Canfield Soldier Reaches New Heights In Army Career

For U.S. Army Reserve Sgt. Maj. Shareef Ali, his current overseas deployment to Iraq has produced two major career milestones. In May, the Canfield resident was promoted to his current rank, the highest enlisted rank in the Army, and this past month Ali reached his 35-year mark of military service.

The son of Mechele Boling of Buffalo, N.Y., Ali is currently a member of the Florida-based 641st Regional Support Group. The 641st deployed to Iraq earlier this year in support of Combined Joint Task Force—Operation Inherent Resolve, the 75-nation global coalition that joined together with local forces to ensure the defeat of ISIS in Iraq and Syria. At Erbil Air Base in northern Iraq, Ali serves as the unit’s senior noncommissioned officer responsible for logistics operations. The mission is among the most unique experiences of the Youngstown State graduate’s career. His decades of service had already seen enormous change across the Army, from the birth of a more diversified force to a more diversified wardrobe. “I’ve had five different types of uniforms come out during my career,” he said. As a civilian, Ali has worked for the past 19 years for the social security administration, but he takes greater pride is in his community volunteer work in the Youngstown area, particularly with Mentoring the 100 Way® Across A Lifetime. For the former Ebony Lifeline All-Sports Hall of Fame inductee, mentorship continues to play a key role in his military service, as well. Some of his methods are rooted in the leadership tips of former Sgt. Maj. of the Army Daniel Daly. “He said to leaders if you’re not in the business of morale, go home,” Ali said. As a senior leader now, himself, Ali said, “Now I can do something about that.”

One of the morale tactics Ali has employed during his deployment has been to lead a weekly Karaoke Night on the base, something he had never envisioned of himself. The simple act of grabbing a microphone has not only contributed to morale, he said, but broken down barriers among soldiers. He soon found some of those same soldiers even seeking him out during duty hours for career guidance, allowing Ali to pass on some of what he’s learned to the next generation.

The opportunity to mentor a few more service members before his time in uniform is done is not
something Ali takes for granted. “My proudest moments have always been when soldiers I worked with reach out to me years later to share their personal accomplishments or promotions with me,” he said.

For Ali, spending three and a half decades in service was unimaginable when he first chose to don Army greens. “I needed something that could offer me a fair and competitive wage, so I could one day have money for college,” he said. “I also wanted to travel and get away from my surroundings. So, I decided to join the Army.” Although Ali came from a long line of veterans – his father served in Vietnam, and his grandfather in World War II – his parents initially had reservations that their teenage son had the discipline to succeed in the Army. The travel and job security afforded by the Army appealed to him, and now – 35 years and four overseas deployments later – he wears the highest rank an enlisted soldier can achieve. Following his current deployment, Ali plans to serve another couple of years as a reserve soldier before hanging up his uniform for good. “Every leader should know his or her limitations,” he said. “Two and a half more years will be enough for me. I’ll take off my rank and yield the floor to the next generation of soldiers.”