Army Command Sgt. Maj. John W. Troxell has been reinstated as senior enlisted advisor to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff after an investigation found he had violated ethics rules, defense officials announced on Thursday.
An Army Inspector General investigation that finished in late February determined that Troxell had improperly used military personnel to run his personal errands and perform other tasks not associated with their official duties and he endorsed commercial fitness and nutrition products on official social media platforms, a Joint Staff news release says.Troxell received no money or personal gain from these endorsements.
Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, disciplined Troxell administratively and decided to reinstate him, the news release says.
“I carefully weighed the gravity of CSM Troxell’s ethics violations against his 37 years of dedicated military service and superb leadership – to include 19 years as a sergeant major,” Dunford said in the news release.”Appropriate corrective action has been taken and I’m confident that SEAC has learned from this experience. I am equally confident in his competence and capability to continue serving as our senior enlisted leader, which is why I reinstated him to his duties as SEAC. Now it’s time to move on and get back to the important work we have before us.”
Since September, Troxell has been temporarily reassigned as a special assistant to the Vice Director of the Joint Staff pending the investigation’s outcome.
In January 2018, Troxell made news when he told ISIS fighters that if they did not surrender, U.S. troops would beat them to death with their entrenching tools. Within six months, he had received 240 e-tools for him to autograph, his spokesman told Task & Purpose at the time.
“An e-tool manufacturer called him to thank him for his service and to let him know about the surge in e-tool sales,” Army Master Sgt. Robert Couture said in a June 6 email. “CSM Troxell receives no proceeds, stock dividends, payment or financial benefit for signing entrenching tools or advocating for their use in annihilating ISIS.”