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FORT HUACHUCA — As the senior noncommissioned officer adviser to Maj. Gen. Caroll Pollett, Command Sgt. Maj. Donald Manley says his job is to be “his eyes and ears” for soldiers and their families.
As the command sergeant major for the Network Enterprise Technology Command/9th Signal Command (Army), Manley said it is better to recognize a problem and fix it “before it gets out of hand.”
The senior enlisted soldier in any organization is responsible to the commander.
And, now as NETCOM’s command sergeant major, Manley is adding another level to being a commander’s senior enlisted adviser.
 Command Sgt. Maj. Donald Manley, senior enlisted advisor for Network Enterprise Technology Command, has been in the Army for 29 years. (Mark Levy•Herald/Review) |
Prior to being named to the NETCOM post, Manley was the command sergeant major of the 11th Signal Brigade and had a similar position with the brigade’s 86th Signal Battalion. He assumed the senior NETCOM position in November. At the company level, he also served as first sergeant.
The unit’s commander and senior NCO are a team, and Manley said teamwork is based on “we,” not “I.”
“I’ism doesn’t work well,” he said as he sat in his office in Greely Hall.
The Army is facing different types of stresses, primarily based on deployment to combat zones, which for many of those in uniform has meant more than once, he said.
“When I came in, there was no war,” Manley said.
He enlisted in June 1978. By then, the Vietnam War was over and the turmoil in Bosnia and other Balkan areas and the terrorist attack on the United States were years in the future.
When he joined the Army, there were Cold War tensions, but as the war’s name suggests, it was more of political and military grandstanding between NATO and the Warsaw Pact nations.
Today’s soldiers and their families are different because of the all-volunteer nature of America’s armed forces, he said.
What must be done in today’s military service is to ensure the entire Army team supports the soldiers and their families.
Senior soldiers also need to be cared for.
“I don’t like the way senior soldiers are treated. We all need to concentrate on the older generation and track their needs. We can’t just put them out to pasture. They need to know there is life after retirement and they are still needed by the Army,” he said.
When it comes to the younger soldiers serving, Manley said another of his focal points is to find ways to “reduce fast deployments without impacting on missions.”
Looking at the 11th Signal Brigade, he said, “I got troops who were E-1’s (privates) who are now sergeants first class who have been on many deployments.”
It is, always has been and will remain the goal that missions must be accomplished, but ways must be found to give soldiers and their families more time together between deployments, Manley said.
“Morale is still high, but I wouldn’t want to wear them out,” he said.
The dedication of today’s forces is that both soldiers and their families know there are important missions to be done, he said.
The command leadership must appreciate soldiers and their families, and that is an emphasis of the NETCOM command team, Manley said.
The command, which has 17,000 soldiers worldwide, as well as civil service and contractor employees, leads the Army in retention, even though its units like the 11th are some of the most deployable in the service.
“That is a testament of leadership,” Manley added.
NETCOM was recently honored for exceeding all categories of enlistments in the Army.
However, it cannot be denied that constant deployments “are stressful across the military,” Manley said.
The father of an infantry soldier who recently returned from Iraq, Manley said he and the NETCOM commander see the sadness facing American families who have loved ones killed in Iraq or Afghanistan.
The command team concept is not just being leaders for those serving in NETCOM for it also means attending funerals for fallen soldiers, regardless of the branch an individual served with, he said.
Of all the responsibilities, being the Army’s representatives at a funeral is the most difficult, even though a soldier’s survivors are kind and appreciate what their loved one sacrificed, Manley said.
With nearly three decades in the Army, Manley wants his fellow command sergeants major to look ahead not behind on past glories.
“If you are not enthused about the Army it is time to leave,” he said. “You do it because you love it. If you don’t love it, it’s time to go.”
MORE ABOUT THE MAN:
Command Sgt. Maj. Donald Manley enlisted in the Army when he was 18.
Born in Chicago, he attended basic and individual training at Fort Gordon, Ga.
Looking back at the time when he entered the Army more than 29 years ago, Manley has reached the ranks of a senior noncommissioned officer and his focus is on the soldiers and their families.
Sometimes when he has an issue to take care of, he will run for miles until he envisions a solution.
One time he ran for eight miles. When his problem was solved, he had to call his wife, Georgia, to come and get him.
“I didn’t think I could run the eight miles back home,” the 47-year-old said with a laugh.
Besides running, he enjoys basketball and baseball. As for basketball, he likes pickup games and being on the court with younger soldiers.
Manley also is a history buff and enjoys reading about the subject.
Family is important to him.
Besides his wife, a retired Army staff sergeant, he has a son, Ge’Mayal Manley, an infantry sergeant who is stationed at Fort Lewis, Ga., and a daughter, Tannesia, a senior at Western New Mexico College, where she is majoring in accounting.
And then there is his mother, Grace, who he said taught him the importance of family.
She lives in Sierra Vista close to him.
Education is an important factor in his life. He has a bachelor’s degree from Excelsior College in N.Y., and is close to completing a master’s degree with a concentration in human resources.
During his military career, Manley has served at all levels of enlisted leadership positions.
His decorations include the Legion of Merit, two Bronze Star Medals, six Meritorious Service Medals, three Army Commendation Medals and five Army Achievement Medals.
Herald/Review senior reporter Bill Hess can be reached at 515-4615 or bill.hess@svherald.com.
Lynette Simon wrote on Dec 13, 2007 7:22 PM: