MAJOR GENERAL ANTONIO M. TAGUBA, US Army, CF

1234Q. Understand, but then did he tell you that he was alsoworking to keep up in helping the S-3 shop?A. The-- there may have been some projects that he hadinitiated or was involved with, but we got a master sergeant5promotable from the 317 thand we got a-- a sergeant, another senior678910111213141516171819202122NCO that came in and they were taking that responsibility away fromthe Ops Sergeant Major. I-- I know, sir, and I talked to SergeantMajor Cartagena about putting him in that position. But, as opposedto taking a Command Sergeant Major from one of the Battalions andputting him in the Brigade because there was nobody after the CommandSergeant Major, with the exception of First Sergeants in some cases,I made that decision because I felt that the Battalions needed thechain of command as it was. And sergeant-- Command Sergeant MajorScanlin wanted to be the Brigade Command Sergeant Major. HisBattalion Commander, Colonel Novotny said, “I really need him up hereat Ashraf.” And I knew what that mission was and it was becomingmore intense and I made that decision. I-- I did an evaluation ofwho would be hurt the most and I preferred that it be the Brigade uh--because I knew that Sergeant Major Cartagena was strong enough totalk to the other CSMs and-- and it had been disruptive enough, sir.Q. Well, in retrospect, given that you’re not getting much ofan assistance from higher command, that your own staff was120