Outside the Wire will feature profiles (in alphabetical order) of the six Drill Sergeant of the Year contenders this week. The competitors, which include four active-duty soldiers and two reservists, will be evaluated as they tackle more than 50 physically and emotionally challenging events. The winners will be announced Friday.   Staff Sgt. John Heslin is Fort Benning’s Drill Sergeant of the Year. The Baltimore native joined the Army in 2004. “It is an honor to be here representing Fort Benning and meeting the other competitors,” he said. “It’s also a good opportunity to get some good competition between the…

FORT JACKSON, S.C. – Seven minutes to find 25 uniform errors. But you have to do it after a punishing day that has tested your physical and mental capacities. And you have to do it in the heavy heat of the Carolina woodlands as sand fleas fight mosquitos for every square inch of your body. That’s just one of 30 events tackled today by six competitors vying to be the Army’s Drill Sergeant of the Year. The 25 uniform errors included five on the ACU and 10 each on a male and female ASU. The competitors were confident they found…