Photo By Sgt. 1st Class DeShannon Austin | Command Sgt. Maj. Joseph Allen and Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III, the last command team of...... read more read more
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FORT BRAGG, N.C. – For nearly forty years, Command Sgt. Maj. Joseph Allen has dedicated his life to the service of his country, the Army and the soldiers around him. That career came to a fitting conclusion last Friday, March 30, with a retirement ceremony attended by generals, distinguished guests, family and friends, and hundreds of appreciative military allies at the Fort Bragg main post flagpole.
“I’ve never worked with a more qualified non-commissioned officer,” said Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III, who currently serves as the Army’s vice chief of staff, but has held numerous commands with Command Sgt. Maj. Allen at his side. “He was more than just a command sergeant major, my right hand. He was, and is, a true friend.”
Though they’ve worked together for many years, Allen delayed his retirement to serve one last post with Austin, going back to Iraq as the last command team for U.S. Forces – Iraq and to bring the last troops home.
“I spent three tours in Iraq and the situation is much better than when we got there,” Allen said. “I’m most proud of the soldiers. The young sergeants, doing things they weren’t trained to do, but it just shows the versatility of our young non-commissioned officers. It’s humbling to see the things they are capable of achieving.”
In an interview given last month, the Timmonsville, S.C., native recounts some of his initial learning experiences as a junior NCO – lessons he hopes to pass on to the younger generation of leaders.
In 1981, as a staff sergeant, Allen said he became “a genius,” but maybe it was a premonition.
“It was outside the NCO Club and I decided to park my car in the post command sergeant major’s parking spot.”
When Allen returned to his car, the MPs were waiting for him. He was being summoned – the command sergeant major wanted to know who was in his spot.
In an office that would later be his own, it was the first time Allen was in the XVIII Airborne Corps headquarters building.
“When he sat me down, the sergeant major said to me: ‘One day you’ll be a sergeant major. There aren’t a lot of perks to being a sergeant major; the sergeant major is the fall guy a lot of the time. You’ve got to protect those things that belong to the sergeants major.’ I’ll remember that story forever – do the right thing and it’s not about punishing people all the time. It’s about talking to the soldier.”
That lesson has stayed with Allen all of his military career, and has molded him into the leader that he has become.
“He never removed himself from the role of mentorship all the way down to the lowest ranking soldier,” said 1st Sgt. Demetrius Johnson of Battery B, 3rd Battalion, 27th Field Artillery Regiment, who’s known Allen for five years. “I have deployed with him twice and he always made himself available anytime a service member, regardless of rank, had an issue that they needed a compass check on. And he would always have an answer.”
“There have been some things I’ve seen that didn’t sit well with me,” said Allen. “There was a time when my boss decided to court-martial a soldier.”
The soldier disarmed another who had shot his partner during the commission of a crime; in the process of getting the pistol away from the shooter, he broke the shooters jaw.
The command decided to court-martial the soldier for the broken jaw, but the command sergeant major didn’t agree with the decision.
“I didn’t think court-martialing the soldier was the right way to go. As my boss proceeded with the charges, I got on the stand as a character witness for him. In my mind it was about doing the right thing.
“You’ve got to have no fear when standing up for your soldiers. You just can’t be afraid of doing what’s right.”
A family tradition
Allen, 56, always knew he wanted to be a soldier.
“I grew up playing with those little green men,” he said, referring to the little plastic soldiers that came pre-molded with combat boots, helmets and rifles.
But as the second child of seven, what brought the dream to life for Allen was a favorite uncle Troy, who often visited wearing his Army uniform.
“When I would see him in uniform, how sharp and neat he was, I knew then that the only thing I wanted to do was be a soldier.”
After 37 years in service, Allen’s sister often tells him “you’re the only person I know living out his childhood dream.”
Allen has now past that dream onto his two sons. Sgt. Jamaal Allen and 2nd Lt. Marcus Allen both serve in the U.S. Army. Allen has had the opportunity to watch both of them grow as men and soldiers.
“One of my most vivid memories is going down to Fort Benning and jumping out of an aircraft with my youngest son,” Allen said.
He admits balancing the Army and his family life was one of his greatest challenges.
“At the end of the day, all you have are your family and friends. The Army is a great institution, and I love it, but anytime you have the opportunity to spend time with your family, treat it as if it is a holiday,” said Allen.
Family will now take a front seat as the Army chapter of his life comes to a close, but Allen admits new challenges face him in the civilian world.
“I think the hardest part for me is to figure out what to wear. That’s going to be a challenge for me. That’s stressful – after 37 years, figuring out what to wear.”
Allen laughs at himself and turns back to the interview, ending the comment the way he ends most – with something near and dear to his heart.
“AIRBORNE!”
| Date Taken: | 04.02.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 04.02.2012 11:43 |
| Story ID: | 86113 |
| Location: | FORT BRAGG, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Hometown: | TIMMONSVILLE, SOUTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 3,636 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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