EO sergeant STEP promoted

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Nathan Gallahan
  • 28th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
ELLSWORTH AIR FORCE BASE, S.D. --  Tech. Sgt. Candice Compton began her day as a staff sergeant Dec. 13, but all that changed by the afternoon when she was promoted under the Stripes for Exceptional Performers program under surprising circumstances.

"I was teaching a class and out of nowhere someone called the room to attention and [Col. Mark Weatherington, 28th Bomb Wing commander] came in," said Compton, a 28th Bomb Wing Equal Opportunity Office adviser. "He asked the command chief (who was attending the class) if he was responsible for the students and he replied yes."

According to Compton, Weatherington then began to grill the command chief in front of the entire class saying, "I can't believe you would allow someone to be out of uniform in this class! Especially the instructor!"

"I was completely dumbfounded and had no idea what was going on when they told me to raise my right hand," she said.

She was then promoted to the rank of technical sergeant.

"It was such an honor to recieve the oath of enlistment from the wing commander and have my stripes tacked on by both he and the command chief," she said.

The wing leaders then said a few words and looked at Compton as though they wanted her to say something.

"All I could think of was to ask if we could finish the class, since we were low on time and I was about finished," Compton said. She then finished and headed out the door to "sit down before I passed out."

The STEP promotion comes as no surprise to her supervisor, Donald Bell, 28th BW/EO director.

"I've really been impressed with her from day one, she's never let me down once," he said. "She's a real go getter and the most dependable person I have ever met. This proves to me that hard work and dedication really does pay off."