Category Archives: The Last 100 Yards

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The Command Sergeant’s Major Role in Fires and Maneuver

(Originally Published in December 2017 edition of the NCO Journal)

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Army doctrine is many things, but “it is not dogma to be applied blindly. It is adjusted to the circumstances of the operational environment.”1 Doctrine describes the role of a command sergeant major and tasks them to affect numerous areas of friction.

Command Sgt. Maj. Brian M. Dettle assumes responsibility as the senior enlisted advisor of the 205th Military Intelligence Battalion, 500th Military Intelligence Brigade-Theater during a change of responsibility ceremony at the historic Palm Circle on Fort Shafter, Hawaii, Feb.1, 2019. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Shameeka R. Stanley)
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Creating an Image of Leadership

Why We Write #2

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It was a rare weekend when we weren’t in the field, preparing for the field, recovering from the field, or occupied with an upcoming deployment.  If I wasn’t cursed with weekend duty, I either took advantage of Schofield Barracks’ proximity to Waikiki to partake in bottomless mai tais at the Outrigger Reef, or played hermit in my barracks room.  Back then, I pecked away at my top of the line Gateway PC with a whopping 1 MB of RAM, 400 MB hard drive, and 33MHz processor, and a keyboard that clicked loudly with each key stroke.  I was working on a novel, an activity that filled hundreds of lazy weekend hours, but my voice as a twenty-two-year-old novice now seems almost laughably naïve.  Almost as laughable as all that computing power filling up an entire barracks desk, but I digress.

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Why I Write

Why We Write Series Intro

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Over the past year I’ve been working slowly towards expanding my own professional and self-development ideas.  How do I improve as a Leader, as a Platoon Sergeant, as an NCO, as an Infantryman, and as a Soldier?  Introspection has been the driving force behind my journey of becoming better and trying to make those around me better; that’s where writing comes in, it gives me a place to put thoughts to words and words to actions. The Last 100 Yards is a project that I hope will encourage more NCOs to occupy the written realm and help them extend their influence outside of the local unit level.