SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C.— U.S Army Central selected Sgt. 1st Matthew Stratton of Task Force Sinai as the Career Counselor of the Year during a ceremony October 26, 2023 at Shaw Air Force Base, S.C.
Stratton was selected after a 4-day competition that included an Army Combat Fitness Test, written exam and board.
Command Sgt. Maj. J. Garza, USARCENT senior enlisted advisor, congratulated Stratton and stressed the importance of career counselors and the duties they perform.
“The work that our career counselors do day in, and day out directly aids the Army in building tangible readiness,” said Garza. “Army readiness depends on a quality all-volunteer force, and our career counselors help maintain that force by ensuring we continue to retain our most important asset; disciplined, trained and fit Soldiers who desire to continue to be all they can be.”
Throughout the competition, a panel of senior noncommissioned officers evaluated each candidate on their leadership skills, physical fitness, military bearing and military occupational specialty knowledge.
Stratton, an 11-year veteran, said he was proud of the efforts and hard work he put forth throughout the competition, and hopes to defend his title at next year's competition.
“I genuinely enjoy what I do as a career counselor, and my performance in this competition reinforces that thought,” said Stratton. “It’s important to keep good people in uniform, which makes my job all the more rewarding.”
Sgt. Maj. Rose Byrd, USARCENT command career counselor, said these competitions are important because it shows the level of noncommissioned officers USARCENT has within its formations. Byrd oversaw the competition and coordinated with USARCENT subordinate units to ensure the best candidates were chosen to compete. After months of planning, the competition took place with no issues, a feat Byrd attributed to her retention staff at USARCENT.
According to Byrd, the Career Counselor of the Year competition was conducted to award excellence, a feat that Stratton clearly met.
“I’m really proud of SFC Stratton and what he accomplished here at our competition,” said Byrd. “His performance reflects highly upon the NCO corps and career counselors as a whole. No matter where they are stationed, stateside, abroad or in combat zones, they do an excellent job of keeping best and brightest in our Army in uniform.”
The USARCENT Career Counselor of the Year competition is held annually to determine the best career counselor within the command’s area of responsibility.
USARCENT is the Army Service Component Command for United States Central Command and is responsible to the Secretary of the Army for the support and administration of more than 12,000 Soldiers, including those assigned to joint task forces and embassies, across the 21 countries in the CENTCOM Area of Responsibility.
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