 Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. On behalf of Colonel Jesse L. Schobert, the commander of Western Sector United States Military Entrance Processing Command, welcome to the change of responsibility ceremony in which command sergeant major Michael Jackson will relinquish responsibility of his position as the senior illicit advisor of Western Sector United States Military Entrance Processing Command. At this time, we would like to welcome distinguished guests, family members, and those joining us virtually. Thank you. The presiding officer for today's ceremony is Colonel Jesse Schobert, United States Marine Corps Commander, Western Sector United States Military Entrance Processing Command. Will the guests please rise for the arrival of the official party and remain standing for the plan of the National Anthem and in the giving of the invocation, which is warranted as your choice. Lord, I come to you to just say thank you for this day you have created. On this day, Lord, we lift command sergeant major Jackson up to you and give thanks for the blessing of his leadership, kindness and calmness as he led your people and supported this command. Lord, I ask that you continue to bless him and his family as they continue to serve and support the troops in this nation. Lord, I ask that you lift up command sergeant major Rendon and give him guidance and clarity as he leads your people in this command. Bless him and his family as they lead and support him in commitment to continue service. In all of these things and more we say thank you and bless your name. Amen, amen, and amen. You may take your seat. On behalf of the Commander Western Sector United States Military Entrance Processing Command, I would like to recognize our distinguished guests. Ms. Stephanie Miller, Director, Office of the Secretary of Defense for Military Assessions Policy. Colonel Megan Stallings, Commander, United States Military Entrance Processing Command. Captain Nathan King, Chief Intelligence Resources Division, United States Southern Command and former Western Sector Commander, Command Sergeant Major Lorenzo Woodson, United States Military Entrance Processing Command, Command Sergeant Major. Command Sergeant Major McAdoon, Command Sergeant Major Human Resources Command, Chief of Staff, United States Military Entrance Processing Command, Dr. Donovan Phillips, the Eastern Sector Commander, Colonel Janelle Carter, and Eastern Sector Senior List Advisor Chief Master Sergeant Michael Page. I would also like to recognize Command Sergeant Major Rendon's daughters, Sarah and Isabelle, who could not attend the ceremony. At this time, Master Sergeant Rios will present tokens of appreciation to Command Sergeant Major Jackson's family. For Command Sergeant Major Jackson, his wife Angie is receiving a bouquet of red roses. These red roses stand as a symbol of the deep respect and never-ending affection which has grown for her during her 32 months with the command. She is also presenting gifts of support to his daughter Elena and his son, adorable Austin. At this time, Master Sergeant Tabor is presenting Mrs. Rendon a bouquet of mixed roses, symbolizing a new beginning of service to the command and the community. She is also presenting flowers to his daughter Sophia. USMEPCOM is responsible for processing individuals for enlisted, enlistment, or induction into the armed services based on Department of Defense peacetime and mobilization standards. This mission places USMEPCOM in support of the recruiting efforts of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Space Force, Coast Guard, and National Guard. USMEPCOM is comprised of two geographical sectors, Eastern Sector and Western Sector, 12 battalions, 65 maps, and two remote processing stations which are located nationwide to include Hawaii, Alaska, and Puerto Rico. USMEPCOM sectors, battalions, and maps are staffed with and commanded by personnel from military services. Western Sector consists of a headquarters in North Chicago, Illinois, six battalions, 31 maps located in the continental United States west of the Mississippi River, including one station each in Alaska and Hawaii, and two remote processing stations in California and Nevada. Ladies and gentlemen, we are about to observe a change of responsibility for the Western Sector United States Military Entrance Processing Command. The change of responsibility is a traditional event that is rich with symbolism and heritage. The key to ceremony is the passing of the organizational colors. The colors represent not only the heritage and history of the command, but also the unity and loyalty of its service members. The keepers of the colors is the senior listed advisor. As the senior listed advisor, members in the organization, the senior listed advisor is both the spoke person for the concerns of service members and principal advisor to the commander on matters affecting the service members and civilians morale, welfare, quality of life, and well-being. Command Sergeant Major Jackson, you have executed your duties of your position with dignity, dedication, and devotion. Your leadership of the soldiers, Marines, sailors, airmen, space professionals, coast guardsmen, and the Department of Defense civilians, as well as your sound guidance to the command have been of the finest quality. Having fulfilled your duties as the senior listed advisor with honor, it is with great respect and utmost gratitude that we say thank you as you pass on those standards and responsibilities to Command Sergeant Major Rendon. Ladies and gentlemen, you will now witness the passing of the colors. The passing of the colors signifies the change of responsibility to ceremony which entails the transfer of accountability, authority, and responsibility. Demonstrating to the command that the mantle of NCO leadership has been passed from one leader to the other. At this time, Sergeant First Class Davis will pass the colors to Command Sergeant Major Jackson. Command Sergeant Major Jackson will pass the colors to Kona Schober, symbolizing the fulfillment of his duties as the senior enlisted advisor. Kona Schober now passes the colors to the incoming senior enlisted advisor, Command Sergeant Major Rendon, entrusting him to carry out the duties and responsibilities of this position. Command Sergeant Major Rendon accepts the colors symbolizing the full acceptance of the duties and responsibilities inherent to his new position. Command Sergeant Major Rendon returns the colors to Sergeant First Class Davis. Ladies and gentlemen, the commander of western sector United States military entrance processing command, Colonel Jesse Schober. Well, good morning, ladies and gentlemen, family and friends, invited guests. I see a few party crashers, some interested bystanders, and people who showed up because they were told to. And for the record, I count myself as one of those because whereas it's always exciting to welcome a new teammate, it's never fun to say goodbye to a tried and true battle buddy. Miss Miller, Colonel Stallings, Dr. Phillips, Command Sergeant Major McAdoo, Command Sergeant Major Woodson. I especially like to thank you for being here and honoring us today with your presence. But no matter who you are or why you are here, thank you one and all for joining us today as part of this time-honored tradition. Today, I see family and friends, mentors and colleagues, headquarters staff and western sector team members, distinguished guests one and all who have gathered from across great distances as well as online to bear witness to this important ceremony. And the gathering of such an august audience, the pomp and circumstance, the playing of the national anthem, the passing of the unit's colors all speak volumes to the solemnity and importance of such an occasion. Indeed, it is days like today, days where we take a step back from the hustle and bustle of our daily activities that can remind us of what makes serving in our military so very special. Which brings to mind a story. It's the story of young Martin Treptow, a young patriot born not too far from here in the town of Eagle Point, Wisconsin. And who in the summer of 1917 found himself working as a barber in a small shop in the town of Cherokee, Iowa, which for anyone who's keeping track is on the western side. And as you all know, World War I was in progress at that time. And when the call went out for volunteers, young Martin listed in the National Guard on 15 July 1917. Quickly called to act of duty as America entered the war, Private Treptow found himself serving with Company M of the 168th Infantry in the famed and storied Rainbow Division. So nicknamed by then Major Douglas MacArthur, because it consisted of National Guard units that stretched like a rainbow across America. Having landed in France on December of 1917, the 42nd Division found itself fighting in the second battle of the Marne, a battle we Marines know all too well for it was there at Bellow Wood that we earned our nickname Devil Dogs. The Rainbow Division had been in the thick of the fight from the outset. And 104 years ago on this very day, 29 July 1918, the Division would find itself engaged in what would be one of the most important battles of the Great War. Tasked to save Paris from capture and stop what would end up being the last major German offensive of the war, the Division was attempting to take a key hill on the battlefield and was incurring heavy casualties. As the battle raged on, a call went out for a runner to deliver an important message to one of the forward platoons of Company M. In spite of heavy machine gun fire and constant artillery bombardment, Private Trepto, only 24 years of age that day, volunteered for the mission, grabbed the message in hand and ran out into that hellscape. But as he neared the platoon leader, Trepto was killed by a hail of bullets. And on this day, 104 years ago today, this American soldier, this humble dough boy from the Midwest, gave his life on foreign soil in service to this nation. Later in policing up his personal effects, his fellow soldiers found a diary in the pocket of his bloodstained blouse. There, written in Trepto's own hands on the very first page of the book, he had written the words, America must win this war. Therefore, I will work, I will save, I will sacrifice, I will endure, I will fight cheerfully and do my utmost as if the issue of the whole struggle depended on me alone. And I don't know about you, but when I hear stories like this, it makes me ask, what compels a person to feel this way? What motivates someone to struggle so much against even their own personal interest at times? And I think these are questions that only words like honor, courage, commitment, duty, loyalty, service and sacrifice can answer. These are words that live in the hearts and minds of the men and women who are called to serve our nation. And when awoken, they create an unbreakable will. Private Trepto has no stranger to these words. He represents what makes America and everything we sacrifice for so very, very special. The history of the Army and the other services can be defined by people like Martin Trepto. He may have put pen to paper in writing his pledge, but the words that he believed in have been honored by countless others throughout our history. Having been fortunate enough to travel all over the Western sector for the past year, I see this spirit alive and well every single day. Not only in the amazing teams working in the meps, but I see it vividly in the applicants who come through our doors every day. I truly believe it is the lifeblood of democracy that flows through our meps, and that our teams in the meps are the heartbeat that keep that lifeblood flowing. It is truly an amazing thing to witness. The idealism and aspiration of the young applicants who grace our floors every day, who seek to become the best versions of themselves while helping our nation live up to its best ideals, are the very same that inspired young Martin Trepto. They and he were cut from the same cloth. When they raised their right hands in our ceremony rooms and swear to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic, and bear true faith and allegiance to the same, when they grace our doors with their enthusiasm and their excitement, they are saying by their actions, I will work, I will save, I will sacrifice, I will endure, I will fight cheerfully and do my utmost. And after spending the better part of 52 weeks traveling and visiting 24 states, 31 meps, two remote processing stations, several of them multiple times, and spending 117,849 miles in the air plus countless road miles together, not to include the time I tried to shove you in the front of a Jeep Liberty, I can positively state that those words are embodied in Command Star Major Jackson as well. We have literally been joined at the hip since the first day I arrived at the Western sector, when I suddenly found myself on a four-hour flight to Boise within hours of checking into the command, not of assuming command, just checking in. And truth be told, though, I relished that flight because it gave Sergeant Major Jackson and me a chance to jumpstart the all-important mind-melt between a unit's commander and senior enlisted leader. That relationship is so special and so important, and I was instantly aware of just how lucky I and the Western sector were. What I didn't realize at that time was that Command Star Major Jackson has such a high-level travel status with all the airlines, because of all the travel he'd already done in the job, that he had to actually make special arrangements with the airlines to sit way back in steerage with me. But that's our Major Jackson, always taking one for the team. We converse the entire four hours, and in retrospect, I also didn't realize at that time how uncommon that would be. Not that we don't talk, and we talk all the time, rather how uncommon it would be that he was only talking to me. Because often, you know, one of the first things people observe about Sergeant Major Jackson is, you know, after the obligatory joke about his name and the obligatory comment about his height is that he has a quiet demeanor. Trust me, having a quiet demeanor doesn't mean that he doesn't have something to say. In fact, once he starts talking, he has a lot to say, and trust me, when he starts talking, you want to listen, because his advice is well worth the price of admission. In all our traveling together, I quickly learned that whether we were driving to the airport, waiting for a flight, boarding a flight, disembarking a flight, waiting for our bags to arrive in the same state, driving to a hotel, he was always on the damn phone. I almost couldn't get a word in edgewise sometimes. So who was he talking to, you ask? Well, typically it's one of the six battalion senior enlisted advisors, but it was just as likely that he was talking to someone from a meps or someone back in our office, or any number of other people from the Joint Force, Army Human Resources Command, our recruiting partners, he was always in the fight, always working to serve our teammates and partners in western sector, helping them iron out issues, address difficult challenges, or otherwise ensure they had what they needed to succeed. Whatever people needed, Sergeant Major Jackson was going to do his utmost and work tirelessly to ensure they had whatever they required to accomplish their mission. Instead of relashing on a flight, I've seen him spend three hours on his little bitty work iPhone, thumbing away at a three page email, just so he could send it once we got back into cell phone coverage. And although he was constantly working behind the scenes to solve problems, Sergeant Major Jackson always leads from the front, setting a tremendous example for others to follow. He plays senior enlisted advisors where they would learn and perform well, and then gave them the most precious resource any of us has to give, his time and energy to ensure that they would succeed. He allowed C's to lead within their battalions and meps, upholding the highest of standards and his interaction with all of them. All of those he took under his wing as coach, mentor, father figure at times, resulted in an incredible amount of growth and development and tremendous success. But Command Sergeant Major would tell you it's not about him. And his proudest moments were always when his people succeeded. Indeed, success for a leader is defined by our lasting impact upon those we developed. And believe me, for Sergeant Major Jackson, it's a long list. There is no doubt that he has left an indelible mark on the Western sector, on the lives of the leaders he developed, and on the service members those leaders will go on to develop. If I could sum up Command Sergeant Major Jackson in one word, it would be servant leader. And for the record, I know that's two words, but no one ever accused Marines of counting so good. It's our major. I could cite chapter and verse, quote, any number of statistics to quantify your impact here in the Western sector. But you have had an incalculable impact upon me, upon the few of us on the command deck, upon the few dozen of us in the Western sector staff, upon the dozens upon dozens of senior enlisted advisors you've mentored and grown, not to mention the 1400 plus teammates of the Western sector. You took advantage of an opportunity rarely afforded someone to exert great leverage and create a lasting impact. As something we often discussed as a canvassing recruiter, 73 patriots joined the Army under your care. And as a drill sergeant, you impacted hundreds more by forging new recruits into soldiers. And now here in Western sector, over 133,000 soldier, sailors, airmen, Marines, guardians, guardsmen have joined in service to their nation under your watchful eye and ever-present influence. Truly, you have lived up to the spirit of young Martin Treptow. And I want to thank you for your work, your sacrifice, your endurance, and for fighting cheerfully to do your utmost. I want to thank you for bringing, for what you brought to the fight each and every day. Thanks for helping make Western sector U.S. MAPCOM the Department of Defense in our nation and the world a better place. It has been my honor and privilege to serve alongside you and try to keep up as best I could. Angie, thanks for letting us borrow your husband for the past 32 months. Especially during COVID and all that entailed. I tried to get him home to you as much as I could, but I know there were challenges caused by our incessant travel schedule. In this business, we know that military members cannot do what they do without their family's love and support. So thank you, Angie, Elena, Austin, for all of your service and your sacrifice. We could not do what we do without you. And I know for a fact that as important as everything is that your husband and father has done for the Army, for MAPCOM, for Western sector, and for me. That as meaningful as his impact has been upon those he's led and mentored and developed. You are far and away the most important part of his life and his greatest contribution to this world. As Team Jackson heads off to Fort Bragg in your next big adventure with the 18th Airborne Corps, I wish you all, as we say in the Marine Corps, fair winds and following seas. And now, with that said, I'm sorry, Major Rendon, as you step into the breach, I hope you are ready to work, to save, to sacrifice, and to endure because this job demands no less. And I know that you're ready. You know, it's always with a sense of trepidation that a commander welcomes a new partner into their lives. And because we so often do unto others, as has been done unto us, within a few short hours of his own arrival, we had Command Sergeant Major Rendon on a plane with us for his very own four-hour flight to kick-start his orientation and turnover. And after that opportunity to get to know him personally and professionally, well, I'm happy to report that apparently lightning can strike twice. So I feel very lucky to have Command Sergeant Major Rendon joining the Western Sector Team, and Susie and Sophia, and Sarah and Isabel, who are watching on the interwebs. Not only are we thrilled to have you as part of the Western Sector Team, but Jackie and I are very excited to have you as neighbors down the street as well. And for everyone else, Command Sergeant Major Rendon arrives here after most recently serving as the G3 Sergeant Major at the Army Human Resources Command, Fort Knox, Kentucky. There, he provided direct staff support to the commanding general, chief of staff, G3, and the Command Sergeant Major. And most importantly for us, it means he knows where all the skeletons are buried. And he is no stranger to MEPCOM, or to the Western Sector, having served as the Los Angeles MEPPS First Sergeant from 2011 to 2013. So in a sense, this is much less of a welcome and much more of a welcome back. In either event, Sergeant Major, like they tell us every time we have to fly Southwest Airlines, sit down, strap in, and hang on, because it's going to be one heck of a ride. Our mission never stops and the sun barely sets on the Western Sector. So we're about to hit the road to support our teammates who work each and every day to ensure that those young patriots who choose to become tomorrow's soldiers, sailors, airmen, marine, coast guardsmen, national guardsmen, and guardians have the requisite mental, moral, and physical qualities to join us as uniform members of the armed forces of this great nation. I know they like to unleash the beast next door on the east side, but here on the west side, no matter what anyone else says, we ride and die on the best side. So welcome aboard. Now let's get to work. Ladies and gentlemen, the outgoing senior enlisted advisor for Western Sector, U.S. military entrance processing command, command Sergeant Major Michael Jackson. All right, so for those of you that know me know, I'm not usually a man in many words, but when you give us our major microphone, all that goes out the window. So I'm not responsible for what happens after that. All right, distinguished guests, Ms. Miller, Colonel Stallings, Captain King, Colonel Cutter, fellow Sergeant Major's families, friends, service members, and civilians of U.S. MEPCOM. Good day to you all. And thanks for taking the time out of your busy schedules to attend today's ceremony. Your presence is truly appreciated. First and foremost, I would like to thank God for all of these continued blessings. I would also like to thank my family who is here with me today for their love and sacrifice. I look forward to our next chapter of the journey, and I hope I have enough energy to keep up with my son over the next few days because I know he's going to try to run me in the ground. Ms. Miller, thank you for spending a few minutes here with us today. We truly appreciate that. I truly appreciate the support you have provided us up in this session's policy, and I know you will continue to advocate for us as you continue to serve as your next role. So thank you for spending time. Colonel Stallings, thank you for your continued support of the sector as we transitioned into the Ramirez 1.1, and Ms. Genesis, all the medical modernization, and all the challenges that have come along with them. You've been a great boss to have, and I look forward to support, and I thank you for your support and understanding as it is greatly appreciated and has given us the ability to do our mission. Captain King, thanks for showing up for your old battle buddy today. And thank you for laying the groundwork for me as I transitioned into Western sector nearly three years ago now. I clearly recall our first interaction as it set the tone for what our working relationship would form into. So I drove into North Chicago on a Saturday morning in mid-October and naturally was snowing already. But by the next afternoon, I was in the airport on my way to the first of many MEPS visits. And I met it with my predecessor just prior to boarding, and he informed me that Captain King was already on the plane. As I entered the boarding door to the airplane, there sits Captain King in the first seat in first class with this huge grin on his face. So he then proceeds to tell me, Sergeant Major, make sure you keep the noise down as you make your way to the back of the plane. I looked at him and said, OK, that's what we're going to do, OK, all right. So I knew at that moment that we were going to get along just fine. So, sir, thank you for your leadership and your continued support, and I'm a better leader for having served with you. I know you're down in Miami, living a J-Fresh life, shining brightly as only you can. To my commander, Colonel Showbird, sir, thank you for your kind words. Every Sergeant Major wants to have a commander like you. Although you kind of had to be here today, your presence has only enhanced the events. You jumped in headfirst with no knowledge of what it is we do in MEPCOM, and you totally immerse yourself in the culture. You listen to my advice, you have my back at all times, and we work break together to run the sector within your intent. Thank you for your leadership, dedication to our mission, and the latitude you gave me to get after your priorities. You finally come into your own, and now I can no longer send you to the back of the plane. The Western sector will continue to excel under your command, the new Jackie and the family, fair winds and following seas, that's that jointness rubbing off on me, as you continue to lead the Western sector team through medical modernization and beyond. Commander Midnass, you are here back in the back. Appreciate you coming. Couldn't have asked for two better deputies to go to battle with on a daily basis, first with now Captain Mack and then Commander Midnass, who are also known as D-1 and D-2. As I always say, all roles lead to the deputy, because the deputy is a heartbeat who runs the sector, juggling all the chain saws while the commander and I are out on the road. There was never any loss of continuity and never a hint of concern that you didn't have everything under control here at the headquarters. I know you will continue to crush it in your next job in Millington. Finally, the Navy got something right this year. To my U-9 counterparts, Commander Sergeant Major Woodson and Chief Page, the team we built helped keep each other sane when things got hectic. Thanks for being great teammates and wingmen who always had my back if I ever needed anything. I will miss the camaraderie we shared and I'm always a phone call away. Most importantly, Chief Page, thanks for always being there to be second place to West Side. You might need to counsel him a couple of extra days of the week for that. The headquarters staff, thank you for your tremendous support for us here in the sector. Your dedication to the MEPS has been invaluable as they work tirelessly to execute their role in the sessions mission. The MEPS commanders and senior elicit advisors, past and present, you are the leaders. You are the engine that powers the machine and you are the standard bearers. Continue to stay at the tip of the spear. Continue to develop our junior service members and keep showing them that MEPCOM is not the place that their careers will come to die. Be the positive example for them as well as the applicants who walk in your MEPS. They aspire to be a part of something greater than themselves and you are the first example that they see of that. I look forward to seeing great things in the future from every single one of you. To our civilian workforce, you are the continuity that keeps us operating at the highest level every single day. Our military personnel come and go every few years and your professionalism is the main reason we continue to keep operating at those high levels, even in the face of an unprecedented global pandemic. You are the fabric and the backbone that will keep this command strong. COVID-19 pandemic was and is one of the most challenging situations this organization has endured. When the SEC defamed the recruiting mission to be mission essential, that made this command to be mission essential. And our personnel answered the call in the face of this pandemic every single day and continue to deliver that exceptional service on a daily basis. Our relationship with our recruiting partners is one that is built on communication, trust and constant coordination. We must remember that we are here to support their efforts, especially during this time of uncertainty. The leadership in our meps fully understand and execute this daily with precision, balancing all requirements while taking care not to excessively overburden your teams in the process. You demonstrate the art and science of leadership in action on a daily basis and it has been a pleasure to have a front row seat to witness that. All those numbers that were mentioned earlier by Colonel Schauberg, not one single applicant comes through the doors of the headquarters in North Chicago. They walk through the meps doors every single day and you are the ones that provide that world-class support. The great Michael Jordan once said, talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships. I'm truly proud to have been on our winning team, the West Side, not East Side. And I try my best to be intelligent enough to not get in the way of our great teammates to execute the mission. I truly enjoyed my time here in Western Sector. It's been awesome to see our joint community up close in action and it's been honored to serve as a senior leadership advisor alongside the great members of this sector. It's our major rendering. I look forward to seeing the team continue to excel under your watch as they take on the challenges ahead. You have a great commander who will always support you and you have an awesome support team around you. Let them run, take care of them and they will take care of the mission. Freedom's front door, West Side's strong side, this is West Side 7 signing off the net. Ladies and gentlemen, the incoming senior leadership advisor for Western Sector, military entrance processing command, Command Sergeant Major Roger Rendon. I put my scene eyes on. Private Tupto, man that dude was awesome. Good morning everybody, this is Miller, Command Sergeant Major McAdoo, Colonel Stallings, Command Sergeant Major Woodson, Mr. Phillips, Colonel Cutter, Chief Page, Commander Becker, and a special shout out to the members of the AG SEC watching online. She yields up. Officers, NCOs, civilians and family members here and online. Thank you for joining me and my family on this very humbling and very great occasion. We thank all members of the armed forces that are currently here in the civilian workforce present. Truly appreciate it. I know all, I and all sort of songs are what's keeping us from the reception. And in honor of National Hot Wings Day, which is today, I didn't know, we're going to have hot wings downstairs. So that's awesome, right? So we're already winning. Some cupcakes and other things, but wings rule the day. I want to thank my family, my wife Susie, daughters Sarah, Isabel and Sophia, my future son-in-law Julio, and grandson Joaquin for having the intestinal fortitude to endure another one of these jaunts. They've been in a few. I would apologize, but now right now the real apology is going to come later on sometime in December, hopefully on a beach somewhere hanging out. Guaranteed to be a great time. Being a family, I got to do this. Recently before leaving Fort Knox, and I want to do this here, my wife Susie was recognized as the South Central Kentucky Red Cross Chapter Volunteer of the Year for her work at Fort Knox Warehouse, the Warrior Warehouse and with the Mayfield and Dawson Springs Tornado Relief last year. So round of applause for you Susie. Susie and for the rest of the military spouses. Thank you is never, and I mean never going to be enough. But for now, that's all I can give. Thank you. I also want to thank Phil McCarn. So he's right up front. Phil was my paralegal specialist when I was at Second Range of Italian at Joint Base Lewis-McCord. And he's the one keeping me straight right now. So if I'm legal, I'm good. So thanks Phil for being here. I appreciate it. And shout out to Mr. Antonio. Everybody knows him as Tony Nieves. He works here obviously in, you know, the other side. It shall not be named. But Mr. Nieves was my NCOIC, my first NCOIC in the Army. And so it means a whole lot for him to be here. And I can honestly say that if it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be in the Army anymore. That's a fact. That is a straight up fact. All right, folks. I appreciate the reception and support that Western Sector and MEPCOM have given me and my family. You all opened the doors and made us feel right at home, even though we're hanging out in Navy Lodge for the next few weeks. But that's okay. So is everybody else. I got no problem with that. Thanks. And Sergeant Major Jackson, thank you for providing me with the product that you have so far. It is awesome. I truly appreciate everything that you've done for not only Western Sector, but honestly, for all of DOD. I mean, think about it, folks. A lot of folks come through Western Sector a lot. Any Western Sector too, but you know. Good luck on your next assignment. You and your family are going to have a great time. But remember, feet and knees together, man. Feet and knees together. And you're with 6'4", 6'5", right now? Get ready to be like five feet something. I was six feet before. All right. So having traveled all around the best coast already, and again, yes, this is the best coast. It is, believe me. Hawaii, Guam, Alaska, California. What's not to love about that? Having gone over a few maps already, I can tell you that they are doing amazing things. Everybody knows that. So 31 maps to remote processing stations, and they are responsible for testing, processing. Everybody knows this, right? And we're processing Army and Navy Air Force Marine, Space Force, Coast Guard. They're our future. Our future, all right? So make no mistake, this will not be an easy endeavor. And I already know this. And, sir, believe me, I'm ready. We are in a war for talent right now. Everybody reads the news, you hear it. The same talent that Microsoft, Abbey, Walmart, Ford, Amazon, McDonald's, yeah, they're all throwing money at them, all right? Giving them all kinds of perks, offering all kinds of things to join their organization. So this is where we come into play. We must treat our national treasures as if they were our children, because sometimes they are, walking through freedom's front door, our kids, all right? So this is why MEPCOM exists. This is why we exist here, all right? And I don't take that lightly. Right now, a young applicant, somewhere in the United States, whether it's the West Coast or East Coast, is walking through one of those MEPs, getting ready to process whatever he or she's doing. And they're a little apprehensive, a little nervous, wondering if they made the right decision, all right? And they come from different cultures, different backgrounds, different upbringings. They look like us when we were coming through, all right? I came through LA MEPs, the old LA MEPs, not the new one, all right, on Rodeo Road. Not the Rodeo Drive, guys, all right? Wondering if this is the profession that they chose that they're choosing, if it's the right thing to do. And the first people that they see, aside from the recruiters, is us. They see civilians, they see those process NCOs, those test coordinators, they see all of us. And so guess what? We have to treat them with dignity and respect as soon as they walk in, all right? They all have one thing in common, they want to serve our nation, all right? They want to be something bigger than ourselves, than themselves. So that is the tip of the sphere that I am really looking forward to be a part of. And what a great day it's going to be. But what now, all right? Sir, I humbly and graciously take this position. I'm ready, all right? To be your battle buddy, your right-hand man, to do every single thing that needs to be done to make Westside the best side. It already is. We're just going to make it a whole lot better, all right? To the NCOs of the Western sector, we come from all brass of the service from the active reserve and guard, but we are and will continue to be the backbone of MEPCOM. We will continue to set examples for others to follow. We will be mentally alert and morally straight in our daily duties. We will be physically strong as well as never forget that we represent our respective branches of the service to the rest of Western sector. This is an organization where mutual respect and trust is paramount. And this applies to everybody. I work for you. And so I must, on a daily basis, earn your respect and trust, all right? This is not just once a day, once a week. No, every minute of every day. I am here for you. George Bernard Shaw once said, this is a true joy in life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one. And team, this, this is a mighty effort indeed. Again, thank you all very much for attending today. I truly appreciate it. Best in the West, Freedom Front Door, Army Strong. Westside 7, signing in. Please rise and remain standing for the playing of the service songs and the departure of official party.