Jesse S.
Withers

Service

Thirty years,
team leader to state.

Command Sergeant Major Withers is the tenth State Command Sergeant Major of the Kentucky Army National Guard, serving at Joint Force Headquarters in Frankfort since 2020. He succeeded Command Sergeant Major David Munden in an assumption of responsibility ceremony held in the Capitol Rotunda that August, presided over by Brigadier General Hal Lamberton, then the Adjutant General of Kentucky.

He describes the purpose of the position plainly: to carry the enlisted perspective to the Commander on behalf of Soldiers, Airmen, and their Families.

Under Article V, Section 1(b) of the EANGKY By-Laws, the State Command Sergeant Major serves as a non-voting member of the Executive Council in an advisory capacity. Command Sergeant Major Withers has been one of the association's most consistent Army advocates, continuing to attend national conferences and to back the mission of enlisted advocacy.

A native of Cynthiana, Kentucky, he enlisted in the Kentucky Army National Guard on 27 February 1990. He completed Basic Combat Training and Advanced Individual Training as a 12B combat engineer at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. He had thirty years of service when he assumed his current position.

Across his career he has held leadership positions from team leader through brigade command sergeant major. He has served three tours as a first sergeant, as battalion command sergeant major of the 201st Engineer Battalion, as command sergeant major of the 149th Military Engagement Team, as brigade command sergeant major of the 149th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, and as Kentucky National Guard G3 sergeant major.

He has deployed once to Kuwait and once to Afghanistan, both in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, and has served on a range of state active duty missions. He has completed every level of the Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development System, including the Nominative Leaders Course.

He retired as a career firefighter and emergency medical technician after more than twenty years with the City of Paris Fire Department. Command Sergeant Major Withers and his wife, Angie, reside in Winchester, Kentucky, with their daughter, Kyleigh.

Recognition

Awards and decorations.

Biographical detail drawn from his official Kentucky National Guard biography, dated June 2020, and from Kentucky National Guard Public Affairs reporting on his assumption of responsibility.