JOINT BASE LEWIS-McCHORD, Wash. — Sgt. Quinton Overholser a paralegal NCO assigned to 4th Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne) won the 2025 USARPAC Best Paralegal Warrior Competition.
Overholser earned the opportunity to compete by winning the title of Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM) Quarter 4 Paralegal of the Quarter and JBLM 2025 Paralegal of the Year boards.
“It [2025 USARPAC Best Paralegal Warrior Competition] was the most challenging board I’ve been to,” Overholser said.
The competition consisted of a demanding series of events designed to evaluate legal expertise, warrior tasks and battle drills, physical fitness, and leadership under pressure. His success highlights Overholser’s high-level of competency as a paralegal, but more importantly his dedication to his craft as a Soldier.
As a Paralegal NCO, Overholser works closely with leadership to support a wide range of legal matters including Uniform Code of Military Justice actions, administrative separations, legal reviews and operational funding briefs.
“We are always helping our commanders ensure good order and discipline and administratively enabling how that is done,” Overholser said.
Before joining the U.S. Army, Overholser graduated from the University of Nevada in May 2019 with a degree in international affairs with a focus on Asian studies. Six months later, he joined the Peace Corps where he served as a Peace Corps officer in Asia until February 2021.
After returning from the Peace Corps, Overholser enlisted in the Army as a 27D, paralegal specialist.
“I always loved legal. I wanted to be a lawyer,” he said.
His first assignment was to Fort Knox, Kentucky, where he worked in the V Corps Office of the Staff Judge Advocate.
“I loved it. I had such a great team,” Overholser said.
Overholser noted that serving as a paralegal in Special Operations Forces (SOF) differs significantly from conventional Army units. Traditionally paralegal work alongside staff judge advocates at the Brigade level or higher. Within SOF, paralegals are assigned at the battalion level, overseen by the Group staff judge advocates, giving Overholser the opportunity to support commanders early in his career.
“It’s very empowering. It pushes me to know my field a lot better and to seek out more opportunities that I wouldn’t understand otherwise,” Overholser said.
Outside of work, Overholser prioritizes time with his family.
“I am married to my wife, Angelica. We have two boys, Arthur and Benjamin. We do all sorts of things, children’s museums, hiking all the time,” he said. “If I weren’t in this office right now, I’d be with my family, kind of just hanging out, watching a movie, probably getting Costco pizza.”
When asked what his plans were for the future, Overholser said,
“I want to be a lawyer. That’s my goal. I’m currently studying for the LSAT, and I plan to submit what’s called a funded legal education program. That’s for the Army to pay for me to go to law school.”
Overholser continues to excel and expand his legal knowledge in 4th Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne), setting an example of striving for excellence and always moving forward.