Fiscal Year 2025 Career Counselor of the Year Award

1.  Purpose.  This MARADMIN solicits nominations for
the Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25) Career Counselor of the Year award.
Reference (a) established the subject award to recognize unit career
planners for exceptional performance in support of enlisted
retention and career development.
2.  Manpower Management Enlisted Assignments (MMEA) will convene the
FY25 Career Counselor of the Year board at Headquarters, U.S. Marine
Corps, on or about 6 February 2026. Applications must be submitted
to CMC (MMEA) no later than 5 December 2025. Applications will be
submitted via the Total Force Retention System (TFRS) as a SDA/
Miscellaneous Duty request.  Selection results will be published via
MARADMIN.
3.  Nominations.  Nominations must be endorsed by the first
Commanding General in the Marine's chain of command. Only two
nominations are permitted for each Major Subordinate Command.
4.  Criteria.  All nominees must meet the following criteria:
4.a.  Have not been previously awarded Career Counselor or Career
Counselor Staff Noncommissioned Officer in Charge of the Year.
4.b.  Must hold the Primary Military Occupational Specialty 4821.
4.c.  Must have served in valid career planner billets for the
entire fiscal year.
4.d.  Must be in the rank of Sergeant or Staff Sergeant.
5.  Submission requirements.  All packages will contain the
following:
5.a.  Commanding General endorsement.
5.b.  Nomination letter from the command.
5.c.  Career Counselor of the Year checklist.
5.d.  Career Counselor of the Year data sheet.
5.e.  One page autobiography.
5.f.  Copy of pages 11, 13, and Unit Punishment Book.
5.g.  Award recommendation as further described in paragraph 8.
5.h.  Examples of all required documents are available for download
via TFRS.
6.  If qualified per reference (b), the selected FY25 Career
Counselor of the Year will receive a meritorious promotion.
7.  The Marine selected as the Career Counselor of the Year and the
runner up will be awarded a Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal
by the Deputy Commandant, Manpower and Reserve Affairs (DC M&RA).
8.  Commands will create a Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal
in the HQMC award processing system.  The first sentence of the
Summary of Action (SOA) will read, "nominee for (Career Counselor of
the Year) 2025."  A complete copy of the award recommendation (1650, 
SOA, and citation) will be included on the nomination package.
9.  The date and location of the awards ceremony will be released
in a future MARADMIN.
10.  This MARADMIN is not applicable to the Marine Corps Reserve.
11.  Release authorized by BGen Fridrik Fridriksson, Director,
Manpower Management Division.