The new command sergeant major for the 142nd Combat Sustainment Support Battalion was raised by his parents to give back in whatever way he can.

And that philosophy nests nicely with what a senior enlisted leader is supposed to do — mentor young soldiers and make sure they are being taken care of properly.

“You won’t get where you want to go and be successful without the help of someone else,” Command Sgt. Maj. Eric D. Hunt said.

Hunt, a 47-year-old from Tampa, Fla., took over as the senior enlisted soldier with the 142nd CSSB on Oct. 31.

The lessons his parents, Loretta and Henry H. Hunt Jr., instilled in him have helped guide him throughout his Army career, he said.

“I am doing a service if I can give back,” Hunt said.

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Hunt and his own family have been in El Paso for more than two years now. He started out as a student at the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy and then stayed for another year at the academy as the assistant director for the NCO Academy Mission Command (West Region).

His new job ensures that he, his wife, Sherene, and son, Eric Jr., get to stay in El Paso for at least another two years.

His son graduated from Austin High School in June and is running cross-country for El Paso Community College.

“I have been blessed with two people who are outgoing and love to travel,” Hunt said.

The 142nd CSSB provides a full range of support to the rest of the 1st Armored Division. That includes providing supplies, conducting maintenance of equipment and vehicles and transporting heavy equipment out into the field.

“Nothing happens without sustainment,” Hunt said. “The soldiers on the front line who are doing a wonderful job defending this wonderful country, they need to be sustained with parts, the beans, the bullets, whatever they need to make sure those soldiers are motivated to complete the mission.”

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His priority is to make sure the Atlas Battalion, as it is nicknamed, is ready to do any mission at a moment’s notice.

Two of the battalion’s companies — the 504th Composite Supply Company and the 377th Heavy Transportation Company — are going to the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif., in January to support a training rotation there.

Hunt said he wants to mentor and teach young soldiers “to come up and take my spot, so to speak.”

“One day, I will have to retire,” he said. “What is the point if I can’t share what I have learned from 28 years (in the Army) with someone?”

Command Sgt. Maj. Sean M. Howard, the senior enlisted leader with the 1st Armored Division Sustainment Brigade, said Hunt “brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the Atlas Battalion.”

“His previous assignments and broadening positions will allow him to give solid and well-articulated guidance to his battalion commander and allow his units to succeed in any domain or environment,” Howard said.

David Burge may be reached at 546-6126; dburge@elpasotimes.com; @dburge1962 on Twitter.

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Command Sgt. Maj. Eric D. Hunt

Education: Bachelor’s degree in transportation and logistics from University of Hartford

Awards: Bronze Star (two oak leaf clusters); Meritorious Service Medal (three oak leaf clusters); Army Commendation Medal (two oak leaf clusters); and Army Achievement Medal (two oak leaf clusters)

Family: Married to Sherene Curry-Hunt, from Fort Jackson, S.C. Son: Eric Jr., 18.