Division Sergeant
Major
18" x 22"
Oil on Canvas
4th Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Washington
Major General Arthur S. Collins, Commanding
1966
Division Sergeant Major
Thomas Tobin – Waukegan, Il.
Sergeant Major is the highest enlisted rank a soldier may attain.
Among the qualities
required of men in this rank are dedication, experience, diverse skills,
good judgment, dependability, adaptability, good physical condition, and
military bearing.
The duties of each
Sergeant Major are tailored specifically to the needs of his Commanding
Officer
and the type of unit he serves.
As the senior Non-commissioned Officer, he represents his men
to their
Commander
and the Commander to his men.
He is responsible for the safety of
his Commanding Officer.
Through the
chain of command, he is responsible for the performance
and discipline of the troops. He is required to sit on promotion boards.
Sergeant Major Tobin was
born in Waukegan, Illinois. He enlisted in the Army at 17
and went into
combat four years later
with
the paratroopers in Korea.
After assignments in various states, the Pacific Theatre, and European
Theatre,
and with the help of
Army technical schools,
he became a Sergeant Major in 1962
at the age of 31.
Although he was
highly qualified for the rank,
it was necessary for
the "Exceptional Soldier Waiver"
to be invoked
because of his youth.
