After 30 Years, CSM Gets Ready to Retire
Posted: Friday, March 27, 2009
by Ryan Stroud
When he says his final goodbyes and officially leaves the 59 th Ordnance Brigade and Redstone Arsenal, Al, the brigade will continue to move forward. Trainee Soldiers will still be trained to the fullest and operations will still commence. But once he says his final goodbyes, 59 th and Redstone will never be the same again.
Command Sgt. Maj. Reginald Battle is entering his final weeks as brigade command sergeant major, and more importantly, an active duty American Soldier. On February 10, Battle will trade his ACUs for civilian clothes as he crosses another milestone into retired life.
"The funny thing is I was in the Air Force ROTC while in high school," Battle joke while explaining his decision to join the Army in the late 70s.
"I was actually going to see the Air Force recruiter," he said, reminiscing. "All of a sudden, an Army recruiter jumped out of nowhere and said, Hey, I know you!' I just said, Yeah, right.' He said, You're on the track team at Lowndes. You run the 400 yard dash. You're fast!' I was sold after that.
"While attending Lowndes High School (in Valdosta, Ga.,) I knew I wanted to travel and see different parts of the world," Battle continued. "30 years later, I've done the traveling and I've enjoyed the Army. It's been great."
Battle's first goal was to retire at 20 years, but soon after reaching the mark, things changed.
"I looked at 20 years in the Army and I told my family, '20 years and then you get to retire, that's not too bad,'" he said. "Sure, there's things like wars and deployments, but looking at 20 years and retiring at 37, I just thought that was the best thing going.
"I knew if I was going to enter the Army or Air Force, I was going to give it my all and achieve the highest rank I could before finally retiring," Battle stated. "But once I hit that 20 year mark, I was still having fun and enjoying the Army, plus promotions had just come out. I honestly never thought I would stay for 30."
Battle's ties to Redstone date back to his early Army career when he attended Advanced Individual Training here to become an 89B ammunition specialist.
"I attended Fort McCullen, Al, for basic training, Redstone for AIT, and my first duty station was Fort Carson, Co. But my biggest memory from AIT was this club where Clothing and Sales is currently located. We stayed in there a lot and had some fun," Battle said, laughing while reflecting.
But as soon as winter hit at Fort Carson, Battle was in for a surprise.
"That was the first time I had ever been in snow," Battle said with a smile. "I had seen it on TV but I had to walk around in knee-deep snow. It was pretty rough on this Georgia boy."
Now into his Army career, Battle set his sights on progressing up the ranks.
"I wanted to be a specialist because it was better than being a (private first class). I had good leadership once I arrived who guided me in the right direction," said Battle. "My first platoon sergeant, Staff Sgt. Charles Goner, who was a Vietnam vet, had set me down and called me Sonny Boy.' He said, Sonny Boy, here's what you have to do if you want to stay in the Army.' He laid it all out for me and I like to think I tried to follow his guidance to the best of my ability."
It was this initial encouragement and guidance which helped shape Battle's future accomplishments in the Army. Soon, Battle was being promoted and taking on leadership roles.
"Something I will always remember is when I was promoted to sergeant first class on the banks of the Euphrates River near the end of the first Gulf War," he said. "Another thing I will always remember is from (overseas). My first overseas assignment was Korea and later on as a battalion command sergeant major I got the chance to go back to that same area and see my first post closing in Korea. It was Camp Page and it was fully turned over."
Korea also had another memory for Battle.
"The (year) I left Korea was 1981," Battle stated. "There was a vendor there who was selling jackets I really liked. I'd been in Korea for a year and he knew me and I went to him the day before I flew (to go back to the states) and said, I want to get one of your jackets and I'll pay you on payday.' The next day I flew, so I kind of stole his jacket.
"When I returned to Korea as a Command Sergeant Major, I went into the same shop and, ironically, the same man was working there," he continued. "He didn't remember me so I walked around the shop to see if he would remember, but he didn't. I called for him and he said, Yes, can I help you?' I said, No, I owe you something.' I gave him the $20 and I told him, This is for the jacket that in 1981 I walked out with without paying for.' He started hugging me and saying he remembered me, though I bet he really didn't. But, I straightened that out, after almost 22 years, I straightened that out. I'm proud of that."
Through the years, Battle came across many different Soldiers in his career field. Some of the privates he once helped out were now working for him in different areas.
"Our field, the ammo field, is a small world," commented Battle. "Seeing privates when I was a platoon sergeant and first sergeant cross my path then and now seeing many of them again as staff sergeants and first sergeants, as the brigade command sergeant major, I like to think I did something right. I can't take credit for their career, but I think I gave something to help them further themselves in the Army."
In another trip back to the Arsenal, Battle's life was forever about to change. There he met his future wife, Sharon Battle.
"She was in BNOC and I was just returning from the first Gulf War, entering ANOC," Battle remembered. "One of my classmates was her supervisor. I asked him, Hey, who's that?' He said, Oh, man, that's my Soldier. Stay away from her. You're too arrogant, so stay away from her.' But I eventually introduced myself to her and we just went from there.
"We ended up getting stationed together in recruitment command in Alexander, Va., and got married there. After that, we went around the world.
"She's been an increment part of my career," he said. "I remember her looking at me ERB when I was a sergeant first class. She said my ERB looked like crap and she retyped it for me. After she retyped it, I've been getting promoted ever since."
Battle and his wife have one daughter who is also married with a daughter.
"You know, it feels pretty good to be a grandfather. It makes me feel a little old but still pretty good," he joked.
As his final retirement day gets closer, Battle said his military career is complete and has been a success, thanks to everyone one who has ever worked around him.
"I enjoyed my career and I enjoyed being around Soldiers, I enjoyed caring about them," he said. "You have to care about your Soldiers. You have got to take care of your people.
"As a leader you get nothing done," he continued. "It is the people that the leader leads that get everything done and if you do not show your people that you care about them, whether you sit down with them or stop them on the street to see how they are, at the end of the day, they are going to be the ones who make sure you succeed or fail. You have to take care of your people, your Soldiers, and they will take care of you.
"The entire Team Redstone has given me and this brigade 100% support in everything and I am eternally grateful. The team on post and off post makes serving here an honor," he said.
Battle also has a little advice for the trainee Soldiers here on the Arsenal.
"Understand the training you're given, take the training serious and more importantly, learn your first aid," Battle said. "In the event of an accident or incident, the first person who is going to give you aid is your battle buddy. Take all your first aid training and all other training very serious, understand it because you never know when you might just need it to save a life."
After beginning his career on July 11, 1979, it is time for Battle to enjoy the retired life.
"I plan to take about three to six months off and figure out how not to be in the Army, figure out how not to get up at 4:30 in the morning to go do (physical training), and I plan to travel a little bit," he said. "I want to spend time with my granddaughter and spend time with my family. I would like to go back down to Valdosta and visit with my mom. I have to shake off a bit of these 30 years and get out there to face the civilian sector as a retiree.
"I'm going to experiment a little bit with a goatee and see how much gray I've really got and try a different style of hair," Battle joked. "But when I travel, I don't plan of traveling overseas anymore. No more long flights for me, I'm done."
30 years of service stateside, overseas and deployments can be hard on anybody but has left Battle self-effacing.
"I feel extremely blessed and humbled that I've had good health to do the things that I've done and that I've had the opportunity to be command sergeant major of an extraordinary brigade," a proud Battle explained. "There is no higher honor for me than to get the chance to serve this brigade and all the Soldiers in it, this is my joy and my glory.
"I am eternally grateful that God has smiled on me and kept me grounded to the fact that I know it is not what I have done; it is what others have done to get me here today. I stand proudly on the shoulders of some great American Soldiers and Marines," he concluded.
Ryan Stroud is a military trained journalist who has served in Iraq with the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, US Army. Prior to his military experiences, Stroud grew up playing, coaching, and refereeing soccer. Also, Stroud focused many years of his life playing, touring, and recording/producing local music acts. He has a wonderful wife of 4 years, a 2 year old son and a newborn daughter.
Stroud's biggest writing influences are Jim Butcher, Chuck Palahniuk, Edward Lee, Jack Ketchum, Christopher Moore and Ben Fox.
He currently resides in Huntsville, Al, with the 59th Ordnance Brigade at Redstone Arsenal.
Stroud would also like to take a moment to thank his friends who are currently in battle over in Iraq. God bless all of you.
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