Photo By Sgt. Jared Simmons | Sgt. 1st Class Morgan M. Smith receives a Meritorious Service Medal from Maj. Gen....... read more read more
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FORT RILEY, Kan.-- A Soldier assigned to the 1st Infantry Division received the Sergeant Major Jerome Pionk Excellence in Retention Medal on February 4, 2021, in the Big Red One’s headquarters building.
After being selected as the first-place winner, Sgt. 1st Class Morgan M. Smith, was named the 2021 Reserve Component, Secretary of the Army’s Career Counselor of the Year award.
The medal, which was physically presented to SFC. Smith by Maj. Gen. Douglas A. Sims II, the 1st Infantry Division’s commanding general, and Command Sgt. Maj. Raymond S. Harris, 1st ID’s senior-most enlisted advisor to the commander. Also, she was virtually awarded over a Microsoft Teams video chat, in which the Sgt. Maj. of the Army, Michael A. Grinston, and the Acting Secretary of the Army, John E. Whitley, were in attendance.
Along with the Retention Medal, Smith also received a Meritorious Service Medal for her outstanding service as a career counselor.
“The competition this year was fierce and showed the determination and grit of each candidate,” Whitley said. “This isn’t for a summer Soldier.”
Competing career counselors had to pass a written test, physical fitness test, and appear before a board of five sergeants major, who would assess their knowledge and skill. Nominees were selected based on their retention success during the fiscal year 2020.
“Today’s Career Counselor directly impacts the readiness of the all-volunteer force through the retention of quality Soldiers,” Whitley said. “Our force has a lot of opportunities outside the Army, it is a choice for Soldiers to stay.”
In fiscal year 2020, career counselors throughout the U.S. Army retained 55,000 Soldiers within the active component, extended 1,700 Soldiers impacted by the COVID-19 Pandemic, transitioned 5,400 Soldiers to the reserve component, and paid 427 million dollars in retention bonuses to Soldiers in critical occupational specialties.
Smith was interviewed by the Army News Service immediately following the ceremony.
| Date Taken: | 02.04.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 02.04.2021 18:02 |
| Story ID: | 388402 |
| Location: | FORT RILEY, KS, US |
| Web Views: | 194 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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