Cayleigh and the First Sergeant

| February 11, 2018

Mick sends a link to Fox News which tells the story of 5-year-old Cayleigh Hinton, whose father, Sergeant Terrence Hinton, was killed in a training accident last year in Hawaii. Her mother asked the local Illinois National Guard if they could send someone who could take the girl to a Father-daughter dance.

“It wasn’t even really a choice for me. I view it as an honor to be able to do this for her,” [First Sergeant Joseph] Bierbrodt told WLS.

Bierbrodt said he never met the 5-year-old or her father who died, but he felt that taking the girl to the dance “had to be done.” He added that if he was gone, he would want a soldier to step in for one of his four children in the same situation.

Bierbrodt and Cayleigh arrived at the school in a limousine and they were escorted by police, firefighters and the Patriot Guard. The duo danced throughout the night.

Category: We Remember

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Zero Ponsdorf

BZ!

26Limabeans

Nice. Really nice.

AW1Ed

Dusty in here, dammit.

HMCS(FMF) ret

Same in my AO… damn allergies…

ChipNASA

Someone get these motherfucking mini invisible onion cutting cubicle ninjas the fuck out of my office.

OWB

Yep. That’s the way it is done.

Mason

Well done!

Ex-PH2

Nice to see it done so well.

Hondo

Well done, 1SG Bierbrodt. Damn well done.

Yef

This happened in Hawaii?
I had a different perception of the people in that state.

Frankie Cee

The fatal accident happened in Hawaii. The source; WLS, is a Chicago area station. “First Sgt. Joseph Bierbrodt with the Illinois Army National Guard took Cayleigh Hinton to the father-daughter dance at Our Lady of Humility School in Beach Park, IL.”

Yef

Oh, ok.
That makes a lot more sense.

SFC D

Reading is fundamental.

https://www.rif.org

Yef

I don’t know how to read.

BW

Damn onions, gotta quit cutting them while reading.

Bill R.

There are not too many things that can bring tears to my eyes, but you have made it happen.

A Proud Infidel®™

Very cool.

ocean12

My allergies are acting up

NormanS

Seeing the pictures, I couldn’t help but think of:

UpNorth

Damn allergies.

jeff monroe

BZ TOP

Hack Stone

I don’t know about the Army, but in the Marine Corps, it is detrimental to your well being to address a 1st Sgt as “Top”. Top is an acceptable term for a MSgt or MGySgt.

As long as we are somewhat on the topic, why is it acceptable to address an Army Staff Sergeant (E6) or Sergeant First Class (E7) as “Sergeant”? When Hack was working in a Joint environment, he addressed Army E6’s as Staff Sergeant and E7’s as Sergeant First Class.

26Limabeans

In Basic I started out by addressing everyone as “Sir”.

Grunt

Because the Army says so.

Ref: AR 600-20, Army Command Policy, Table 1-1, “Grades, Army.”

I don’t know where the term “Top” came from, but addressing the Company 1SG as such would (in infantryland anyways) earn one a delicious session of physical and mental conditioning.

Jon The Mechanic

When I was MUCH younger, my first MOS was 11B and I was assigned to A Co, 1/87 infantry at Fort Drum.

Everyone in the unit called 1sg William Poe by the name “Top”. We did it out of respect for his position as the top NCO in the unit.

As for how they got the nickname of Top, here is what I found.
“First sergeants are generally the senior non-commissioned officers of company (battery, troop) sized units, and are unofficially but commonly referred to as “top”, “top sergeant”, “top soldier”, “top kick”, “first shirt”, due to their seniority and their position at the top of the company’s enlisted ranks.”

Veritas Omnia Vincit

This is my recollection as well, MOS 11B and then 11C(FDC) and we called the company first sergeant Top as well…but we wore pickle suits and ate C-Rats so maybe things changed along the way.

PFM

Some liked to be called it, some definitely did not…I can still remember hearing “Do I look like I spin around on my head?” 🙂

NHSparky

Faith in humanity restored.

Friend

Dust mites?

Alemaster

Thanks, First Sergeant, from all of us. You make us all look just a little bit better. regards, Alemaster

Heart of TEXAS (PSG, Ret.)

Much more enjoyable to read a story like this than another phony seal story.

Well played First Sergeant.

The Other Whitey

That brings tears to my eyes. My department lost a good young man on the fireline this past December who left behind a little girl and a second about to be born. Makes me think an awful lot of my baby girls.

God bless 1SGT Bierbrodt. A credit to the United States Army!

Jay

Took my 2 girls to the daddy/daughter dance. They’re 8 and 4….God Bless the 1stSgt for stepping up.

MCPO NYC USN Ret.

I hate dicing onions.

Bill M

Bravo Zulu!

FatCircles0311

Damn onions.
Also thankfully there is some sanity left and events like this are still a thing.

RCAF-CHAIRBORNE

There is no community like the Military Community!

Commissioner Wretched

The dust that started flying in my office as I read this … wow. I have to get after the cleaning crew around here.

BZ, First Sergeant.

LRRP2

Way to go TOP !! Thanks from all of us for stepping up . That’s what this Brotherhood is all about .

Dustoff

Wonder what old Gregory Salcido, (Military hater and world class jackass) has to say about this (Not that I really give a damn). Bless you
Cayleigh, and thanks First Sgt!

The Other Whitey

Salcido can suck a dick and recognize his own alleged manhood for the myth it is. He ain’t fit to occupy the same planet as the 1SGT.

Atkron

Damn dust bunnies are sending out pollen…