Long before his selection as the fifteenth sergeant major of the Army, Dan Dailey served multiple combat deployments in Iraq, first during Operation Desert Storm in the early 1990s and then in Operation Iraqi Freedom more than a decade later. In this episode of The Spear, he joins MWI’s Charlie Faint to reflect on those deployments—describing in particular one deployment’s operations in Baghdad’s Sadr City, where he receiving the Bronze Star Medal for valor.
Dailey began his career when he signed his enlistment paperwork as a sixteen-year-old, progressed through every enlisted leadership position from Bradley Fighting Vehicle commander to command sergeant major, and culminated in his service as the most senior enlisted soldier in the Army. During the conversation, he also shares his thoughts, refined over the course of that career and after working alongside officers at every rank, from platoon leaders to the chief of staff of the Army, on the vital relationship between officers and noncommissioned officers.
You can listen to the full conversation below, and if you aren’t already subscribed to The Spear, please be sure to do so on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, TuneIn, or your favorite podcast app.
Image credit: Sergeant Whitney Houston, US Army