Command Sgt. Maj. Michael A. Crosby, left, 4th Infantry Division and Fort Carson, and Capt. Kelly Kaim, registered dietitian, Evans Army Community Hospital, conduct a question-and-answer session during the senior NCO symposium at the 4th Inf. Div. headquarters March 11, 2016. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Craig Cantrell)
By Staff Sgt. Craig Cantrell
Garrison Public Affairs Office
The 4th Infantry Division command sergeant major gathered senior NCOs from across Fort Carson for a half-day symposium at the division headquarters March 11, 2016.
“This symposium is a feedback mechanism for me as a division command sergeant major to find out what the burning issues are down at the brigade or battalion level,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Michael A. Crosby.
He also took the opportunity to reinforce Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Milley’s focus on Soldier readiness.
“As we continue to evolve and start talking about readiness, we know that the No. 1 priority of the Army chief of staff is readiness, and there is no other,” said Crosby.
Subject matter experts were called upon to ensure the leaders are equipped with the knowledge of how to achieve the highest levels of readiness.
Maj. Peter Carroll, chief of Soldier readiness, Evans Army Community Hospital, revealed changes in medical readiness tracking for the future.
“The Soldiers in your formation are the most important resource in your formation,” said Carroll. “Based off analysis conducted by U.S. Army Forces Command, we needed to change the system because we really do not have a good idea of who is deployable or not.”
The medical tracking system has been revamped and pushed down to company level commanders since they have a firsthand understanding of Soldier readiness and deployment capability, he said.
The symposium also covered the daily necessity of proper nutrition, identification of ingredients and supplement usage.
“My goal as the division dietitian is to educate Soldiers about nutrition so they can meet their individual goals and also help overall readiness in the Army,” said Capt. Kelly Kaim, registered dietitian, Evans Army Community Hospital. “The biggest thing I wanted the senior NCO leadership to know is what nutrition education is available for their Soldiers.”
Crosby concluded the conference by providing feedback to the audience and assured he would be looking into grievances voiced during the symposium. He also wanted to continue two-way communication with the senior NCOs at Fort Carson.
“I will tell you to continue to have open dialogue, don’t let it stop here,” said Crosby. “If you have a question, there are a lot of subject matter experts inside the division headquarters or on the installation (who) will help you.”