William Gainey

William Joseph (Joe) Gainey
Nickname(s) Fighting Joe
Born (1956-05-27) May 27, 1956
Jacksonville, FL
Allegiance United States of America
Service/branch United States Army
Years of service 1974–2008
Rank Command Sergeant Major
Battles/wars Cold War
OIF
Awards Army Distinguished Service Medal
Defense Superior Service Medal
Legion of Merit (2)
Bronze Star with "V" Device

William J. (Joe) Gainey was the first Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (SEAC). He retired April 25, 2008 with the rank of Command Sergeant Major.

Gainey was the first Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, a newly created position established to advise the Chairman on matters of professional development of enlisted personnel assigned to joint billets. Gainey was the first person selected to serve in this position beginning October 1, 2005.

Biography

Gainey enlisted in the Army under the Delayed Entry Program in 1974 and entered basic training at Fort Knox, Kentucky on June 17, 1975. Since then, he has served in a number of enlisted leadership positions, from gunner to Command Sergeant Major. He retired after over 33 years of service to the nation on April 25, 2008.

Gainey's assignments include: Driver, Loader, Gunner, and Tank Commander in the 1st Battalion, 67th Armor (Tiger Brigade), 2nd Armored Division, Ft Hood, Tx.; Gunner, Tank Commander, and Platoon Sergeant in the 4th Battalion, 73rd Armored, 1st Infantry Division, Böblingen, Germany; Platoon Leader in the 2nd Battalion, 70th Armored, 24th Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga.; Drill Sergeant and Senior Drill Sergeant in the 19th Battalion, 4th Training Brigade, Ft Knox, Ky.; Platoon Sergeant and Operations Sergeant in the 3rd Battalion, 73rd Armor, 82nd Airborne Division, Ft Bragg, N.C.; Platoon Sergeant and First Sergeant in the 1st Battalion, 509th Infantry Airborne, Joint Readiness Training Center (JRTC), Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark.; Senior Enlisted Armor Advisor, Ft Jackson, S.C..

Gainey served as the Command Sergeant Major for the 2nd Battalion, 68th Armored Regiment, and 1st Battalion, 35th Armored Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, Baumholder, Germany; Eagle Base, Bosnia and Herzegovina; 1st Squadron, 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Polk, La.; 2nd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga.; 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Polk, La.; The United States Army Armor Center, Fort Knox, Ky; and as the Command Sergeant Major for the III Corps and Fort Hood at Fort Hood, Texas.

Gainey served in Operation Joint Endeavor (IFOR), Operation Joint Guard (SFOR 3) and Operation Joint Forge (SFOR 8) in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He served as the Command Sergeant Major for the Combined Joint Task Force 7 (CJTF-7) and as the Command Sergeant Major of the Multi-National Corps Iraq (MNC-I) in Operation Iraqi Freedom II.

Gainey attended numerous military schools and training programs to include: the Drill Sergeant School; Airborne School; Jumpmaster School; Air Movement Officer's Course; Observer Controller Course; First Sergeants Course; Pathfinder School; and the United States Army Sergeants Major Academy, Class 41. Gainey holds an Associate of Applied Science degree from Vincennes University, a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Touro University International and a Masters of Arts degree in Education from Trident University International. Since his retirement from the Army, Gainey has taken a board member position at Trident University International.

Anecdotally, CSM Gainey was known to his soldiers to carry a steel ball bearing from an Abrams tank in his pocket which he called his "Military Bearing". He would encourage soldiers to challenge him by asking if he had his "Military Bearing". If he was able to respond to the challenge by producing it, both he and the challenging soldier would drop and do push-ups. If he did not have it, the soldier would be awarded a Battalion coin. Some Soldiers are known to still challenge to see if he still carries his Military Bearing. Once asked about this, his reply with his noted friendly smile was, "my Soldiers will just have to take a chance and ask."

Awards and decorations

V
Bronze star
Bronze star
Bronze star
Bronze star
Bronze star
Bronze star

List of Medals and Ribbons

Badges

Combat Action Badge
Master Parachutist Badge
Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification Badge
Drill Sergeant Identification Badge
Pathfinder Badge
Expert Rifle Badge
III Corps Combat Service Identification Badge
2nd Cavalry Regiment DUI
11 Service stripes
2 Overseas Service Bars

CSM Gainey is also a recipient of:

Gold Medallion of the Honorable Order of Saint George, United States Armor Association
Silver Medallion of the Ancient Order of Saint Barbara, Air Defense Artillery Association

Foreign decorations and awards

German Armed Forces Badge of Marksmanship (Schützenschnur in Bronze)
German Sports Badge (Military version in Bronze)

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to William Gainey.

References

Preceded by
None		 Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
September 2005— April 25, 2008 		Succeeded by
Vacant until Sept. 2011
Sgt. Maj. Bryan B. Battaglia, USMC 2011–2015
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