Written by By U.S. Army Sgt. Maj. Willene Orr
Combined Joint Task Force-101, 101st Airborne Division Command Career Counselor
Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan – History was made October 12th-14th when Combined Joint Task Force–101 hosted the first Regional Command–East and 101st Airborne Division Career Counselor of the Year Board here.
U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Matthew Calhoun of Visalia, CA, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, Task Force Strike, was selected as the 101st Airborne Div. Career Counselor of the Year; and U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Yelixa Mawhorr of Brooklyn, NY, 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade, Task Force Falcon, was selected as the RC-East Career Counselor of the Year.
There were 10 participants who competed at the board, which mirrored the components and events of the Headquarters, Forces Command Career Counselor of the Year board.
The participants were accessed in several areas that included the Army physical fitness test, Warrior Tasks, a 50-question exam, and several Army programs, policies and procedures.
The Warrior Tasks tested members in several first-aid procedures and identifying visual indicators of improvised explosive devices.
“The IED lane was the best, and it was noteworthy that Sgt. 1st Class Jeremy Brown (board grader) put in a lot of time and effort to make it as realistic as possible,” said U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Cody Waltman, a native of Milton, PA, 101st Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, Task Force Gladiator. “He did an outstanding job!”
The winners each received the Army Commendation Medal, a plaque and the CJTF-101 command team’s coin. U.S. Army Command Sgt. Maj. Marvin Hill, the International Security Assistance Force command sergeant major, also gave each winner a coin and a note of congratulations.
All the participants received the CJTF-101 commanding general’s Certificate of Achievement.
Calhoun and Mawhorr will attend the Headquarters, Department of the Army Secretary of the Army Career Counselor of the Year Board in January 2011 at the Pentagon in Alexandria, VA.
