The country lost a legend on Friday with the death of Sgt. Maj. Henry Black, the service’s oldest surviving sergeant major of the Marine Corps. As noted in an obituary I wrote Monday, Black served in combat in both Korea and Vietnam, even earning a Silver Star for heroism as a junior Marine. It’s his leadership that Marines miss the most, however. Retired Sgt. Maj. Carlton Kent, the Corps’ 16th sergeant major of the Marine Corps, recalled Black as a father figure and mentor when I spoke with him Monday. Sgt. Maj. Mike Barrett, the Corps’ current top enlisted Marine,…
Browsing: Carlton Kent
KABUL, Afghanistan — Army Command Sgt. Maj. Marvin Hill is not a household name among Marines, but his career has skyrocketed parallel to that of his long-time friend, Sgt. Maj. Carlton Kent, who stepped down June 9 as sergeant major of the Marine Corps. “I went to high school with Sgt. Maj. Kent, he’s a homeboy and a very close friend,” Hill said June 3 in his office at NATO headquarters, where he is the senior enlisted leader for International Security Assistance Force and U.S. Forces Afghanistan. Translation: He is ISAF commander Army Gen. David Petraeus’ wingman, and has…
UFC-style competition will likely be rolled out Corps-wide within a year, according to Sgt. Maj. of the Marine Corps Carlton Kent. While Kent was clear that the final decision rests with the commandant, Marine officials are already in detailed meetings to discuss how an Army Combatives-style tournament system could be rolled out. Early this year, Kent sent Sgt. Maj. Howard Long, the senior enlisted Marines at Training and Education Command at Quantico, Va., on a fact finding mission that took him to the U.S. Army Combatives School at Fort Benning, Ga. There the Army’s master trainer, Sgt. 1st Class Jason…
Commandant Gen. Jim Amos and company sure know how to get around. The Marine Corps’ top officer made a surprise visit Wednesday at the 2011 Warrior Games in Colorado Springs, Colo. Also present were his wife, Bonnie, and Sgt. Maj. Carlton Kent, the Corps’ top enlisted adviser. If the photograph above is any indication, the mood was light. The commandant and Bonnie Amos did the wave, even if Kent sat this round out. It happened during a sitting volleyball match between The Wounded Warrior Regiment All-Marine Team and a group of injured airman. The Warrior Games is a paralympic-style competition…
Cross another item off Sgt. Maj. Carlton Kent’s list. The Marine Corps’ senior enlisted Marine traveled to the West Coast this week for what could be the last time before he retires, speaking to Marines from I Marine Expeditionary Force and other commands. A brief Marine Corps account of the trip is posted here. As noted in this recent Marine Corps Times feature on Kent, it’s no surprise he’s making the rounds as the clock ticks down on his time in the Corps.
STUTTGART, Germany — Sgt. Maj. Carlton Kent is on the road again. That’s as good of a place as any to start when acknowledging that Marine Corps Times is traveling with the Corps’ senior enlisted adviser as he visits several locations in Europe. I hopped a plane Sunday with Kent and his staff, arriving about 3 a.m. local time here after a a brief refueling layover at Lajes Field in Portugal. I’ll be reporting several stories out of this trip, but a good place to start is that Kent travels relatively conservatively. We hopped an aging Marine DC-9 jet from…
Four years ago last month, Commandant Gen. James Conway announced that he had selected Sgt. Maj. Carlton Kent to serve as his sergeant major of the Marine Corps. It’s a demanding position that requires those who hold it to be equally comfortable while offering blunt advice to a four-star general, inspiring junior Marines and articulating the Marine Corps’ needs on Capitol Hill. Following Conway’s retirement in October, the time is coming for Kent to move on, too. The sergeant major is expected to retire this spring after completing a four-year term as the Corps’ top enlisted Marine. He has held the position…
This morning, I met with Sgt. Maj. Carlton Kent in his office for a wide-ranging interview. We discussed a variety of issues for future stories, and eventually the subject of this blog, Battle Rattle, came up. Kent, the Marine Corps’ top enlisted Marine, then asked about “the handshake video.” As in, had we seen the video of him shaking hands with recently retired Commandant Gen. James Conway? The one adapted from the service’s 2009 birthday message and set to the music of legendary rapper Snoop Dogg? For those not familiar with what I’m talking about, feel free to review it here. Fair…
This week’s Marine Corps Times cover story cuts right to the chase: It’s all about what the service’s new top officer has planned. Commandant Gen. Jim Amos sat down with Marine Corps Times senior writer Gina Cavallaro and managing editor Andy deGrandpre last week, outlining a variety of priorities for the service. Among them, he wants to see Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command continue to grow, new re-enlistment rules and better unit cohesion. He also disclosed his feelings on the Corps’ tattoo policy. If you look at the cover image above, you’ll also see a teaser that says he “almost declined…
Have party, will deliver. For the second consecutive year, the Marine Corps’ top enlisted adviser traveled from the Pentagon to Fredericksburg, Va., on the service’s Nov. 10 birthday to visit retired Sgt. Maj. Henry Black, 81, the seventh sergeant major of the Marine Corps. “We take care of our own,” Kent said in a Marine Corps news release. “We take great pride in our legacy, and ensuring the Marines who’ve gone before us have a proper celebration is the right thing to do. Being able to share a night of camaraderie with warriors such as Sgt. Maj. Black motivates me…
