Sergeant Major Philson Tavernier lives in South Carolina and is currently Post Command Sergeant Major for the U.S. Army Training Center and Fort Jackson in the state capitol of Columbia. PCSM Tavernier, who originally hails from New York City, has been serving for 27 years, which included a peacekeeping tour in Kosovo, two combat tours in Iraq and assignments in German and South Korea.  PCSM Tavernier and host Michael Whidden were connected by a mutual friend, Thomas Byrd, who is the Public Affairs Officer at Fort Jackson and who was a gust on the podcast in Episode 20.

Our discussion covers, among other things:
*the start of his journey, from Jamaica, Queens
*the unexpected peril of peacekeeping
*life as a soldier, both in training and in combat
*the different motivations that bring folks to serve
*the importance of knowing your “why”

PCSM Tavernier finds hope in the new generation of soldiers – how they are transformed through training and in confidence and respect they come to embody – which gives him comfort that our freedoms and liberties will continue to be protected.