
Command Sgt. Maj. Jon Otero, senior enlisted advisor for the Leader Training Brigade, holds the unit colors after receiving them from Col. Joseph A. Jackson, LTB commander during a ceremony held, June 15 at the NCO Club. Otero took responsibility for LTB from Command Sgt. Maj. Roberto Colon.
Leader Seven signs on
Story, photo by Robert Timmons, Fort Jackson Public Affairs
The Leader Training Brigade said goodbye to one senior enlisted advisor and welcomed a new one, June 15.
Command Sgt. Maj. Jon A. Otero took responsibility of the unit from Command Sgt. Maj. Roberto Colon during a ceremony held at the NCO Club on post.
In the ceremony Col. Joseph A. Jackson, LTB commander, welcomed Otero but also praised Colon’s talent for helping the unit through many changes.
“Where to begin?” Jackson asked. “How do I unpack and recognize all you many talents? Your direct involvement helped up navigate through choppy waters of aligning several schools with completely different missions.”
The brigade is comprised of three subordinate commands: Headquarters, Headquarters Company, Task Force Marshall, and the U.S. Army Student Detachment. The U.S. Army Physical Fitness School, Initial Military Training Leadership School and the U.S. Army Master Resilience School are part of the brigade, as is the Expert Soldier Badge Test Management Office, Quality Assurance Office, and the Training Development Division.
Colon’s numerous achievements were only part of the story, he added.
“I’d like you to know on a personal note, our time spent sharing the platform of command, has been one of the most fulfilling and enriching of my career,” he said. “Upon first meeting you, I was taken off guard, in a positive way, by your reflective nature. Among the six sergeants major I’ve served with I was accustomed to something a little more loud, a little more directive, and quick to act … I quickly realized that the decisions, advice and recommendations that you presented were going to be thought through, weighed against what was right, correct, moral and ethical. And what was the balance of dangerous for both the Soldiers involved and for the good of the Army.”
While Colon’s actions highlighted his character, Otero’s background “will provide solid footing for your responsibilities at LTB,” Jackson said.
Otero, who has experienced numerous deployments, has a background in training environments. He has served at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center in Hohenfels, Germany; Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Johnson (formerly Fort Polk) Louisiana; and the National Training Center, at Fort Irwin, California. Otero was the senior enlisted advisor for 2nd Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment at Fort Moore, (formerly Fort Benning) Georgia. prior to taking responsibility for the LTB.
“I promise to continue to be the steward of discipline and standards for the organization and to make the LTB thrive,” Otero said during the ceremony, “and proceed forward into the future of training leaders for the Army.”
“It’s good to be here,” he said to the brigade. “It’s good to work with you and get to meet each and every one of one … I am Leader Seven signing on.”