DATE: Tuesday, October 14, 1997             TAG: 9710140258
SECTION: FRONT                   PAGE: A3   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS 

DATELINE: WASHINGTON                        LENGTH:   45 lines

ARMY NAMES SOUTH CAROLINA MAN ITS TOP ENLISTED PERSON

The Army named Command Sgt. Maj. Robert Hall on Monday as its new sergeant major of the Army, acting several days after removing Gene McKinney from the top enlisted post.

Army Chief of Staff Gen. Dennis Reimer said he acted because ``the soldiers of the U.S. Army deserve a full-time sergeant major . . . who can serve as an advocate for their interests and advise the Army leadership on all matters pertaining to enlisted soldiers.''

The Army announced last week that it had removed McKinney from the post, one day after it was announced that he would face a court-martial on sexual misconduct charges. McKinney has denied the charges against him. No trial date has been set.

McKinney's civilian attorney, Charles Gittins, has complained that Reimer's removal of McKinney has hurt his case in advance of the court-martial. At a news conference Monday, Reimer denied he was influencing the legal process.

``We made no determination concerning Sgt. Maj. McKinney's case,'' Reimer said. ``My view was, what was right for our soldiers was to provide them with a permanent representative, somebody that I could turn to on a daily basis.

``This has nothing to do with losing confidence or anything else concerning McKinney,'' he added.

McKinney was suspended from his post in February when the first sexual misconduct charges were aired.

Reimer said he was ``very careful to check with the lawyers'' to be assured he could remove McKinney without improperly influencing his legal case.

At a news conference at the Association of the U.S. Army's annual convention, Reimer introduced Hall, 50, of Gaffney, S.C., and congratulated him. Hall did not address reporters and Reimer excused him from taking questions.

Before being named to the post, Hall served for three years as the command sergeant major of the U.S. Central Command at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida.

He has been on active duty for 27 years. He served in Desert Storm, in Germany and Korea. ILLUSTRATION: Photo

Robert Hall

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