Daniel A. Dailey (born January 11, 1969) is a

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 ...

soldier who served as the 15th

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 ...

from January 30, 2015, to August 9, 2019. Prior to his tenure as the Sergeant Major of the Army, he served as the Command Sergeant Major for the

United States Army Training and Doctrine Command The United States Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) is a major command of the United States Army headquartered at Fort Eustis, Virginia. It is charged with overseeing training of Army forces and the development of operational doctrine. ...

Early life and education

A native of

Palmerton, Pennsylvania Palmerton is a borough in Carbon County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of Northeastern Pennsylvania. The borough's population was 5,414 at the 2010 census. Palmerton is located northwest of Allentown and northwest of Philadelphia. ...

, Dailey entered the United States Army as an 11B (Infantryman) in 1989. He enlisted at the age of 17 prior to graduating high school. He attended

Basic Training Military recruit training, commonly known as basic training or boot camp, refers to the initial instruction of new military personnel. It is a physically and psychologically intensive process, which resocializes its subjects for the unique dema ...

and Advanced Individual Training at Fort Benning, Georgia. His civilian education includes a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University o ...

degree in history from

Excelsior University Excelsior University is a private online university in Albany, New York. It offers undergraduate and graduate degrees and comprises three schools: the School of Undergraduate Studies, the School of Graduate Studies, and the School of Nursing. I ...

Military career

Dailey sworn in as Sergeant Major of the Army

Dailey's military education includes Basic Noncommissioned Officer's Course, the Bradley Master Gunner Course, the Advanced Noncommissioned Officer's Course, First Sergeants Course, the Force Management Course, the Keystone Course, the Sergeants Major Academy, and the Command Sergeants Major course. He has served in the 1st,

2nd A second is the base unit of time in the International System of Units (SI). Second, Seconds or 2nd may also refer to: Mathematics * 2 (number), as an ordinal (also written as ''2nd'' or ''2d'') * Second of arc, an angular measurement unit, ...

, 3rd and 4th Infantry Divisions. Dailey is decorated with the Bronze Star Medal with Valor for his leadership during the

Siege of Sadr City The Siege of Sadr City was a blockade of the Shi'a district of northeastern Baghdad carried out by U.S. and Iraqi government forces in an attempt to destroy the main power base of the insurgent Mahdi Army in Baghdad. The siege began on 4 April ...

. Later, he was selected as the 4th Infantry Division command sergeant major in 2009. Prior to his selection as the Sergeant Major of the Army, he served as the command sergeant major of the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command. As Sergeant Major of the Army, Dailey served as the

Chief of Staff of the United States Army The chief of staff of the Army (CSA) is a statutory position in the United States Army held by a general officer. As the highest-ranking officer assigned to serve in the Department of the Army, the chief is the principal military advisor and ...

's personal adviser on all

enlisted Enlisted may refer to: * Enlisted rank An enlisted rank (also known as an enlisted grade or enlisted rate) is, in some armed services, any rank below that of a commissioned officer. The term can be inclusive of non-commissioned officers or ...

-related matters, particularly in areas affecting soldier training and quality of life. In August 2019, Dailey stepped down as Sergeant Major of the Army and was succeeded in his post by Command Sergeant Major Michael A. Grinston. Dailey's official retirement date was January 1, 2020.

Personal life

Dailey is a member of the

Order of Saint Maurice The Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus ( it, Ordine dei Santi Maurizio e Lazzaro) (abbreviated OSSML) is a Roman Catholic dynastic order of knighthood bestowed by the royal House of Savoy. It is the second-oldest order of knighthood in the w ...

(Centurion) and a member of the Distinguished Sergeant Audie Murphy Club.

Awards and decorations

References

External links

Official Site as Sergeant Major of the ArmyOfficial U.S. Army Biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dailey, Daniel A. 1969 births Living people People from Carbon County, Pennsylvania Military personnel from Pennsylvania Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) Recipients of the Legion of Merit Excelsior College alumni Sergeants Major of the Army