thedrifter
02-06-07, 07:56 AM
Pendleton Marine chosen as top enlisted officer
By: JOE BECK - Staff Writer
CAMP PENDLETON -- Sgt. Maj. Carlton Kent of Camp Pendleton has come a long way from a childhood as one of eight youngsters in his family to the recently promoted Marine sergeant major, the top enlisted position in the Corps.
As the 16th sergeant major in the Marines' history, Kent will advise Marine commandant Gen. James Conway on the concerns of enlisted Marines, sailors and their families. The selection means Kent will be joining Conway at the Pentagon after serving as sergeant major of the I Marine Expeditionary Force since 2004.
The job of sergeant major, a post in both the Marines and Army, typically involves traveling to various installations, observing training exercises and visiting with service members and their families to discuss living conditions, medical and psychological care and morale.
"The sergeant major's job is to get the pulse of the command. I can't do that from Camp Pendleton," Kent said in a phone interview. "I tell you I'm going to be all over the Marine Corps. I cannot advise Gen. Conway unless I know first-hand what is happening out there."
Conway announced Kent's selection as sergeant major on a visit to Camp Pendleton in January. A Pentagon board selected him over four other finalists for the job. The recommendation is then sent to the commandant for his consideration. Kent, 49, said he was surprised upon learning of his appointment after 31 years in the Marines.
"First of all, I was in awe. I could never have pictured myself being sergeant major of the Marine Corps many years ago."
Kent, the third youngest of eight children in his Memphis, Tenn., family, said he had no doubt about what he wanted to do when he enlisted in the Marines.
"My thing is I always wanted to be a Marine. I finally got to be the right age, went down to join the Corps, and that's exactly what I did," he said. "I've been in the Far East, Europe, the East and West coasts. You name it, I've been there."
Kent has worked for Conway before, as the I Marine Expeditionary Force's sergeant major when Conway led the unit in Iraq in 2004, a tour that lasted 13 months.
Kent is the second Marine from North County to be chosen as sergeant major in the last four years. He is replacing Sgt. Maj. John Estrada, who was promoted to the position from the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing based at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar.
Kent is taking over at a time when the Marine Corps is expected to grow from its current 180,00 members to 202,000 over the next four or five years. Kent said his appointment will be a dual position in which he will also serve as sergeant major for the Marine Corps central command in Tampa, Fla. The command is responsible for Marine operations throughout the Middle East and parts of Africa, an area spanning 27 nations and 6.5 million square miles.
"I know I'll have a much greater responsibility than what I have now," Kent said. "When I speak, I'll be speaking for the whole Marine Corps."
-- Contact staff writer Joe Beck at (760) 740-3516 or jbeck@nctimes.com.
By: JOE BECK - Staff Writer
CAMP PENDLETON -- Sgt. Maj. Carlton Kent of Camp Pendleton has come a long way from a childhood as one of eight youngsters in his family to the recently promoted Marine sergeant major, the top enlisted position in the Corps.
As the 16th sergeant major in the Marines' history, Kent will advise Marine commandant Gen. James Conway on the concerns of enlisted Marines, sailors and their families. The selection means Kent will be joining Conway at the Pentagon after serving as sergeant major of the I Marine Expeditionary Force since 2004.
The job of sergeant major, a post in both the Marines and Army, typically involves traveling to various installations, observing training exercises and visiting with service members and their families to discuss living conditions, medical and psychological care and morale.
"The sergeant major's job is to get the pulse of the command. I can't do that from Camp Pendleton," Kent said in a phone interview. "I tell you I'm going to be all over the Marine Corps. I cannot advise Gen. Conway unless I know first-hand what is happening out there."
Conway announced Kent's selection as sergeant major on a visit to Camp Pendleton in January. A Pentagon board selected him over four other finalists for the job. The recommendation is then sent to the commandant for his consideration. Kent, 49, said he was surprised upon learning of his appointment after 31 years in the Marines.
"First of all, I was in awe. I could never have pictured myself being sergeant major of the Marine Corps many years ago."
Kent, the third youngest of eight children in his Memphis, Tenn., family, said he had no doubt about what he wanted to do when he enlisted in the Marines.
"My thing is I always wanted to be a Marine. I finally got to be the right age, went down to join the Corps, and that's exactly what I did," he said. "I've been in the Far East, Europe, the East and West coasts. You name it, I've been there."
Kent has worked for Conway before, as the I Marine Expeditionary Force's sergeant major when Conway led the unit in Iraq in 2004, a tour that lasted 13 months.
Kent is the second Marine from North County to be chosen as sergeant major in the last four years. He is replacing Sgt. Maj. John Estrada, who was promoted to the position from the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing based at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar.
Kent is taking over at a time when the Marine Corps is expected to grow from its current 180,00 members to 202,000 over the next four or five years. Kent said his appointment will be a dual position in which he will also serve as sergeant major for the Marine Corps central command in Tampa, Fla. The command is responsible for Marine operations throughout the Middle East and parts of Africa, an area spanning 27 nations and 6.5 million square miles.
"I know I'll have a much greater responsibility than what I have now," Kent said. "When I speak, I'll be speaking for the whole Marine Corps."
-- Contact staff writer Joe Beck at (760) 740-3516 or jbeck@nctimes.com.