Command Sergeant Major Gerald C. Ecker entered active service in October 1987 as a Combat Medic.
CSM Ecker became the first Command Sergeant Major of the US Army Public Health Command on 17 March 2011.
CSM Ecker’s previous assignments include Platoon Aidman, Company Senior Medic and Battalion Senior Treatment NCO, 3rd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, (ODS/DS - Iraq) Ft. Bragg, NC; Medical Platoon Sergeant and Instructor, 5th Ranger Training Battalion, Camp Frank D. Merrill, Dahlonega, GA; Observer Controller, Combat Maneuver Training Center (CMTC), Hohenfels, Germany; Chief Medical NCO - (Project Warrior), AMEDD Lessons Learned Office, Ft. Sam Houston, TX; First Sergeant, E Co. (MED), 15th Forward Support Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division, (OIF - Iraq) Ft. Hood, TX; Sergeant Major, Division Surgeon’s Office, 101st Airborne Division (AASLT), (OIF - Iraq) Ft. Campbell, KY; Command Sergeant Major, 52nd Medical Evacuation Battalion, Republic of Korea; Command Sergeant Major, Brian Allgood Army Community Hospital, 121st Combat Support Hospital, and USAMEDDAC-Korea; and Command Sergeant Major of Task Force 21st Combat Support Hospital, (OIF/OND – Iraq) Ft. Hood, TX.
CSM Ecker holds a Bachelor of Science with honors from Excelsior College, Albany, NY. He has held numerous emergency medical certifications and is a distinguished honor graduate of the NREMT-B Course, and has completed the NREMT-P Course.
CSM Ecker’s military education includes PLDC, BNCOC (Exceeded Course Standards and Leadership Award), ANCOC (Exceeded Course Standards, Leadership, and PT Awards), Battle Staff NCO Course (Exceeded Course Standards), Resident Sergeants Major Course - Class 56 (Exceeded Course Standards, Excellence in Writing, and PT Awards), Command Sergeants Major Course, Basic Airborne Course, Air Assault Course, Jumpmaster Course, Drop Zone Safety Team Leader Course, Instructor Trainer Course, Tactical Certification Course, Observer Controller Course, NBC Casualty Care Course, Jungle Warfare School, and Ranger School.
CSM Ecker’s awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal (1st OLC), Meritorious Service Medal (Silver OLC), Army Commendation Medal (3rd OLC), Army Achievement Medal (Silver OLC), Navy Unit Commendation, Meritorious Unit Commendation (1st OLC), Combat Medical Badge (2nd Award), Expert Field Medical Badge, Master Parachutist Badge, German Parachutist Badge, Air Assault Badge, Ranger Tab, and various other decorations and foreign awards. He is a member of the Sergeants Audie Murphy and Morales Clubs, NCO of the Quarter for both the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment and 82nd Airborne Division, and was a 1995 recipient of the "Society of the 173rd Airborne Brigade, ‘Sigholtz’ Leadership Award". In 1995, representing "Team 82nd Airborne", then SSG Ecker, along with partner SGT Todd Barrager, were named the Army’s Best Medics, by winning the 2nd Annual "Expert Field Medic Competition". CSM Ecker is a member of the 1st Cavalry Division’s "Order of the Combat Spur" and recipient of the MEDCOM "Order of Military Medical Merit" (O2M3).