Oregon National Guard’s Command Senior Enlisted Leader Retires After 33 Years Of Service (Photo) - 07/11/26
HAPPY VALLEY, Ore. – U.S. Army Command Sgt. Maj. Lee G. Smith, Command Senior Enlisted Leader for the Oregon National Guard, formally retired from military service after 33 years of commitment to the nation in a ceremony held in his honor at Camp Withycombe in Happy Valley, Oregon, on July 11, 2026. He was the principal advisor to the Adjutant General, responsible for providing the State of Oregon and the United States with a ready force of more than 7,000 Citizen-Soldiers and Airmen.
Command Sgt. Maj. Smith joined the Army National Guard in 1993, with his first assignment in Alpha Battery, 2nd Battalion, 218th Field Artillery, as a Cannon Crewmember. The presiding officer for his ceremony was Brig. Gen. Alan R. Gronewold, Adjutant General, Oregon.
“From his first moments in senior enlisted leadership, he knew his job. Not to be the loudest voice in the room but the most representative,” Gronewold said, describing Smith’s leadership abilities. “Three years ago, when we introduced our organizational values: Being Connected, Being Competent, Being Committed - Sergeant Major Smith turned them into a framework for how we mentor senior enlisted leaders.”
Gronewold also credited Smith’s leadership with helping retain and add new service members to the Oregon National Guard.
“This last year, the Oregon Air National Guard had its strongest recruiting years since the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Oregon Army National Guard was recognized and awarded for the best retention of all 20 medium-sized states in the nation.”
Smith credited past leaders and fellow soldiers for his development, which culminated in his position as the Command Senior Enlisted Leader over the past three years of service in the Oregon National Guard, during his remarks to attendees.
“When people talk about leadership and often think it’s about making decisions, giving directions, and telling people what to do,” Smith said, explaining his career in military leadership. “Those things matter, but I learned that some of the most important leadership modes are simpler than that. Some leadership is just sitting down with someone and finding out who they are…if you want your organization to be better, ask yourself one simple question. Do you really know your people? Do they really know you?
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Released Images:
260711-Z-CH590-1085: Brig. Gen. Alan R. Gronewold, Adjutant General, Oregon National Guard, delivers formal remarks to attendees at the retirement ceremony of Command Sgt. Maj. Lee G. Smith, Command Senior Enlisted Leader for the Oregon National Guard, on July 11, 2026, at Camp Withycombe in Happy Valley, Oregon. Gronewold was the presiding officer for the ceremony, presenting Smith with both The Legion of Merit Medal and the Oregon Distinguished Service Medal for his 33 years of military service to the State of Oregon and the nation. (Oregon National Guard photo by John Hughel)
260711-Z-CH590-1017: Brig. Gen. Alan R. Gronewold, Adjutant General, Oregon National Guard, presents the Oregon Distinguished Service Medal to Army National Guard Command Sgt. Maj. Lee G. Smith during his formal retirement after 33 years of military service on July 11, 2026, at Camp Withycombe in Happy Valley, Oregon. Smith served his last three years as the Command Senior Enlisted Leader for the Oregon National Guard. (Oregon National Guard photo by John Hughel)
260711-Z-CH590-1013: Brig. Gen. Alan R. Gronewold, Adjutant General, Oregon National Guard, presents The Legion of Merit Medal to Army National Guard Command Sgt. Maj. Lee G. Smith during his formal retirement after 33 years of military service on July 11, 2026, at Camp Withycombe in Happy Valley, Oregon. Smith served his last three years as the Command Senior Enlisted Leader for the Oregon National Guard. (Oregon National Guard photo by John Hughel)
260711-Z-CH590-1193 and 1219: U.S. Army Command Sgt. Maj. Lee G. Smith addressed his family, friends, and coworkers during his retirement ceremony at Camp Withycombe in Happy Valley, Oregon, on July 11, 2026. For the past three years of military service, Smith was the Command Senior Enlisted Leader for the Oregon National Guard. (Oregon National Guard photo by John Hughel)
260711-Z-CH590-1076: Oregon Army National Guard Command Sgt. Maj. Robert Bertilson (left) presents a retirement gift Shadow Box to Command Sgt. Lee. G. Smith (right) during his formal retirement ceremony, held at Camp Withycombe in Happy Valley, Oregon, on July 11, 2026. Smith served as the Command Senior Enlisted Leader for the Oregon National Guard during his last three years of military service. (Oregon National Guard photo by John Hughel)
