Honoring Sergeant Major Wayne R. Bell For His 30 Years of Service to Our Nation
January 12, 2007
Madam Speaker, Sergeant Major Bell was born in Washington, DC, on 17 January 1957. He enlisted in the Marine Corps on 28 February 1977 in Boston, MA. Upon completion of recruit training at MCRD Parris Island, SC, he was assigned to AA V School at 2nd Assault Amphibian Battalion Camp Lejeune, NC. Upon completion of school he reported to Company D for duty as an AAV crewman.
In February 1978, Sergeant Major Bell was ordered to Company D, 3rd Assault Amphibian Battalion, 1st Marine Brigade, Kaneohe Bay, HI for three years. In November 1978 he was meritoriously promoted to Corporal and deployed with Battalion Landing Team 2/3 on West PAC 79 as a crew chief. In October 1980, he was promoted to Sergeant.
In April 1981, Sergeant Major Bell was transferred to School's Battalion, Assault Amphibian School, Marine Corps Base, Camp Pendleton, CA where he served as a crew chief and classroom Instructor. During this tour of duty he helped implement a new course of instruction for the LVTP7A1 family of vehicles. In March 1984, he was promoted to Staff Sergeant and attended the Staff Noncommissioned Officers Academy in Quantico, VA.
In June 1984, Sergeant Major Bell was transferred to the 3d Marine Division for duty with 1st Track Vehicle Battalion, Okinawa, Japan. He served with both Companies A and B and deployed to Thailand, Korea and the Philippines.
In May 1985, Sergeant Major Bell returned to CONUS and was assigned to the 1st Marine Division, Camp Pendleton, CA, for duty with 3d Assault Amphibian Battalion. He served in a variety of billets from section leader to Company Gunnery Sergeant. Promoted to Gunnery Sergeant in January 1990, he was transferred to Marine Corps Security Forces Battalion, Diego Garcia and assumed the duties as Guard Chief and Training Staff Noncommissioned Officer in Charge. In March 1993, he was assigned to Company A, 3d Assault Amphibian Battalion and deployed with 13th MEU (SOC), Battalion Landing Team Ð1/9, West PAC 93-94, as the AAV Detachment Platoon Sergeant.
Selected to First Sergeant in April 1994, Sergeant Major Bell's assignments as a First Sergeant included: Company C and H&S Company, 1st Combat Engineer Battalion, 1st Marine Division (April 1994-March 1996); United States Naval Academy Company, Marine Barracks 8th and I, Washington D.C. (April 1996-May 1997) where he was subsequently selected for promotion to Sergeant Major. He was assigned to the Assault Amphibian School Battalion, Marine Corps Base, Camp Pendleton, CA, as the Battalion Sergeant Major from June 1997-March 1999. In April 1999, he was reassigned as the Squadron Sergeant Major for HMM 268, MAG 39, 3d MAW, MCAS Camp Pendleton, CA, where he deployed with the 11th MEU as the Air Combat Element Sergeant Major.
In April 2002 Sergeant Major Bell was reassigned to the 11th Marine Regiment where he deployed to Kuwait and Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. In July 2003, he was assigned as the Sergeant Major of 1st Marine Division and deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom II from Feb 2004-Mar 2005. He was assigned to his current billet as Marine Corps Installations West Sergeant Major on 24 February 2006.
Sergeant Major Bell's personal decorations include the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Meritorious Service Medal w/2 Gold Stars, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal w/2 Gold Stars, the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, and the Combat Action Ribbon.
Sergeant Major Bell is married to the former Ms. Crystal Nadine Bynoe of Boston, MA. They have three sons, Sherman (31), Shannon (29), and Wayne Jr. (22), and five grandchildren Temarah (9), Julius (8), Micah (4), Jayden (2), Nia (1).
On behalf of the people of the United States whom Master Sergeant Bell spent a career serving, I thank him for his service and commitment to the defense of our Natio
