Tech to Master in one STEP

  • Published
  • By Maj. Richelle Dowdell
  • 36th Wing Public Affairs
ANDERSEN AFB, Guam --  Tech. Sgt. Ruben M. Vazquez, an independent duty medical technician from the 36th Medical Operations Squadron received another shock to his Air Force career Sunday when Pacific Air Forces Commander Gen. Paul V. Hester and his wife Lynda surprised him and his wife, Jennifer with an instant promotion to master sergeant.

The promotion, awarded under the Stripes for Exceptional Performers, or STEP, program, came on top of Sergeant Vazquez recently receiving a Bronze Star for his meritorious service as an independent duty medical technician and military advisor in Iraq from Nov. 13, 2005, to May 27, 2006.

Under the STEP program, commanders are allowed to instantly promote an outstanding enlisted member, based on an exceptional career record both on and off the job.

Sergeant Vazquez initially focused on describing his assignment to a 12-man U.S. Army Military Transition Team, which was a small unit that was embedded with the Iraqis. He told the general about the MTT's mission which was to teach the Iraqis their specialty, help them set up their own medical care for Iraqi citizens, and troubleshoot events for them so they would be able to stand on their own and take over their own battle space. However, the conversation quickly refocused on how the families could better prepare for deployments.

"Were you worried?" General Hester asked Sergeant Vazquez's wife Jennifer, who, like her husband, was just as surprised to receive the 22-hour prior notice before he was required to deploy for training and eventually fly to Mosul, Iraq on an AEF tasking for more than eight months.

"He kept me in the dark a little bit about what was going on, which I think I appreciate," said Mrs. Vazquez. "But I knew that whatever he was doing, he would do with the utmost care and that he would come home safely."

The AEF attempts to provide Airmen some sense of predictability to enhance readiness. This usually works well for those tasked as part of an established AEF numbered bucket, but often proves challenging for the single-person deployments such as the tasking Sergeant Vazquez received.

For families in the Pacific, these deployments can be lonely times without the dedicated base support that is often designed around that of a specific AEF bucket.

"We do a good job of telling the story of our Airmen in the Pacific, how they deploy, the jobs they are doing, but I don't think we do as good of a job as telling the story of our families in the Pacific and what they go through when that family member is deployed," General Hester said. "How do we help families prepare for this?"

Mrs. Vazquez recommends having a plan. "I believed that as an Air Force wife this [short-noticed deployment] would never happen to me," Mrs. Vazquez said. "I think there are a lot of spouses thinking that since they are not in the Army or Marines this won't happen to them -- but it can. So they need to have a plan in place."

Mrs. Vazquez and her two daughters visited relatives for the first six weeks following her husband's deployment. "I think it helped, but if the "hop" wasn't available I wouldn't have been able to do it." During the final five months of the deployment Mrs. Vazquez started her own home day care program as part of the Andersen Child Care program.

When asked by Mrs. Hester if the deployment has made her stronger, Mrs. Vazquez replied "Yes. I've always been strong and independent, but I am sure this deployment has made me stronger. I now know that I can get through the holidays, birthdays without him, but still know he was a part of it all. I can even mow the lawn or change the furnace filter."

"There are a lot of lessons learned when we talk to the people who are going out deploying, doing much more than their normal job requires, and their family members who remain behind and provide our support," General Hester said. "It is our families that will provide the longest-term peace and stability, certainly not us, because it will be our families that will lead our governments to do the right thing for the future."

As the conversation began to shift, General Hester handed Mrs. Vazquez a "gift" in the form of a blue folder. As she read the attached memo out loud announcing her husband's promotion selection to master sergeant, Sergeant Vazquez said he nearly fainted.

"I was so surprised, it was surreal," Sergeant Vazquez said. "I thought I was just there to talk to the general about my deployment, receive a letter of appreciation, maybe a coin. I was very honored and humbled to receive the master sergeant stripes."

"There are few things as rewarding for a commander as promoting someone on the spot under the STEP program," General Hester said. He enjoyed surprising Sergeant Vazquez, but even more, he enjoyed promoting him in recognition of his outstanding performance. "This young man has had a stellar career so far, and I am sure he will continue to shine and do great things for our Air Force for years to come."