Other military leaders across the globe often revere the United States Army for its unique and powerful Noncommissioned Officer Corps. And the fact that service in the U.S. Army is voluntary, mentorship is natural, inherent, and expected, and developmental relationships between a more experienced person and a less experienced person are replicated throughout formations, both perplex other foreign military leaders and have proven to be irreplicable despite our written doctrine. Mentorship between NCOs can be formal or informal and is intended to help Soldiers grow professionally and personally. Mentorship helps Soldiers develop leadership skills, critical thinking, and communication, and can improve morale and job satisfaction. There’s no doubt that Adjutant General's Corps NCOs emulate that mentorship across all formations in our army.
In the spirit of mentorship within our incredible NCO Corps and its leaders, the AGCRA Potomac Chapter planned an inaugural event to honor one of the finest leaders and mentors our Corps has known, SGM Larry L. Strickland. SGM Strickland served in the Army for 30 years, and he was serving as the Sergeant Major to the Army’s Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel when he was killed in action (KIA) because of the terrorist attacks on The Pentagon on September 11th, 2001.
The Potomac Chapter already hosts an annual golf tournament in honor of LTG Timothy J. Maude, who was the Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel and also KIA on September 11th, 2001, so it seemed overdue for the Chapter Council to honor the life and legacy of SGM Strickland with an event named in his honor.
“This bowling event is an enduring way for AG professionals to know who SGM Strickland was and emulate his success as a Senior Enlisted Advisor. Bowling is rich in our NCO culture and can bring human resources professionals together, strengthening our Corps.” - SGM Paul J. Smith, Potomac Chapter Vice President.
In the same way, SGM Strickland's love for the Army and its people motivated him to show up while on terminal leave and support the Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel on September 11th, 2001; the members, friends, and family of the Potomac Chapter showed up and showed out to make this event a big success and even contributed to the Larry Strickland Memorial Fund and Scholarship. Undoubtedly, the Potomac Chapter will turn this event into a bigger one for years to come!
