Kenneth Preston

Kenneth O. Preston
Preston in 2010
Born	(1957-02-18) February 18, 1957 Mount Savage, Maryland, U.S.
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Army
Years of service	1975-2011
Rank	Sergeant Major of the Army
Battles/wars	Persian Gulf War Operation Desert Storm Iraq War Operation Iraqi Freedom
Awards	Army Distinguished Service Medal Legion of Merit (2) Bronze Star Meritorious Service Medal (4) Joint Service Commendation Medal Army Commendation Medal (4) Army Achievement Medal (3)

Kenneth O. Preston (born February 18, 1957) is a former United States Army soldier who served as the Sergeant Major of the Army. He was sworn in as the 13th Sergeant Major of the Army on January 15, 2004. SMA Preston held a variety of leadership positions throughout his career ranging from cavalry scout to sergeant major and command sergeant major. He was the longest-serving Sergeant Major of the Army. He retired from the army on March 1, 2011 after nearly 36 years of service.

Early life and education

Preston is a native of Mount Savage, Maryland, and entered the U.S. Army on June 30, 1975. He attended Basic Training and Armor Advanced Individual Training at Fort Knox, Kentucky.

Career

Preston at Kirkuk Air Base in August 2004.

As sergeant major of the army, Preston served as the army chief of staff's personal adviser on all enlisted-related matters, particularly in areas affecting soldier training and quality of life, including the adoption of the new Army Service Uniform which phases out the Army Green Uniform in 2015.^[1] He was routinely invited to testify before Congress.

Throughout his 35-year career, he served in every enlisted leadership position from cavalry scout and tank commander to his position as sergeant major of the army. Other assignments he held as command sergeant major were 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas, 3rd "Grey Wolf" Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, 1st Armored Division in Bad Kreuznach, Germany, and V Corps in Heidelberg, Germany. Immediately prior to his appointment as sergeant major of the army, he was the command sergeant major of Combined Joint Task Force 7 serving in Baghdad, Iraq.

His military education includes Basic Noncommissioned Officer's Course, Advanced Noncommissioned Officer's Course, First Sergeant's Course, M1/M1A1 Tank Master Gunner Course, Master Fitness Trainer Course, Battle Staff Noncommissioned Officer's Course, and the United States Army Sergeants Major Academy. His civilian education includes an Associate of Arts degree in vocational education and instruction from the University of Louisville and both a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration and a Master of Business Administration degree from Trident University International.

Post-military career

After retiring from active duty, Preston joined Homes for Our Troops, a national non-profit organization whose mission is to provide specialized housing to severely wounded veterans at no cost, and currently serves as an organizational director.

Awards and decorations

Expert Marksmanship Badge with Rifle and Pistol bars

Army Staff Identification Badge

11th Armored Cavalry Regiment Combat Service Identification Badge

10th Cavalry Regiment Distinctive Unit Insignia

3 Overseas Service Bars

11 Service stripes

	Army Distinguished Service Medal
	Legion of Merit with one oak leaf cluster
	Bronze Star Medal
	Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters
	Joint Service Commendation Medal
	Army Commendation Medal with three oak leaf clusters
	Army Achievement Medal with two oak leaf clusters
	Joint Meritorious Unit Award
	Meritorious Unit Commendation
	Army Good Conduct Medal 11 awards
	National Defense Service Medal with service star
	Southwest Asia Service Medal
	Kosovo Campaign Medal
	Iraq Campaign Medal
	Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
	NCO Professional Development Ribbon with award numeral 4
	Army Service Ribbon
	Overseas Service Ribbon with award numeral 5
	NATO Medal for Kosovo
	Kuwait Liberation Medal

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kenneth Preston.

• US Army Site
• SMA tours Iraq with message of Transformation

 This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Government document "Sergeant Major of the Army Kenneth O. Preston".

• Sergeants Major of the Army. CMH Pub. 70-63-1. By CSM Daniel K. Elder, et al. Describes the origin and growth of the Office of the Sergeant Major of the Army. Includes biographies of each of the Sergeants Major of the Army.