SEAC visits Virginia National Guard Commonwealth ChalleNGe - Oct. 16, 2012

Sgt. Maj. Bryan Battaglia, the Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, visits with staff and cadets of the Virginia National Guard Commonwealth ChalleNGe program Oct. 16 at Camp Pendleton in Virginia Beach. Battaglia, a U.S. Marine, is the senior non-commissioned officer in the U.S. Armed Forces. In this role, he serves as the principal military advisor to the Chairman and the Secretary of Defense on all matters involving joint and combined total force integration, utilization, health of the force and joint development for enlisted personnel. Following a tour of the ChalleNGe facilities and a briefing from the program's leaders, Battaglia addressed the cadets in a town hall-style meeting at the 203rd RED HORSE Squadron auditorium. Commonwealth ChalleNGe is the Virginia component of the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program, which focuses on preparing at-risk teens and high school dropouts for the General Educational Development test and future employment, military or higher education opportunities.