Posted on Feb 1, 2015
SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL
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All Sergeant Major of the Army Dan Dailey ever wanted to be was a soldier.

"I haven't forgotten that's who I am," said Dailey. "I'm a soldier. I have the same level of authority as any other noncommissioned officer in the United States Army, and I still have the same basic responsibilities and duties to uphold every single day as they do, and that's my promise. I'm not going to forget that."

Dailey, 42, was sworn in Friday as the 15th sergeant major of the Army. He succeeds Sergeant Major of the Army Raymond Chandler, who is retiring after 34 years of service.

Dailey is the youngest soldier to ever serve as the service's top enlisted soldier, and his selection still hasn't completely sunk in, he said.

"The first day you walk into the Pentagon and you realize you actually have orders to the Pentagon, that's something you don't think about as a soldier," he said.

Dailey, who most recently was the command sergeant major of Training and Doctrine Command, said he has had some time to prepare for his newest assignment,

"The chief of staff of the Army has invested a lot of time in making sure there was ample time to allow me to get all the briefings before becoming the sergeant major of the Army," he said. "It's been a valuable time. It really opens your eyes. It's amazing what the Army staff does."

Some of the issues he has been briefed on include current operations, the ongoing drawdown, the potential impacts of sequestration, and how the Army is preparing for the future, he said.

"I'm getting a good sense on where we stand, where we know we're going, and the unknowns and determinations that have to be made by our great civilian leaders," Dailey said. "It's really been a beneficial time, and a lot of information in a very short amount of time."

http://www.armytimes.com/story/military/careers/army/enlisted/2015/01/30/new-sma-dailey/22593199/
Posted in these groups: Leadership abstract 007 Leadership
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Responses: 7
SFC Walter Mack
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"PT is not the most important thing we do in a day, but it's the most important thing we do every day."

Outstanding quote, I think I found a new e-mail bumper. I'll have to see what he actually does, but I like what I've seen.
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SGM Mikel Dawson
SGM Mikel Dawson
9 y
From the interview looks like he's got his priorities straight - PT, Leadership, retaining lesson learned, education. He'll have a tough row to hoe with draw down, getting new APFT established. How all this will bind in with the proposed retirement changes will remain to be seen. Going in he says he not forget he's a soldier and where he came from. I hope he keeps this trend of thought and direction.
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SSgt Carpenter
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A soldier who only ever wanted to be a soldier? That's music to my ears. I honestly like what I've seen so far. We shall see.
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SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL
SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL
9 y
SSgt (Join to see), I agree he's setting his ways. "yes we shall see"
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SSgt Carpenter
SSgt (Join to see)
9 y
http://www.military.com/daily-news/2015/04/01/army-loosens-up-its-tattoo-policy.html?comp= [login to see] 843&rank=1

It may have been in the works already, but it appears that SMA Daley actually cares about how the troops feel. SMA Daley talks to troops, finds out that we really do resent the tattoo policy, and gets it fixed. What it looks like to me. I'm all for standards, but something as trivial as tattoos? We are seeing, and I'm liking.
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Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS
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Edited 9 y ago
Sounds like he's "getting back to the basics" as a peace time force.
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SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL
SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL
9 y
Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS Its great to always have a SMA to start from the basics, it shows he never forgot the Soldierlization process after all in my opinion.
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Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS
Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS
9 y
Most definitely. The more advanced we get, the more we have to reinforce the basics.

There's a reason we still March. It reinforces the concepts of small unit tactics among other things.
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