After more than two years of correspondence courses, writing assignments, and training at the gym, Command Sgt. Maj. Richard Bammert, the Command Sergeant Major of the 50th Main Support Battalion, Teaneck, recently graduated from the final phase of the U.S. Army’s Sergeant’s Major Academy at Fort Bliss, Texas.
Bammert, a resident of Bogota, spent two grueling years preparing for the two-week school. “It was very stressful, with constant deadlines, lots of homework,” he said. “I was in my room working away every night on the laptop.”

The course started off with an Army Physical Fitness Test – push-ups, sit-ups, and a timed two-mile run. Those who didn’t meet the standards were sent home. Sergeant Major Candidates traveled to the school from around the world – Bosnia, Germany, Kuwait, as well as from various units throughout the U.S. The 550 students, who came from the active duty Army, Army Reserve, and Army National Guard, were divided into classes of 16 students each.

The topics covered in the classes ranged from current affairs to safety to stress management to race relations. The focus in many of the courses centered on ways senior leadership interacted with soldiers; understanding the way people think; and exploring different facets of human behavior.

The Sergeant’s Major Academy is the fifth and final school a soldier attends in the Army’s Non-Commissioned Officer Education System.

Bammert joined the New Jersey Army National Guard thirty years ago for a one-year enlistment. He served three years on active duty (Army) followed by a five year break in military service. Bammert credits the irresistible lure of learning how to drive tanks for bringing him back to the Army Guard.

Sgt. Major Bammert is also active in the 44th Division World War II re-enactment group. He and his wife, Rosemarie, are the parents of one daughter, Kathy Diaz of Branchville.