FORT DRUM, N.Y. -- In only his first year as a career counselor, Staff Sgt. John Santiago Morris Rodriguez has made a name for himself at the 10th Combat Aviation Brigade, and he recently upped the game by earning the title as the 10th Mountain Division's best for fiscal year 2016 during a competition last month.
"It feels rewarding," said Rodriguez, career counselor assigned to 3rd General Support Aviation Battalion, 10th Aviation Regiment. "There's always something to work toward, and in order to be the best in this field, you want to try to strive to be the best. This is one of the few things we can do as career counselors to show that we are doing more than just making the mission."
Every year, the 10th Mountain Division (LI) holds the two-day competition featuring Army career counselors from each of the division brigades as well as Fort Drum Garrison. Several division career counselors from Fort Polk, La., traveled to Fort Drum to compete as well. The competition starts with an Army Physical Fitness Test, a written exam and a board appearance in front of a president and four panel members, all of whom are seasoned career counselors.
Rodriguez turned down last year's competition, because he felt that he wasn't experienced enough to go against the other career counselors. Although the competition was tough, the board members unanimously selected Rodriguez.
The maturing of Rodriguez as a career counselor was in large part due to Master Sgt. Derek Scott's tutelage. Scott, 10th CAB's senior career counselor, allowed Rod-riguez to begin his duties with 6th Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment -- the place where he cut his retention teeth. From there, Rodriguez moved to his current location within the 3-10 GSAB Headquarters where he spends his days following a retention model that has made the entire division successful.
"I enjoy what I do because everything is cumulative; there's nothing you don't do at work that doesn't carry over," he said. "If you prepare a Soldier's file, any type of action that will (change in the future) will get processed through the career counselors."
What that means for Rodriguez is that all the information he receives about Soldiers early on and throughout their time in the unit, better equips him to make his retention mission; moreover, it means that all of the counseling through the Soldiers' time in the unit will benefit them as they make the decision to reenlist.
"The more you put into it, the more it directly affects on everything at work," he said.
There are times when retention isn't the foremost thing on Rodriguez's mind, and he then embraces his title as career counselor as he spends time with Soldiers -- whether their reenlistment window is open or not -- to guide them to a more meaningful professional path.
Sgt. Thomas Ross, a petroleum supply noncommissioned officer assigned to E Company, 3rd General Support Aviation Battalion, 10th Aviation Regiment, recently arrived at Fort Drum from Camp Casey, Korea. For Ross, his meeting with Rodriguez wasn't about himself but about his 2-year-old son's future.
Ross set up an appointment with Rodriguez to help transfer his educational benefits to his son, Blake Ross.
"I want to give him more options … ones I didn't have," Ross said. "I will not exit this Army before I get him what he needs."
Ross said Rodriguez worked expeditiously to make that happen for his Family.
"He's on point and (very) knowledgeable," Ross said. "And he's persistent; it seemed like he wanted to do this more than I did."
His meticulous record keeping and impressive analytics drew the attention of the division's command career counselor as Rodriguez was asked to share his expertise in matrices that would eventually be implemented in all Fort Drum retention operations.
"Not only does he share his knowledge with his peers within the brigade, but he is often sought out by every counselor in the division. … and always willing to help," Scott said. "Staff Sgt. Rodriguez is a true professional who epitomizes the attributes you want in every (noncommissioned officer)."
As the president of the board, Sgt. Maj. Matthew Quick, 10th Mountain Division command career counselor, said Rodriguez was the most well-rounded career counselor they saw and that what set him apart from the others was his "comfortability" during the board proceedings.
"He owned the stage," Quick recalled.
Rodriguez will travel to Fort Bragg, N.C., for XVIII Airborne Corps' annual career counselor training, where he will compete against career counselors from other divisions.
Quick said from what he saw during the division's board, Rodriguez has a "good shot." Yet, however Rodriguez performs at the upcoming board or other possible boards to follow, Quick, who is a firm believer of talent management, said he has plans for Rodriguez to work in retention operations where he can make a larger impact on the retention mission overall.
"He definitely has a bright future ahead of him, and he'll definitely excel," Quick said. "We'll continue to mold him. He adapts to things quickly and can adapt to whatever he needs to."
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