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FLICKR ALBUM: Change of Responsibility ceremony, Wisconsin Army National Guard state command sergeant major, Aug. 10, 2024 | Flickr
by Vaughn R. Larson
MADISON, Wis. — There was a changing of the Guard Aug. 10 as Command Sgt. Maj. Curtis Patrouille passed the sword to Command Sgt. Maj. Duane Weyer, signifying the transfer of responsibility for the Wisconsin Army National Guard’s senior enlisted advisor.
“Command sergeants major may come and go, but the sword remains razor-sharp,” said Staff Sgt. Courtney Falk, master of ceremonies — a reference to the continuity of expertise and professionalism the role of state command sergeant major requires.
Patrouille, who enlisted as a rifleman in the Wisconsin Army National Guard in 1986, became the ninth state command sergeant major in 2021, and had served as a command sergeant major at either the battalion or brigade level since 2013.
Brig. Gen. Matthew Strub, Wisconsin’s deputy adjutant general for Army, said that the history of the noncommissioned officer and Patrouille’s biography bore similarities. Noting Patrouille’s long career, Strub quipped that the outgoing state command sergeant major provided perimeter security for Moses during the Red Sea crossing.
“I’m not sure that’s true,” Strub said, “but what I can tell you with certainty is that Command Sgt. Maj. Patrouille has served with distinction. He has helped improve nearly every aspect of this organization — all at a time when we have been fully engaged in missions here in Wisconsin, across the nation and around the world.”
Strub added that in his role as coach and mentor to enlisted, noncommissioned officers and officers, “his leadership has been second to none.”
“I can say, he is absolutely one of the best [command sergeants major] in the country,” Strub continued. “You have made our organization stronger. The state and the nation are better because of your service, and your impact will be felt for many generations to come.”
Patrouille welcomed Weyer as Wisconsin’s 10th state command sergeant major.
“You have proven yourself time and time and time again,” Patrouille said. “I am confident that you will take what I and those who came before me have laid as a foundation, and continue to make the organization better in your own way.”
Weyer joined the Wisconsin Army National Guard in 1991. His experience as a command sergeant major includes a deployment to Djibouti, Africa from 2022-23 and his most recent duty as the command sergeant major to the deputy adjutant general for civil support.
Patrouille expressed his gratitude to his family and colleagues for their support of a 33-year career that included three deployments and the state response to COVID.
“I can never repay you — all I can say is ‘Thank you,’” he said several times, punctuating many examples of support shown over his career.
Patrouille’s final words as state command sergeant major included an encouragement to dream.
“Don’t ever stop dreaming of what you can become as a Soldier,” he said. “Not once did Private First Class Patrouille in 1986 dream of becoming state command sergeant major.” However, in basic training he recalled estimating on a notebook how long it would take him to become a first sergeant — the senior enlisted leader of a company-sized unit.
“In 1986 I didn’t even know what a state command sergeant major was,” Patrouille admitted. “Your dreams of today won’t be your dreams of tomorrow. As you progress in your careers, those dreams are going to build. So how do you reach your dreams? Use everything you have at your disposal. Lean on your battle buddies. Support one another.
“Build each other up,” Patrouille continued. “Because I can tell you, the only thing better than reaching your own dreams is helping someone along the way reach theirs.”
Weyer’s comments as the new state command sergeant major were brief, holding up a 3x5 notecard that his remarks were written on.
“Deep down I see myself as a young farm kid,” Weyer said, noting his 35 years on a family farm. “Now, anybody that’s been around a farm knows that you make hay when the sun’s shining and they day is over when the work is complete. I view the Army in the same way — I will work until the job is done, and this is our team. It is our job to take care of everybody.”
Weyer shared a couple of phrases that illustrate his leadership philosophy.
“The first one is ‘Fortune favors the bold,’” he said. “We as leaders need to be bold — we need to be a step ahead. My second phrase is, ‘If I cannot find a way I will make one.’ That’s what we do — we are leaders and we make a way.”
Weyer closed by saying that success is a ladder, and ladders cannot be climbed with one’s hands in their pockets.
“We’re going to get down to work and we’re going to get the job done and move the organization forward as a team,” Weyer said.
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