Clark High grad takes a big STEP

Dick Benoit

Thursday, Oct. 7, 2004 | 8:28 a.m.

Air Force Master Sgt. Mark Edwards, the son of Ann and Jim McGlasson of Las Vegas, had a good reason to write home from the 733 Air Mobility Squadron at Kadena Air Force Base, Japan.

"Mom, I had a great day today. Look what happened to me," were the words of the 1985 Clark High School graduate preceding an e-mail from his commander that he forwarded.

The e-mail, from Col. Jeffery Worthing, was addressed to all members of the Las Vegas airman's squadron to let them know that Edwards was sporting a new "well deserved" stripe, was now a senior NCO and should be "accorded all the rights and privileges thereof."

Promotion to master sergeant is not unusual for career airmen in the Air Force. However, Edwards' promotion to the corps of senior NCOs, entrusted to lead and mentor the younger, less experienced troops, was not the usual promotion. Nor was the way it was announced, through a personal e-mail to the entire squadron from the commander.

Career airmen usually are promoted according to years of service, performance standards and competitive testing in leadership and duty skills. Commanders at wing level and above, however, have a limited discretion of recognizing exceptional troops with Stripes for Exceptional Performers (STEP) promotions.

There are usually only two or three STEP promotions allowed to each wing per year, and commanders use them to promote exceptional individuals to staff sergeant, technical sergeant and master sergeant. These are individuals who achieve excellence in their own work and display the potential to lead and promote excellence in the force.

According to Worthing, Edwards has provided exceptional, longstanding service to the nation, pulling duty in remote locations supporting humanitarian, peacekeeping and combat operations, including direct support of operations in Afghanistan.

Worthing was especially appreciative of Edwards' outstanding "tact, diplomacy, and professionalism while on temporary assignments to the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia, and while supporting efforts to get a full accounting of U.S. military personnel still missing from the Southeast Asia conflict.

"MSgt Edwards has served his nation well, wherever he was needed, with incredible professionalism and diplomacy. For this he was personally singled out by the Air Mobility Commander for a special promotion to his current grade of Master Sergeant," the colonel said.

Candidates are not told they are being considered for a STEP advancement. Asked if he was surprised, Edwards said, "Was I ever! Surprise doesn't even come close to describing what I felt that day."

Edwards learned of his promotion while in his squadron commander's office. He was told he had a phone call. It turned out that call was from Brig. Gen. Richard Perraut, commander of the 15th Expeditionary Mobility Task Force, who told Edwards of his promotion. Then, Worthing, who just happened to have a set of master sergeant stripes handy, pinned them on the beaming new senior NCO.

Edwards credits his grandfathers with his Air Force career choice. "They both served in the military, and with their candor, insight and love for their country made it easy for me to want to serve as a member of the Air Force," he said.

Assigned to Korea

Army Sgt. 1st Class Davvell Fisher, Valley High School class of 1985, and Army Pfc. William Cooper, son of Andrea Cooper of Las Vegas, have deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom to engage in military operations involving U.S. and coalition forces.

The two are regularly assigned to the 2nd Infantry Division, 8th U.S. Army based in South Korea. Soldiers of the 2nd Infantry Division were deployed to Iraq either to augment soldiers serving in country or to replace soldiers who had completed their tour of duty.

In brief