Command Sergeant Major Harley J. Schwind, Jr.
Command Sergeant Major Harley J. Schwind, Jr., a native of LaMoure, N.D.,enlisted in 1981 as a combat engineer in the North Dakota Army National Guard. His first assignment was with Company D, 141st Engineer Battalion (Corps Wheeled). After serving in this unit for twelve years in various key leadership positions culminating as squad leader, he transferred to the North Dakota Military Academy and Engineer School at Camp Grafton, Devils Lake, N.D. in 1993, serving as an instructor, course manager and branch chief.
In 1997, Command Sergeant Major Schwind transferred to Company A, 164th Engineer Battalion (Mechanized) where he eventually served as first sergeant. In 2000, he returned to the Military Academy to serve as the senior instructor and assistant commandant.
From 2001-2004, Command Sergeant Major Schwind was assigned as the operations sergeant for the Engineer Brigade, 34th Infantry Division. In 2004, Command Sergeant Major Schwind assumed duties as the command sergeant major for the 164th Engineer Battalion. He served overseas with this unit in Operation Iraqi Freedom from 2007 until 2008.
After returning from deployment, Command Sergeant Major Schwind was assigned to the 68th Troop Command as the operations sergeant before assuming duties as the command sergeant major in February 2009. In March 2012, he assumed duties as the eighth state command sergeant major for the North Dakota Army National Guard.
Command Sergeant Major Schwind’s military education includes the Reserve Component Basic and Advanced Non-Commissioned Officer Courses. He is a graduate (non-resident) of the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy at Fort Bliss, Texas.
Command Sergeant Major Schwind’s military awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal (one Oak Leaf Cluster), Army Commendation Medal (one Oak Leaf Cluster), Army Achievement Medal (three Oak Leaf Clusters), Army Good Conduct Medal, Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal (One Silver Oak Leaf Cluster), National Defense Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal and is authorized the U.S. Army Combat Action Badge. Command Sergeant Major Schwind is a recipient of the American Society of Military Engineers’ Sturgis Medal and the U.S. Army Engineer Association’s Bronze de Flurry Medal.
Command Sergeant Major Schwind is married to North Dakota Army Guardsman 1st Sgt. Darcy (Olson) Schwind, of Oriska, N.D. They reside in Mandan, N.D. with their three children.