Master Sgt. William J. Schaffhauser III (L) and Sgt. 1st Class Catrina R. Garza, of the U.S. Army Forces Command (FORSCOM) Retention Team give administrative instructions to competitors in the 2017 FORSCOM Career Counselor of the Year Competition, Ja...

Sgt. 1st Class Jeremy Skates, from Fort Bragg, N.C. and representing XVIII Airborne Corps, approaches the finish line of the two-mile run event of the Army Physical Readiness Test conducted as a part of the 2017 FORSCOM Career Counselor of the Year C...

FORT BRAGG. N.C. -- Eight Soldiers from across U. S. Army Forces Command (FORSCOM), each deemed the best career counselor in their units, have come to Fort Bragg, N.C. for the 2017 FORSCOM Career Counselor of the Year Competition being held here, Jan. 23 - 26.

The competing Soldiers, five active duty and three Army reservists, will be judged on their performance in an Army Physical Fitness Test, written exam, board appearance and a "mystery event."

"The winners of the competition will be those who are the most well-rounded and proficient in all four areas," said Sgt. Major Matthew Quick, the command career counselor for FORSCOM.

Competitions like this accomplish three things; they test the competitors leadership competencies against their peers, solidifies their commitment to professional development, and provides competitors exposure to many of our career field's senior-most leaders which can be beneficial for future assignments, schooling and promotion opportunities,"

FORSCOM will select one active component Soldier and one reserve component Soldier to represent the Army's largest command as they will be awarded a trophy, a Meritorious Service Medal and the opportunity to compete for recognition as Department of the Army Career Counselor of the Year at a follow-on competition later this year.

The eight Soldiers in the running are Sgt. 1st Class Gregory Weston and Staff Sgt. Matthew Kindle, representing I Corps, headquartered at Joint-Base Lewis McChord, Wash.; Sgt. 1st Class Michael Chastain and Sgt. 1st Class Matthew Wienczkowski representing III Corps, Fort Hood, Texas; Sgt. First Class Christopher Drinkwater and Sgt. 1st Class Jeremy Skates from XVIII ABN Corps at Fort Bragg; Staff Sgt. Matthew Bostick from the 20th Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosive Command, Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Md., and Sgt. First Class Darran Tatum from the Joint Readiness Training Center, Fort Polk, La.