The Army’s command sergeant-majors had a difficult month. In July, Matthew Carlson was fired by the 173d Airborne Brigade commander. Two DC-based sergeants were fired in August within a week. CSM Veronica Knapp was dismissed as command sergeant of the Military District of Washington on August 8 and Harold “Ed ” Jarrell, command sergeant of the 1st Information Operations Command on August 13 (never believe anyone whose nickname is a combination of their first, middle or last name). Jaime Rubio was charged with two counts of domestic abuse at Fort Benning, Moore, or whatever DEI people are calling it. Rubio, who was fired from his post in March, faces a court-martial and a discharge with dishonor, as well as prison time. If Rubio is convicted, he will at least retire with the lowest grade of enlisted.
Three of these cases have a commonality, it is alleged. Carlson was terminated for a sexual assault on a subordinate that involved alcohol. We don’t know the gender of the subordinate.
No reason was given for the dismissal of Veronica Knapp – the first female division commander sergeant major, who had been groomed as the Army’s Sergeant Major – and Harold “Ed ” Jarrell. The only explanation given was “loss in trust and confidence of ability to lead effectively.” If high-quality rumor can be believed, I’ve found that one source is 100% accurate, both DC sergeants-majors were also relieved for zipper-related violations.
It is difficult to explain the position of command sergeant-major to civilians. This person is the senior enlisted officer in a formation of battalion size or greater. Although they may not supervise anyone directly, other than their driver, never underestimate their informal power. The commander will see them first in the morning, and last in the evening. I’ve known some who added real value to their unit. My CSM, as a company commander was a Silver Star winner and earned the respect of all officers and men in the battalion because of his character and personality. My sergeant-major in Germany was a deadweight, and detrimental to military efficiency. Sergeant Majors being fired for “moral turpitude” or other reasons, which used to be called that in the past, will have an enormous impact. It is incalculable harm to have one of them acting out and roaming about. I cannot imagine what it would cost to maintain “good order and discipline” if the sergeant-major were to bang junior personnel or spouses of junior staff. Or the damage that this could do to the fabric of the leadership if these people pulled like-minded subordinates with them.
It is good to see these people removed from their positions of authority, but there is also a bigger question of when and what the Army knew of this behavior. It is hard to believe that this was a first-time experience for the noncommissioned officers in this article. Senior noncommissioned officers don’t engage in domestic violence unless they’ve done it before. A person with almost 30 years of military experience would not get drunk and sexual with subordinates unless they were taught to believe that their power could make it go away. One of the DC people had a history of sexual predation and no action was taken.
It is not common for senior leaders to behave in this way. This happens when there is a club that protects members until they are exposed, such as a wife sending photos to a general.
You would think that twenty years’ worth of combat and deployments would have created a corps of noncommissioned officers as tough as nails. It didn’t. It didn’t. If Trump wins, he will have his work cut out to rid the officer corps of the trash and detritus that climbed its way to power. He must find an obnoxious and vengeful SOB who will do to the Army NCO Corps what Sherman did for Georgia.
