"I remember living in those barracks on Ardennes Street, and now they are all gone," said Allen. That's not what I'm talking about." I was told that there would be a problem with funding, and I understand that, then they said the army frowns on clubs. "Lt. Gen [Lloyd] Austin and I were all over it and we worked it hard before we deployed, came back and shortly after that Lt. Gen. Austin had to leave." Another project that Allen has given his attention to is the creation of a new state-of-the-art NCO club. It may have gone by fast, but this has been the most rewarding four years of my entire career. I live in Fayetteville, N.C., and whenever Soldiers from the 82nd Airborne deploy, I am there. An assignment to 1 Corps Support Command followed, and then he reported to the Corps headquarters in 2006. XVIII Airborne Corps command sergeant major bids farewell to Fort Bragg. I come out here to speak to Soldiers and let them know that we remember them. "They were built in the 50s, and they were old when I got there. "Over the years we have dragged our feet taking care of NCOs, we've said last year was 'the year of the NCO' but what the hell does it mean — and that is what soldiers ask me what does it mean? When I reported in, he turned around in his chair, looked at me, and said 'have a seat Sgt. I definitely wasn't expecting that and as I sat there, I was convinced that the chair was rigged with explosives." Rice. That's a true story." "I looked at all that he was showing us and I was listening to everything that he said, but what he did not know is that I been here since the 70s and I knew the history of that club," said Allen. Soldiers also expect you to take care of them and their families." Allen, a senior non-commissioned officer with more than 35 years experience, first arrived here as an airborne infantryman with 1 Battalion, 505 Airborne Infantry Regiment, 82 Airborne Division. "I've been jumping out of planes since the 70s and this is all I wanted to do," said Allen. Maj. William T. Mixon was the Corps sergeant major at that time." "We have finally have gained traction, mainly because he supported it. Maj. Joseph R. Allen, outgoing senior enlisted advisor, XVIII Abn. The upcoming growth of Fort Bragg due to the Base Realignment and Closure commission has been a key focus of Allen's tenure here as well. "I was recently up at Fort Lee and saw how nice their club was and I almost got sick to my stomach that Fort Lee has one for their Soldiers but we can't get one for ours here on Bragg," said Allen. "I haven't really faced any challenges while I have been here because I have worked with some of the top general officers in the world," said Allen. Soldiers expect their senior NCOs to protect them from all the stuff that runs downhill, they expect their leaders to get them to the right place, at the right time with the right equipment to perform their mission. "The problem was that we have never put any money in the club. Q: Why do you keep coming out here? "That stunt got me an invitation to this office — right here. 525th MI BDE Sponsorship; XVIII Airborne Corps OSJA. We have done some renovations over the years, but never really got the club fixed" Corps. 'That is ridiculous." I expect pretty soon that we will see the groundbreaking on a new facility. He made me a better person. That is the only club on base that we never spent any money on. Corps. I didn't even know I had been here four years until my assistant told me a couple weeks ago. "I can't believe I am standing here already speaking to all of you," said Allen. Q: What is one thing you would like to tell every Soldier, service member? Fort Bragg has come a long way, but there is still work to be done." "When I arrived at Fort Bragg, I didn't have any real expectations, my job was a Soldier," said Command Sgt. Call it a club, call it what you want, but NCOs past and present deserve to have a facility." Corps and Fort Bragg, passed the corps colors for the last time to Lt. Gen. Frank Helmick, commanding general, XVIII Abn. "One of things that I have plugging at ever since I've been at this job is to figure out a way to get a NCO academy built here on Fort Bragg," said Allen. I was probably more versed than most people who have sat in this chair before me." He worked the funding piece of it hard and I think we are finally are going to get the NCO Academy that our NCOs need and deserve." A: Today, it is a volunteer force. "I also tell people, especially NCOs all the time, don't make your own rules," said Allen. Div. "Sometimes talking and straight laying it out there for people rather than cursing them out is what I was taught in this office as a young sergeant." Allen continued, "then he offered me a cup of coffee and looked at me and said, 'there are not many perks of being a command sergeant major, but those things that belong to the sergeant major you need to protect, because there will always be someone who will take things from you because you are a sergeant major. "Serving as a command sergeant major is an honor that few will have, and with only three corps in our Army of over 550,000 active-duty Soldiers, it is an even greater honor and distinction to be the senior noncommissioned officer in one of those corps," said Helmick.Rice, an infantryman, who was most recently the senior enlisted advisor for the Maneuver Center of Excellence at Fort Benning, Ga. Rice is returning to Fort Bragg, where he served as a command sergeant major previously.