William Gainey 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 nearly 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 Master of Arts degree in Education from 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 . Personal life . Gainey is married to the former Lucinda ( Cindy ) Chunn and they have a son and daughter . Their son , Major Ryan Joe Gainey and family are currently stationed at Fort Leavenworth , KS while Major Gainey is attending the Command and General Staff College ( CGSC ) at Forth Leavenworth , KS ; their daughter , Erin E . Gainey - Roberts , currently stationed at Fort Bragg , NC with her family and husband , Sergeant First Class Jeff Roberts .