North - Keller Army Community Hospital - U.S. Army

NEWS BRIEFSNEW COMMAND SERGEANT MAJOR ASSUMES RESPONSIBILITYStory by Gail Cureton Photos: Theresa RomanHe concluded his remarks with a quote made famous by theArmy Chief of Staff: “The strength of our nation is our Army. Thestrength of our Army is our Soldiers. The strength of our Soldiersis our Families. That is what makes us Army strong. That is whatmakes us NRMC strong.”A Charleston, S.C., native, Scott has served in a wide variety ofleadership roles throughout his more than 27 years in the UnitedStates Army, specializing in dentistry. He most recently served asthe Command Sergeant Major for the Warrior Transition Command(WTC). As the senior enlisted advisor to the WTC Commander,he was charged with advising the WTC Commander onthe Army’s Warrior Care and Transition Program and support forwounded, ill, and injured Soldiers.Brig. Gen. Joseph Caravalho, Jr. passes the NCO sword to CommandSgt. Maj. Benjamin Scott at the change of responsibility ceremony Dec.9, 2011, held in Wood Theater at Fort Belvoir, Va.Command Sgt. Maj. Benjamin Scott accepted the ceremonialnoncommissioned officers sword from outgoing Command Sgt.Maj. Frances Rivera signifying his assumption of authority as theNorthern Regional Medical Command’s senior enlisted leaderDec. 9 during a ceremony on Fort Belvoir.Rivera, who retired after 31 years of service, thanked the commandleadership for their support and left a leadership charge tothose who follow her. “I ask that each sergeant major here todayremember that we are the standard bearers. You have a legacy tolive for and to leave to your Soldiers. It is never about you. It isabout the (Army) values. It is about the NCO Creed. It is aboutbeing the most professional Soldier you can be.”Brigadier Gen. Joseph Caravalho Jr., NRMC commanding general,commended Rivera on her leadership during a time of significantchange in the region as the result of the Base Realignmentand Closure. “Command Sergeant Major Rivera led our medics,officers and DA Civilians through the process, while ensuring wecontinued to deliver the caliber of care this region is known toprovide.“Command Sergeant Major Rivera was the kind of leader ourNCO Corps needed at a time of trying transition, and I, for one,am grateful for the opportunity to experience her professionalismfirst-hand,” the general said.Scott confirmed his responsibility as the new NRMC commandsergeant major by stressing the importance of leading by examplenot by perfection. “I believe God will keep perfection for himself.Excellence we can all do and that is what we should do, what wemust do,” he said.6Other senior leadership assignments included command sergeantmajor for Landstuhl (Germany) Regional Medical Center, wherehe worked closely with Soldiers medically evacuated from thecombat theater in Iraq and Afghanistan. Immediately prior to arrivingat Landstuhl, Scottwas the command sergeantmajor for the U.S. ArmyMedical Activity at FortIrwin, Calif., where hehelped start a unit specializingin the care of severelyinjured Soldiers and Soldierswith traumatic braininjuries.His awards include BronzeStar Medal, MeritoriousService Medal with fiveoak leaf clusters , ArmyCommendation Medalwith five oak leaf clusters,Army Achievement Medalwith seven oak leaf clusters,Army Good ConductMedal with seven oak leafclusters, National DefenseService Medal with bronzestar, Korean DefenseCommand Sgt. Maj. Benjamin Scottspeaks during the change of responsiblityceremony.Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on TerrorismExpeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal,NCO Professional Development Ribbon with numeral 4, ArmyService Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon with numeral 3, MeritoriousUnit Citation with one oak leaf cluster, and one overseasservice bar. He earned the Expert Field Medical Badge, GermanMarksmanship Award (Schuetzenschnur), and is a member of theprestigious Sergeant Morale and Sergeant Audie Murphy Clubsand a recipient of the Order of Military Medical Merit.