Command Sergeant Major Ryan Whitson enlisted in the Army Reserve on 01 November 1985. He graduated from Combat Engineer OSUT in November 1986 at Fort Leonard Wood, MO. He served in A Company, 391st Engineer Battalion in Asheville, NC. His next assignment was as a Drill Sergeant in E Company, 1st Battalion, 518th Infantry Regiment in Asheville, NC. He later served as the First Sergeant of B Company, 1st Battalion, 485th Infantry Regiment in Winston-Salem, NC and as the First Sergeant of E Company, 2nd Battalion, 60th Infantry Regiment at Fort Jackson, SC. He has served as the Command Sergeant Major of the 1st Engineer Battalion, 100th Division in Knoxville, TN; the 422d Civil Affairs Battalion (Tactical) in Greensboro, NC; the 1st Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Training Brigade at Fort Bragg, NC; and the 354th Civil Affairs Brigade in Riverdale, MD. CSM Whitson was mobilized to Fort Jackson in 2005 and Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in 2013.
CSM Whitson’s military education includes Combat Engineer OSUT, Infantry School, Primary Leadership Development Course, Drill Sergeant School, Basic Noncommissioned Officer Course (Infantry), Advanced Noncommissioned Officer Course (Infantry), Supervisor Development Course, Manager Development Course, First Sergeant’s Course, and the United States Army Sergeants Major Academy.
CSM Whitson’s decorations, medals and badges include the Meritorious Service Medal, the Army Commendation Medal with four Oak Leaf Clusters, the Army Achievement Medal with one Silver and one Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster, the Army Reserve Component Achievement Medal, the National Defense Service Medal (second award), the Armed Forces Reserve Medal with Silver Hourglass and M Device, the NCO Professional Development Ribbon (4), the Army Service Medal and the Drill Sergeant Badge. CSM Whitson was the 108th Division Drill Sergeant of the Year for 2000.
CSM Whitson’s civilian education includes a BA Degree from Mars Hill College in Mars Hill, NC and he has completed the County Administration Course from the School of Government at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
In his civilian career CSM Whitson has been the County Manager of Mitchell County, NC and Polk County, NC, and is currently the Director of the Department of Social Services in Warren County, NC.
CSM Whitson is married to the former Katherine Cash. They have been married for 28 years and have a daughter, Karlie, her husband Zach, grandson Jasper, and son, Kyle.