Hailing from Rochester, New York, Command Sgt. Maj. David A. Wilkins enlisted in the Army as an Infantryman in February of 2004. Serving as a Rifleman, his first duty assignment was the 2nd Infantry Division’s Long Range Surveillance Detachment in South Korea. Returning to the states, Wilkins was assigned to 4th Battalion 31st Infantry Regiment at Ft. Drum, New York, where he deployed twice in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, serving as a Sniper, Team Leader, and Squad Leader. He culminated his tenure with the Infantry Corps as an Instructor at the U.S. Army Sniper School located in Fort Benning, Georgia.
In 2011, Wilkins was selected for recruiting duty and was assigned to the Syracuse Recruiting Battalion. In 2013, he re-classified to 79R - Recruiter and successfully led the Auburn, New York and Canandaigua, New York recruiting stations. Subsequently, he was selected by the 15th Sergeant Major of the Army, and assigned to the Pentagon, where he served as the Sergeant Major of the Army’s Senior Travel Coordinator. Returning to Recruiting Command in 2018, Wilkins served as the First Sergeant of the Greenville, South Carolina Recruiting Company and HHC USAREC. Wilkins was most recently assigned to the Albany Recruiting Battalion, serving as the Operations Sergeant Major.
Wilkins has graduated on the commandants list from all required NCOES courses, culminating at the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy, class #72. He is also a graduate of the following Army courses: Recruiting Company Commander & First Sergeant, Station Commander, Recruiter, Master Fitness, Master Resilience, Basic Instructor, Battle Staff and Sniper. He holds a Master of Science Management Degree from Excelsior University, and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business (Suma Cum Laude) from Post University.
His awards and decorations include the Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Meritorious Service Medal (5th award), Army Commendation Medal (7th award), Army Achievement Medal (5th award), Army Good Conduct Medal (6th award), Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Korea Defense Service Medal, NCO Professional Development Ribbon (numeral 5), Overseas Service Medal (numeral 3), and the Armed Forces Service Medal. He has earned the Combat Infantryman Badge, Expert Infantryman Badge, Army Staff Identification Badge, Master Recruiter Badge, Gold Recruiter Badge, and the United States Army Recruiting of Excellence Medallion.