ARLINGTON, Va. - Command Sgt. Maj. David Hudson from Alaska has begun learning the ropes as the second senior enlisted advisor for the chief of the National Guard Bureau.
He is succeeding Command Sgt. Maj. John Leonard Jr. from Maine who has officially retired but is helping Hudson settle into the job of advising LTG H Steven Blum about the enlisted affairs of the 407,000 Soldiers and Airmen in the Army and Air National Guard.
Hudson assumed his new position in early August after serving as the state command sergeant major for the Alaska Army National Guard. He became the first traditional Alaska Guard Soldier to hold that position.
Leonard served as the Guard Bureau chief's first senior enlisted advisor from November 2003 until August when he retired from 41 years of military service. He enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1965 and was wounded twice during a 14-month tour in Vietnam.
Since joining the National Guard in 1972, Leonard has served as the state command sergeant major in Maine, as the command sergeant major for the entire Army National Guard, and as senior enlisted advisor to the assistant secretary of defense for Reserve Affairs. He also served in Southwest Asia during Operation Desert Storm.
Hudson's military career spans some 32 years, including 10 years in the Air Force and Air Force Reserve. Therefore, he is familiar with the Army and Air Force components of the National Guard.
Hudson's various Army Guard assignments have included intelligence noncommissioned officer for the 297th Infantry Battalion and first sergeant, battalion sergeant major, and commandant of the 207th Regiment Regional Training Institute in Alaska.
His public service extends beyond his military career. Hudson has more than 20 years of law enforcement experience as an Alaska state trooper. He has risen to the rank of captain and last served as the commander of the Criminal Investigative Bureau.
Hudson's educational background includes a master's of science degree in organizational management.
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