Caffie Becomes Army Reserve's Top Enlisted Leader

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Army News Service | J.D. Leipold | August 31, 2006
Washington D.C. - Command Sgt. Maj. Leon Caffie was sworn in as the 10th U.S. Army Reserve command sergeant major by Lt. Gen. Jack C. Stultz, commander of the Army Reserve, at a ceremony in the Pentagon’s Hall of Heroes yesterday.

The ceremony also marked the first time the Army Reserve will have a double-hatted command sergeant major. In the previous structure, there were two command sergeants major – one served as the enlisted leader of the U.S. Army Reserve Command at Ft. McPherson, Ga., while another served as the enlisted leader for the Chief of the Army Reserve in Washington, D.C.

“We’ve changed that to one position,” Stultz told the audience. “This is symbolic of not only bringing in new leadership, but also of the fact that we’re transforming the reserves into an operational force from an old-legacy force.”

Stultz interviewed 16 candidates for the position, and sought advice from Sgt. Maj. of the Army Kenneth O. Preston and U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command’s Command Sgt. Maj. John Sparks on what qualities to look for in a prospective command sergeant major.

“They told me ‘you’ll know who it will be when you feel it in your gut,’ and that’s what happened when I interviewed him,” Stultz said. “He genuinely cares about Soldiers. I think Soldiers will follow him anywhere – not because he cuddles them; he is very demanding, strict on discipline and standards.

“He won’t tolerate sub-standard performance and that’s what Soldiers appreciate – the fact that he demands and lives up to that warrior ethos and doesn’t ask anything of a Soldier that he’s not willing to do himself.”

In his new position, Caffie will lead more than 153,000 enlisted reserve Soldiers and serve as the chief advisor to Stultz on all enlisted Soldier matters with respect to training, leader development, mobilization, employer support, family readiness and support, and quality of life.

Following the acceptance oath, Caffie spoke briefly to the audience, thanking his wife, Sylvia, for her support throughout 35 years of marriage, and Stultz for giving him the opportunity to serve as the command sergeant major.

“The most important part of this job that I’m looking forward to is the interaction I’ll have with Soldiers,” he said. “My primary purpose is to take care of those young Soldiers, the young impressionable minds of the 18- and 19-year-old men and women who volunteered to join our reserves… It’s my pleasure to be able to share with them some of the wisdom and experience I’ve gained throughout the years.”

Caffie began his Army career when he was drafted in 1970. After serving in Vietnam, he joined the Army Reserve.

He holds an associate’s degree in general education from Santa Fe Community College, in Gainesville, Fla., and a bachelor’s degree in communications from Regents College, Albany, N.Y.

Caffie has also completed numerous civilian law enforcement courses and certifications, and graduated with distinction from the FBI National Academy, Quantico, Va.

He retired as a major from his civilian position with the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office in Florida, where he served as director of Law Enforcement Operations.