FORT MCCOY, Wis. – Staff Sgt. Joshua Skelton, human resource sergeant, 75th Training Command, from Jemison, Ala., arrived at Fort McCoy, Wis., to participate in the 2013 Army Reserve Best Warrior Competition that started June 23.
His mother encouraged him to join the military and he has now been an Army Reservist for nine years. Because of this he has been able to attend college, and wanted experiences that would transition into the civilian work force and is now striving to become a sergeant major.
During his Army Reserve service he has been able to obtain a bachelor’s degree in business administration specializing in accounting from the University of Montevallo where he graduated magna cum laude and is currently pursuing of a master's in business administration. One of his future goals is to become a certified fraud examiner.
“I was able to get a lot of professional experience following the military that transitioned to my civilian side and gave me an idea that I wanted a professional job,” said Skelton.
Skelton is a staff accountant at Carr, Riggs, and Ingram, LLC., where he primarily focuses on internal and external audits of financial institutions, government entities, construction and non-profit clients.
“As Americans we often take advantage of the simple commodities in our life, and as soldiers who deploy overseas learn to live without luxuries, we learn to appreciate and respect the simple things in life. There are always others that have a lot less than we do and would love to enjoy our everyday problems,” said Skelton.
With a child on the way Skelton and his girlfriend are planning on moving into their new home after the competition is over. When Skelton is not working, he enjoys hiking, rock climbing, and watching television with his girlfriend and is involved with the Alabama Society of State Certified Public Accountants.
“Being a citizen-soldier means learning how to balance my lifestyle in order to maintain a certain level of combat readiness while being a productive member of my civilian job and involved with my family life and community," said Skelton.