| Julius W. Gates | |
|---|---|
 SMA Julius W. Gates | |
| Nickname | Bill |
| Born | June 14, 1941 |
| Place of birth | North Carolina |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Service/branch |
 United States Army |
| Years of service | 1958-1991 |
| Rank |
 Sergeant Major of the Army |
| Battles/wars | Vietnam War |
| Awards |
Legion of Merit Bronze Star Purple Heart Presidential Unit Citation Combat Infantry Badge Master Parachutist Badge Ranger Tab |
Julius William Gates was the eighth Sergeant Major of the Army. In July 1987, he was sworn in and he served until his term ended four years later in June 1991. He was born in North Carolina on June 14, 1941.
Military career[]
Sergeant Major of the Army Gates entered the United States Army on August 12, 1958 and attended initial training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. He served three tours in Germany, two combat tours in Vietnam, and a tour in the Republic of Korea. His stateside assignments include duty with the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, the United States Army Infantry School at Fort Benning, Georgia, the 1st Ranger Battalion at Fort Stewart, Georgia, the Virginia Military Institute of Lexington, Virginia and Fort Bliss, Texas. Sergeant Major Gates has served in numerous non commissioned officer leadership positions, including as first Commandant of the 24th Infantry Division NCO Academy at Fort Stewart, GA. Before being appointed as the SMA he served as Command Sergeant Major of the 2d Armored Division (Forward), the Command Sergeant Major of the 3d Infantry Division (Mechanized), Command Sergeant Major of the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy, and the Command Sergeant Major of U.S. Forces Korea.
Awards and decorations[]
 Combat Infantryman Badge
|
 Master Parachutist Badge
|
 Ranger Tab
|
|
Army Distinguished Service Medal |
|
Defense Superior Service Medal |
|
Legion of Merit |
   |
Bronze Star Medal with Valor device and three oak leaf clusters |
|
Purple Heart |
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Defense Meritorious Service Medal |
 |
Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters |
|
Air Medal |
 |
Army Commendation Ribbon with three oak leaf clusters |
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Army Achievement Medal |
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Presidential Unit Citation |
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Good Conduct Medal with 3 silver loops |
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Army of Occupation Medal |
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National Defense Service Medal |
  |
Vietnam Service Medal with service star |
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NCO Professional Education Ribbon with award numeral 5 |
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Army Service Ribbon |
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Overseas Service Ribbon with award numeral 5 |
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Vietnam Campaign Medal |
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Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation |
2005 recipient of the Doughboy Award from the National Infantry Association.[1]
References[]
- ↑ The Wexford Group Sergeants Major Gates currently works for the Army Research Institute at the Joint Readiness Training Center Operations Group (JRTC OPS GRP) and is often out in the field showing outside agency’s the training conducted at the JRTC so they can help improve the training for the U.S. Army.
This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Government document "[1]".
The Sergeants Major of the Army, Daniel K. Elder, Center of Military History, United States Army Washington, D.C. 2003.
The original article can be found at Julius W. Gates and the edit history here.