William Gainey
William Joseph Gainey (born 27 May 1956) is a retired Command Sergeant Major in the U.S. Army and was from 1 October 2005 until 25 April 2008, the first Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and thus the highest degree of service commissioned officer of the U.S. armed forces.
Military career
Gainey joined in 1974 the U.S. Army and began his basic training on June 17, 1975 in Fort Knox, Kentucky. Its uses have included: Driver, ammunition loader and tank commander in the 1st Battalion, 67th Armored Brigade (Tiger Brigade ) of the 2nd Armored Division at Fort Hood, Texas; Tank commander and platoon sergeant (English as company sergeant-major ) in the 4th Battalion, 73rd Armoured Brigade of the 1st Infantry Division in Böblingen; Platoon leader in the 2nd Battalion, 70th Armoured Brigade, 24th Infantry Division at Fort Stewart, Georgia; Drill Sergeant and Senior Drill Sergeant in the 19th Battalion, 4th Brigade training at Fort Knox, Kentucky; Platoon and Operations Sergeant in the 3rd Battalion, 73rd Armoured Brigade of the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina; Platoon Sergeant and First Sergeant in the 1st Battalion, 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment at the Joint Readiness Training Center ( JRTC ) at the Little Rock Air Force Base in Arkansas; Senior Enlisted Advisor ( tanks ) at Fort Jackson, South Carolina.
Gainey served as the Command Sergeant Major for: the 2nd Battalion, 68th Armored Regiment, the 1st Battalion, 35th Armored Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division in Baumholder; the Eagle Base in Bosnia and Herzegovina; the 1st Squadron, 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment at Fort Polk, Louisiana; the 2nd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Stewart; 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment at Fort Polk; the United States Army Armor Center at Fort Knox, and finally as Command Sergeant Major for the 3rd Armored Corps and Fort Hood base in Texas.
Gainey served in Operation Joint Endeavor of rods ( IFOR ), Operation Joint Guard (SFOR 3) and Operation Joint Forge (SFOR 8 ) in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He served as Command Sergeant Major of the Combined Joint Task Force -7 ( CJTF -7), the coalition forces in Iraq (Multi- National Force Iraq / MNF- I) and the Multi- National Corps Iraq ( MNC -I) during Operation Iraqi Freedom II
Gainey graduated from different schools and training programs, including the Drill Sergeant School, the paratrooper school, the Jump Master School, the Air Movement Officer 's Course, the course for First Sergeants and Sergeants Major Academy, the U.S.. In addition, he also has an Associates Degree from Vincennes University.
His awards include: the Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit with oak leaf, the Bronze Star with Valor Award, the Meritorious Service Medal with seven oak leaf clusters, the Army Commendation Medal with seven oak leaf clusters, the National Defense Service Medal and the NATO Medal.
Gainey is married and has a son and a daughter. His son is Captain Ryan J. Gainey.