Only the best of the best will receive the chance to compete in the annual Secretary of the Army Career Counselor of the Year competition, scheduled Jan. 20-24, here, in the Military District of Washington area.
The competition is expected to be challenging as each competitor holds the title as Career Counselor of the Year for their respective commands.
Among the 15 competitors is MDW representative, Sgt. First Class William Bastian, 4th Battalion, 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard).
Bastian, a former field artilleryman, has served in the Army for more than 12 years and only recently arrived to The Old Guard before earning the title as MDW's Career Counselor of the Year, last month.
"He arrived to The Old Guard only three months ago and has not only earned the trust and respect from leaders and his Soldiers, but being selected as MDW's Career Counselor of the Year really earns the respect of his peers within the retention community," Master Sgt. Matthew Quick, Senior Career Counselor for The Old Guard, said.
Bastian, a native of Sandusky, OH, said that even more rewarding than winning the title as MDW's Career Counselor of the Year is his ability to help Soldiers.
"Whenever a Soldier comes up to me and says thank you for helping me and my family out, there's no greater achievement than that," he said. It's very satisfying, it's probably the most satisfying feeling that I've ever gotten and it's something that I take a lot of pride in."
Bastian is honored to represent MDW and the Old Guard and has since been working hard to prepare for the competition ahead where he will be tested on Army Retention knowledge, Soldier and leadership skills, Physical Training proficiency and a written exam.
"I'm a little nervous because I've never won anything before in the military, but I feel prepared and I feel confident" Bastian said. "The career counselors in my job field are so skilled at what they do, so I know that I have to be well prepared."
"I am confident that he will represent The Old Guard and MDW well and it would surprise me if he does not bring the Career Counselor of the Year title back to The Old Guard," Quick said.
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