Michael A. Grinston (born 1968) is a member of the
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...
and the current
Sergeant Major of the Army
The Sergeant Major of the Army (SMA) is a unique non-commissioned rank and position of office in the United States Army. The holder of this rank and position is the most senior enlisted soldier in the Army, unless an enlisted soldier is servi ...
. Prior to his current position, he served as the senior enlisted leader for the
United States Army Forces Command
United States Army Forces Command (FORSCOM) is the largest United States Army command. It provides expeditionary, regionally engaged, campaign-capable land forces to combatant commanders. Headquartered at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, FORSCOM con ...
.
Military career
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Grinston is a native of
Jasper, Alabama
Jasper is a city in and the county seat of Walker County, Alabama, United States. Its population was 14,352 as of the 2010 census. Named in honor of Sergeant William Jasper, an American Revolutionary War hero, Jasper was settled around 1815 and ...
, and enlisted in the
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...
in October 1987. He attended Basic Training and Advanced Individual Training as an artilleryman at
Fort Sill, Oklahoma
Fort Sill is a United States Army post north of Lawton, Oklahoma, about 85 miles (136.8 km) southwest of Oklahoma City. It covers almost .
The fort was first built during the Indian Wars. It is designated as a National Historic Landmark ...
. Grinston's deployments include Operations Desert Storm and Desert Shield, Iraqi Freedom, New Dawn, Inherent Resolve, Enduring Freedom, and Kosovo.
Grinston has been assigned to: 1st Battalion,
84th Field Artillery Regiment
The 84th Field Artillery Regiment is a field artillery regiment of the United States Army.
History
Pershing
3rd Battalion, 84th Field Artillery Regiment
The 3rd Missile Battalion, 84th Artillery Regiment was formed at Fort Sill in 1963 and d ...
at
Fort Lewis, Washington
Fort Lewis was a United States Army post from 1917 to 2010 located south-southwest of Tacoma, Washington. Fort Lewis was merged with McChord Air Force Base on 1 February 2010 to form Joint Base Lewis–McChord.
Fort Lewis, named after Meriwet ...
; 2nd Battalion,
320th Field Artillery Regiment
The 320th Field Artillery Regiment (320th FAR) is a field artillery regiment of the United States Army. A parent regiment under the U.S. Army Regimental System, the 320th FAR currently has two active elements in the 101st Airborne Division (Ai ...
at
Fort Campbell, Kentucky
Fort Campbell is a United States Army installation located astride the Kentucky–Tennessee border between Hopkinsville, Kentucky and Clarksville, Tennessee (post address is located in Kentucky). Fort Campbell is home to the 101st Airborne Divi ...
; two tours at
Ledward Barracks in
Schweinfurt
Schweinfurt ( , ; ) is a city in the district of Lower Franconia in Bavaria, Germany. It is the administrative centre of the surrounding district (''Landkreis'') of Schweinfurt and a major industrial, cultural and educational hub. The urban ag ...
, Germany with the 5th Battalion,
41st Field Artillery Regiment and 1st Battalion,
7th Field Artillery Regiment; 1st Battalion,
39th Field Artillery Regiment
The 39th Field Artillery Regiment is a field artillery regiment of the United States Army.
Lineage
Constituted in the National Army as the 39th Field Artillery and assigned to the 13th Division, 5 July 1918.
Distinctive unit insignia
*Descri ...
at
Fort Bragg, North Carolina
Fort Bragg is a military installation of the United States Army in North Carolina, and is one of the largest military installations in the world by population, with around 54,000 military personnel. The military reservation is located within C ...
; 1st Battalion,
22nd Field Artillery Regiment
The 22nd Field Artillery Regiment is a Field Artillery regiment of the United States Army.
History
The 22d Field Artillery Regiment was constituted on 18 May 1918 as Battery A, Separate Battalion of Mountain Artillery. The unit was organized at ...
at
Fort Sill, Oklahoma
Fort Sill is a United States Army post north of Lawton, Oklahoma, about 85 miles (136.8 km) southwest of Oklahoma City. It covers almost .
The fort was first built during the Indian Wars. It is designated as a National Historic Landmark ...
;
319th Field Artillery Regiment; and 1st Battalion,
508th Infantry Regiment and 2nd Battalion,
503rd Infantry Regiment at
Caserma Ederle
Caserma Ederle (Camp Ederle) is a military complex in Vicenza, Italy, where the United States Army has troops stationed. It is under Italian military control and can be managed anytime by the Italian authorities. The Vicenza Military Communit ...
in
Vicenza
Vicenza ( , ; ) is a city in northeastern Italy. It is in the Veneto region at the northern base of the ''Monte Berico'', where it straddles the Bacchiglione River. Vicenza is approximately west of Venice and east of Milan.
Vicenza is a thr ...
, Italy. His service as a command sergeant major (CSM) includes assignments as a battalion CSM with 2nd Battalion,
15th Field Artillery Regiment at
Fort Drum, New York
Fort Drum is a U.S. Army military reservation and a census-designated place (CDP) in Jefferson County, on the northern border of New York, United States. The population of the CDP portion of the base was 12,955 at the 2010 census. It is home ...
, Observer Controller CSM at Hohenfels, Germany, Brigade CSM
170th Infantry Brigade in
Baumholder
Baumholder () is a town in the Birkenfeld district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, in the Westrich, an historic region that encompasses areas in both Germany and France. The town of Baumholder is the administrative seat of the like-named ''Verba ...
, Germany, brigade CSM 4th Brigade, 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, 1st Infantry Division CSM at Fort Riley, Kansas, and I Corps at
Joint Base Lewis–McChord
Joint Base Lewis–McChord (JBLM) is a U.S. military installation home to I Corps and 62nd Airlift Wing located south-southwest of Tacoma, Washington under the jurisdiction of the United States Army Joint Base Headquarters, Joint Base Lewis–Mc ...
, Washington. As the 1st Infantry Division CSM, Grinston served as the senior enlisted leader for the army's first deployment of a division headquarters in support of
Operation Inherent Resolve. He also served as the command sergeant major for
United States Army Forces Command
United States Army Forces Command (FORSCOM) is the largest United States Army command. It provides expeditionary, regionally engaged, campaign-capable land forces to combatant commanders. Headquartered at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, FORSCOM con ...
.
Grinston was sworn in as the 16th
Sergeant Major of the Army
The Sergeant Major of the Army (SMA) is a unique non-commissioned rank and position of office in the United States Army. The holder of this rank and position is the most senior enlisted soldier in the Army, unless an enlisted soldier is servi ...
on August 9, 2019. As the Sergeant Major of the Army, Grinston is the Army Chief of Staff's personal adviser on matters affecting the enlisted force. He devotes the majority of his time traveling throughout the army to observe training and interact with soldiers and their families. He sits on a variety of councils and boards that make decisions affecting enlisted soldiers and their families and routinely invited to testify before Congress. Grinston is the public face of the army's Non-commissioned Officer Corps, representing the NCO Corps to the American people in the media and through business and community engagements.
Grinston's military education includes all levels of the Non-commissioned Officer Education System. He is a graduate of Ranger School, Airborne School, Drill Sergeant School, Air Assault School, How the Army Runs Course, the Equal Opportunity Leaders Course and the Keystone Course. Grinston holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from the
University of Maryland Global Campus
The University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC, formerly University of Maryland University College) is a public university in Adelphi, Maryland. It is the largest of the University System of Maryland campuses. Established in 1947, UMGC focuses on ...
.
Grinston will retire in August 2023, after handing over to
Command Sergeant Major Michael R. Weimer, formerly Command Sergeant Major, U.S. Army
Special Operations Command.
[This Green Beret Will Serve as the Army's New Top Enlisted Leader](_blank)
Military.com, 2022-12-08
Personal life
SMA Grinston was born to a black father and a white mother. They divorced when he was three years old.
He is married to Alexandra Grinston and they are the parents of two children.
Awards and decorations
References
External links
Official biography as Sergeant Major of the Army
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grinston, Michael A.
United States Army personnel of the Gulf War
United States Army personnel of the Iraq War
United States Army personnel of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
Living people
Military personnel from Indiana
Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army)
Recipients of the Defense Superior Service Medal
Recipients of the Legion of Merit
Sergeants Major of the Army
University of Maryland Global Campus alumni
1968 births
African-American United States Army personnel