Best scout team competition named for top enlisted leader
The Gainey Cup, a new competition to determine the Army’s best scout team, is named for CSM William J. “Joe” Gainey.
Gainey was the first senior-enlisted adviser to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, then a newly created position. The position was established to advise the chairman on professionally developing enlisted personnel assigned to Joint billets.
Gainey began to serve in this position Oct. 1, 2005. He retired April 25, 2008, after nearly 33 years of service.
Gainey was known to carry a steel ball bearing from an Abrams tank in his pocket, which he called his “military bearing.” He encouraged Soldiers to ask him if he had his military bearing. If he was able to respond to the challenge by producing it, both he and the challenging Soldier dropped and did push-ups. If he did not have it, the Soldier was awarded a battalion coin.
Gainey completed basic training at Fort Knox, KY, in June 1975, and after that served in a number of enlisted leadership positions, from gunner to command sergeant major. Gainey’s assignments included driver, loader, gunner and tank commander, 1st Battalion, 67th Armor (Tiger Brigade), 2nd Armored Division, Fort Hood, TX; gunner, tank commander and platoon sergeant, 4th Battalion, 73rd Armored, 1st Infantry Division, Böblingen, Germany; platoon leader, 2nd Battalion, 70th Armored, 24th Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, GA; drill sergeant and senior drill sergeant, 19th Battalion, 4th Training Brigade, Fort Knox; platoon sergeant and operations sergeant, 3rd Battalion, 73rd Armor, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, NC; platoon sergeant and first sergeant, 1st Battalion, 509th Infantry Airborne, Joint Readiness Training Center, Fort Polk, LA; and senior-enlisted armor adviser, Fort Jackson, SC.
Gainey’s command sergeant major positions included 2nd Battalion, 68th Armored Regiment, and 1st Battalion, 35th Armored Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, Baumholder, Germany; Eagle Base, Bosnia and Herzegovina; 1st Squadron, 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Polk; 2nd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart; 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Polk; U.S. Army Armor Center, Fort Knox; and III Corps and Fort Hood.
Gainey’s deployments included Operation Joint Endeavor, Operation Joint Guard and Operation Joint Forge in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He also served as the command sergeant major for the Combined Joint Task Force 7 and as the command sergeant major of the Multinational Corps-Iraq in Operation Iraqi Freedom II.
Gainey attended many military schools and training programs, including Drill Sergeant School, Airborne School, Jumpmaster School, Air Movement Officer’s Course, Observer-Controller Course, First Sergeants Course, Pathfinder School and the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy.
Gainey holds an associate’s of applied science degree from Vincennes University, a bachelor’s of science degree in business adminis-tration from Touro University International and a master’s of arts degree in education from Trident University International.
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