hiː sˈɜːvd fɔːɹ ˈɔːlmoʊst θˈɜːɾi sˈɛvən jˈɪɹz ɪnðə juːnˈaɪɾᵻd stˈeɪts ˈɑːɹmi, kˈʌlmᵻnˌeɪɾɪŋ ɪn hɪz ɐpˈɔɪntmənt ɪn tˈuː θˈaʊzənd æz ðə twˈɛlfθ sˈɑːɹdʒənt mˈeɪdʒɚɹ ʌvðɪ ˈɑːɹmi, ɐ pˈoʊst hiː hˈɛld ʌntˈɪl hɪz ɹᵻtˈaɪɚmənt ˌɔn dʒˈænjuːˌɛɹi fˈɪftiːn, tˈuː θˈaʊzənd fˈoːɹ.
He served for almost 37 years in the United States Army, culminating in his appointment in 2000 as the 12th Sergeant Major of the Army, a post he held until his retirement on January 15, 2004.