Teresa King
Encyclopedia
Command Sergeant Major Teresa King (born in 1962) is the first woman to head the U.S. Army's Drill Sergeant School at Fort Jackson in South Carolina. She took the post as the first female comandant of the Army's sole facility for training drill sergeants on September 22 of 2009.
who grew cucumbers and tobacco.
King's first job in the Army was as a postal clerk in the 139th Postal Company located in Stuttgart, Germany. She volunteered for two years as a drill sergeant and was assigned to 5th Battalion, 3rd BCT Brigade, at Fort Dix, New Jersey. She earned the Drill Sergeant of the Cycle award during her tour, after which she served as the Battalion PAC supervisor.
In 1987 King served on the Army staff as Administrative Assistant to the Chief of Staff
of the Army at the Pentagon
in Washington, DC. In May 1988, she became the Administrative Assistant to the Director of Defense Security Assistant Agency, Secretary of Defense, also at the Pentagon. In 1991, King was assigned as the Senior Enlisted Advisor to LTG Teddy G. Allen, Office of the Secretary of Defense, DSAA. She served there until August 1993.
King left D.C. with assignment to the largest Personnel Detachment in the 18th Personnel Service Battalion, on Fort Bragg
, North Carolina, which provided personnel support to 50,000 non-divisional Soldiers. She was assigned there until December 1996. King then served as the First Sergeant for 19th Adjutant General (Postal) at Camp Casey
, near the demilitarized zone in Korea, from January 1996 to January 1997.
In March 1997, King became the first female First Sergeant for Headquarters and Headquarters Company, XVIII Airborne Corps, the largest company on Fort Bragg. She was promoted by Willie Shelley over the objections of his commander. “Turns out she was about the best first sergeant they ever had,” Mr. Shelley reported to the New York Times. King held that assignment until May 2001.
King was later posted to NATO headquarters, serving as the top enlisted adviser to NATO’s military commander in Europe. She was Battalion Command Sergeant Major of the United States Army NATO, Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, (SHAPE) Battalion from November 16, 2005 through September 14, 2007. King was serving as a Battalion Command Sergeant Major, the top noncommissioned officer for the 369 Adjutant General Battalion at Fort Jackson at the time of her promotion to Comandant of the Drill Sergeant School.
King has the nickname of "Sergeant Major No Slack"; her black Corvette has “noslack” vanity plates. She idolizes Gen. George S. Patton, Jr.
and believes women should be allowed into frontline combat units if they meet the same physical and endurance standards as men, despite that she has never deployed to combat herself.
King was married once but divorced with no children. She has a Master’s degree in Business Management from Almeda College, an Associate's degree in General Studies from Northern Virginia Community College and is pursuing a Doctorate of Divinity with the American Institute of Holistic Theology. She was considering retiring to become a minister when she was surprised by the unexpected appointment to the drill sergeant school in the summer of 2009.
"It really doesn't matter if you're male or female. If you...enforce standards, people will respect you."
"If you hold people to standards and enforce them and know there are no impossibilities, all things are possible unto you."
Early life
King was born in Clinton, North Carolina, the eighth of 12 children. Her father was a sharecropperSharecropping
Sharecropping is a system of agriculture in which a landowner allows a tenant to use the land in return for a share of the crop produced on the land . This should not be confused with a crop fixed rent contract, in which a landowner allows a tenant to use the land in return for a fixed amount of...
who grew cucumbers and tobacco.
Army career
King enlisted on August 19, 1980 out of high school. She entered the Drill Sergeant School she now leads in 1983. She graduated as one of five women in a class of 30, then went on to Basic Combat Training and Advanced Individual Training, also at Fort Jackson, South Carolina.King's first job in the Army was as a postal clerk in the 139th Postal Company located in Stuttgart, Germany. She volunteered for two years as a drill sergeant and was assigned to 5th Battalion, 3rd BCT Brigade, at Fort Dix, New Jersey. She earned the Drill Sergeant of the Cycle award during her tour, after which she served as the Battalion PAC supervisor.
In 1987 King served on the Army staff as Administrative Assistant to the Chief of Staff
Chief of Staff of the United States Army
The Chief of Staff of the Army is a statutory office held by a four-star general in the United States Army, and is the most senior uniformed officer assigned to serve in the Department of the Army, and as such is the principal military advisor and a deputy to the Secretary of the Army; and is in...
of the Army at the Pentagon
The Pentagon
The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. As a symbol of the U.S. military, "the Pentagon" is often used metonymically to refer to the Department of Defense rather than the building itself.Designed by the American architect...
in Washington, DC. In May 1988, she became the Administrative Assistant to the Director of Defense Security Assistant Agency, Secretary of Defense, also at the Pentagon. In 1991, King was assigned as the Senior Enlisted Advisor to LTG Teddy G. Allen, Office of the Secretary of Defense, DSAA. She served there until August 1993.
King left D.C. with assignment to the largest Personnel Detachment in the 18th Personnel Service Battalion, on Fort Bragg
Fort Bragg (North Carolina)
Fort Bragg is a major United States Army installation, in Cumberland and Hoke counties, North Carolina, U.S., mostly in Fayetteville but also partly in the town of Spring Lake. It was also a census-designated place in the 2010 census and had a population of 39,457. The fort is named for Confederate...
, North Carolina, which provided personnel support to 50,000 non-divisional Soldiers. She was assigned there until December 1996. King then served as the First Sergeant for 19th Adjutant General (Postal) at Camp Casey
Camp Casey, South Korea
Camp Casey is an American military camp in Dongducheon , South Korea, north of Seoul, South Korea. Camp Casey was named in 1952 after Major Hugh Boyd Casey, who was killed in an airplane crash near Camp Casey during the Korean War. Camp Casey is one of several U.S. Army bases in South Korea near...
, near the demilitarized zone in Korea, from January 1996 to January 1997.
In March 1997, King became the first female First Sergeant for Headquarters and Headquarters Company, XVIII Airborne Corps, the largest company on Fort Bragg. She was promoted by Willie Shelley over the objections of his commander. “Turns out she was about the best first sergeant they ever had,” Mr. Shelley reported to the New York Times. King held that assignment until May 2001.
King was later posted to NATO headquarters, serving as the top enlisted adviser to NATO’s military commander in Europe. She was Battalion Command Sergeant Major of the United States Army NATO, Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, (SHAPE) Battalion from November 16, 2005 through September 14, 2007. King was serving as a Battalion Command Sergeant Major, the top noncommissioned officer for the 369 Adjutant General Battalion at Fort Jackson at the time of her promotion to Comandant of the Drill Sergeant School.
King has the nickname of "Sergeant Major No Slack"; her black Corvette has “noslack” vanity plates. She idolizes Gen. George S. Patton, Jr.
George S. Patton
George Smith Patton, Jr. was a United States Army officer best known for his leadership while commanding corps and armies as a general during World War II. He was also well known for his eccentricity and controversial outspokenness.Patton was commissioned in the U.S. Army after his graduation from...
and believes women should be allowed into frontline combat units if they meet the same physical and endurance standards as men, despite that she has never deployed to combat herself.
King was married once but divorced with no children. She has a Master’s degree in Business Management from Almeda College, an Associate's degree in General Studies from Northern Virginia Community College and is pursuing a Doctorate of Divinity with the American Institute of Holistic Theology. She was considering retiring to become a minister when she was surprised by the unexpected appointment to the drill sergeant school in the summer of 2009.
Awards
- Defense Meritorious Service Medal
- National Service Medal
- Meritorious Service Medal (5 OLC)
- Joint Service Commendation Medal
- Army Commendation Medal (6 OLC)
- Joint Meritorious Unit Award
- Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal
- Drill Sergeant Badge
- Secretary of Defense ID Badge
- Airborne Badge, Air Assault Badge, Canadian Parachute Badge, German Parachute Badge
- Army Overseas Service Ribbon
- Army Service Ribbon
- Adjutant General Corps Horatio Gates Medal
- Medal of Saint Maurice, Patron Saint of the Infantry
Quotes
“When I look in the mirror, I don’t see a female, I see a soldier.”"It really doesn't matter if you're male or female. If you...enforce standards, people will respect you."
"If you hold people to standards and enforce them and know there are no impossibilities, all things are possible unto you."