.S. Army,” said Ross, who has been stationed here two times previously. “Brig. Gen. Rossi, thank you for your confidence in selecting me for this position; I promise to continue to build on the foundation that Command Sgt. Maj. Clem and others have laid before me.
Before this assignment, Ross served as the command sergeant major for the 1st Space Brigade, U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command at Peterson Air Force Base, Colo.
“In the audience today, there are lots of faces that are extremely familiar; many are retired sergeants major whom I have served with over the years, and they have made an investment in me,” said Ross. “You do not get to be the 32nd Army Air and Missile Defense Command’s command sergeant major without a lot of good mentors and leaders who have committed themselves to your continued professional growth, development and maturity as a leader.”
The traditional saber passing from Clem to Rossi, and from Rossi to Ross, carried a little more significance than a normal ceremony because after two and a half decades of selfless service to the Army and the nation, Clem is retiring from military service.
“My career included some amazing moments and memories, but it is the people, the people that I will remember most,” said Clem, who has held nearly every Army enlisted leadership position. “It was about the soldiers who were well-trained, but at the end of the day act out of faith in their leaders. I cannot conceive that God has granted any man a richer, fuller and more satisfying life than mine.”
“Command Sgt. Maj. Clem, you are an absolutely amazing command sergeant major, Soldier and man; we all want to be like you,” said Rossi. “You set a bar that few will ever be able to hurdle. The first time I met you in 1990 … it was a no-brainer that you were destined for greatness.”
Under Clem’s leadership, the 32nd AAMDC units trained and deployed two brigade headquarters, successfully completed nearly two-dozen joint training exercises and deployed eight battalions and more than 4,000 soldiers to Southwest Asia in support of operations New Dawn and Enduring Freedom.
Ross is joining a command team that has control over four brigades and 12 battalions located at six different installations in the continental United States. They are the 11th Air Defense Artillery Brigade located here; the 31st Air Defense Artillery Brigade at Fort Sill, Okla.; the 69th Air Defense Artillery Brigade at Fort Hood, Texas; the 108th Air Defense Artillery Brigade at Fort Bragg, N.C.; the 5th Battalion, 5th Air Defense Artillery located at Fort Lewis, Wash.; and the 2nd Battalion, 44th Air Defense Artillery, at Fort Campbell, Ky.
| Date Taken: | 07.26.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 08.02.2011 09:50 |
| Story ID: | 74677 |
| Location: | FORT BLISS, TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 191 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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