Career counselors from Training Support Center (TSC) Great Lakes were awarded the Retention Excellence Award (REA) for their achievements, the Chief of Naval Personnel Vice Adm. Bill Moran said in a message released Jan. 6.

TSC Great Lakes retention team was one of more than 60 award winners from Manpower, Personnel, Training and Education (MPTE) commands.

Only commands that meet or exceed the Chief of Naval Operations' 21st Century Sailor guidelines from the previous fiscal year are selected for the retention excellence award.

"As a career counselor office we have to ensure that we are providing every single opportunity for Sailors to be able to stay in the Navy," said Chief Navy Counselor (IDW/AW) Ryan Miletello, TSC career information program manager.

For TSC, exceeding the CNO goals equates to retention rates of more than 40 percent for Zone A or first-term enlistees, 50 percent for Zone B or mid-career enlistees and 63 percent for Zone C or career enlistees.

It also means a less than 5 percent attrition rate for Zone A enlistees. For Zone A, TSC was at 100 percent for eligible Sailors; for Zone B, TSC was at 81.5 percent of eligible Sailors and for Zone C, TSC was at 77.8 percent of eligible Sailors.

"I believe the solid leadership effort of the Chief's Mess and petty officers on the deckplate lead to improved command morale and result in command awards such as the Retention Excellence Award," said TSC Command Master Chief (CMDMC) (SW/AW) Jeffrey A. Kirby. "Listening to the needs of my Sailors and ensuring we meet those needs while meeting the mission of the command fosters a healthy working environment, where people enjoy coming to work and that means something to me."

The TSC career counselors who helped earn this award are Miletello, Chief Navy Counselor Laniya Allen, Navy Counselor 1st Class Reginald Thompson and Yeoman 2nd Class (SW/AW) Patrick Moore.

"We have to be meticulous about making sure that everything is submitted on time and every facet of career development is implemented," Miletello said. "Without the combined efforts of the chain of command support and leadership, TSC would not have received the award."

For more news from Training Support Center, Great Lakes, visit www.navy.mil/