Army's Top Enlisted Soldier Visits Fort Bragg

Sergeant Major of the Army Jack Tilley is the advisor to the Army Chief of Staff on all enlisted-related matters.

Visiting with soldiers at Fort Bragg Wednesday, Tilley says he can report back that morale there is high.

"I think the morale of soldiers is very motivated. They understand what the responsibilities are and they understand what they have to do. We've always been focused, but because of what happened on Sept. 11, I think we're a lot more focused right now," he says.

Tilley works at the Pentagon, and on Sept. 11, saw a different kind of war unfolding.

"I turned around and followed the fire trucks, went back into the building to make sure soldiers I worked with were gone, then went out back to help like everybody else," he says.

As Tilley watched soldiers train and heard their concerns, he says what he heard most is that soldiers are ready.

"Most people are proud to be in the military right now. It's an exciting time for a lot of us who have never experienced anything like this before," says Sergeant Laurie Miller.

"Whatever our country decides they want us to do, that's what I'm here for," says 1st Sergeant Alvin Jackson.

For now, Fort Bragg soldiers train and wait. Tilley says the soldiers are staying calm and are even more focused than they were before the attack.

Tilley says that he continues to hear about and address the issues that soldiers are concerned about. Those include housing, pay and what will happen to soldiers families once they are deployed.