History was made when a Palmerton native was sworn in Friday as the 15th Sergeant Major of the Army.

Command Sgt. Maj. Daniel A. Dailey was sworn in to the position by Army Chief of Staff Gen. Raymond T. Odierno at a ceremony held in the Pentagon Auditorium.As he addressed the crowd of military officers and friends and family from home, he said, "So how does a middle of the road guy make it to this rank? To represent the finest fighting force the world has known?""The answer is simple. It's sitting in the seats in front of me. It's leadership from great soldiers, non-commissioned officers, and officers I served with over the years."He was accompanied by his wife, Holly, and son Dakota.A 1990 graduate of Palmerton Area High School, Dailey succeeds Sergeant Major of the Army Raymond F. Chandler III, who served in this position for four years.Dailey will serve as the personal adviser to Army chief of staff on matters affecting the enlisted force.The sergeant major of the Army visits with soldiers and families stationed around the globe and advises Army senior leadership on quality-of-life improvements, and also routinely testifies before Congress on these issues. Dailey had been the command sergeant major for U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command. He is a combat veteran with four deployments to Operation Iraqi Freedom and one in support of Operation Desert Storm.He was a command sergeant major for most of those tours, responsible for training, leading, mentoring and developing soldiers into leaders.As the TRADOC command sergeant major, Dailey played a key role in shaping the Army's plans for leader development and soldier 2020.Dailey's awards include the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal with Valor, Bronze Star Medal (third award), Meritorious Service Medal (third award), Army Commendation Medal (seventh award), Army Achievement Medal (10th award), Good Conduct Medal (seventh award), National Defense Service Medal (second award), South West Asia Service Medal (one bronze service star), Iraq Campaign Medal (five bronze service stars), Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Korea Defense Service Medal.He also earned the NCO Professional Development Ribbon (fourth award), Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon (third award), Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait), Kuwait Liberation Medal (Saudi Arabia), Drivers Badge (wheel), Ranger Tab, Expert Infantryman's Badge, Combat Infantryman's Badge, The Order of Saint Maurice (Centurion), and he is a member of the Distinguished Audie Murphy Club.Dailey enlisted in the Army in 1989. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree, graduating summa cum laude from Excelsior University.He is the brother of David Dailey, who runs Pencor's Service Center, and the son of the late David Dailey Sr., a longtime Pencor employee, and widow Eileen.