Command Sgt. Maj. William C. Boettcher is a native of Wayne, MI enlisted in the Army in March 2001 as an Airborne, Cannon Crewmember. He attended one station unit training at Fort Sill, OK with follow-on Airborne training at Fort Benning, GA.
His first assignment was at Fort Bragg, NC where he served as an artilleryman both stateside and abroad in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Shortly after his return from Iraq, he was selected for assignment to USAREC where he was assigned to the Westland Recruiting Station in Dearborn Company. During his tenure in Dearborn Company, Boettcher served in a myriad of positions including Recruiter, Senior Processor, Future Soldier Leader, Assistant Station Commander, and Team Leader in both the Westland and Dearborn Recruiting Stations, along with serving as the interim Station Commander of the Taylor and Dearborn Recruiting Stations. Additionally, within the Great Lakes Recruiting BN, he also served as the Station Commander for the Madison Heights Recruiting Station in Pontiac Company.
In 2011, Boettcher was assigned to the Harrisburg Recruiting BN where he again served as a Station Commander for the Clarion Recruiting Station. In 2014, he was reassigned as the Company First Sergeant of the Fairview Heights Company in the Indianapolis Recruiting BN. In 2017, he was selected to serve at HQ, USAREC as the G-3 Training Division NCOIC/Senior Master Trainer where, shortly after his arrival, he was selected for resident attendance to the United States Army Sergeants Major Academy. Upon graduating USASMA in 2019, Boettcher served as the operations sergeant major for the Richmond Recruiting BN until 2021, when he was selected to serve as the command sergeant major of the Great Lakes Recruiting BN.
Boettcher is a graduate of the Basic Airborne Course, Air Assault Course, Combat Lifesaver Course, Army Combatives Level 1, MRT level 1, Battle Staff, Station Commander Course, Recruiting Company Commander/First Sergeant Course, has completed all NCOPDS up to and is a graduate of Class 69 of the United States Army Sergeants Major Academy.
Boettcher’s awards and decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Volunteer Service Medal, Combat Action Badge, Basic Airborne Badge, Air Assault Badge, Silver German Marksmanship Badge (Schützenschnur), the COL Robert L. Manning Achievement Medal, the USAREC Medallion for Excellence, the Gold Recruiting Badge w/ 3 Sapphires, the Gold Recruiter Ring and the Glen E. Morrell Award. He also holds an Associates and Bachelors degree from Troy University and a Masters Degree from University of Texas at El Paso.