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Studying pays off for airmen advancing

Senior Airman Eric Kitt was nervous as he sat in a classroom at Airman Leadership School at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, waiting to learn if he was among the 12,205 selected for staff sergeant.

“It was my third time testing,” recalled Kitt, of the 75th Security Forces Squadron at Hill.

Shortly after the selection list was posted on the Internet at 7 a.m. MDT on Aug. 20, an instructor walked in with the list of names.

For Kitt and 10 other airmen in the room, there was relief as their names were called out. For the other 20 or so remaining airmen in the class, there would be another year’s wait.

Kitt said he thinks he fared better than before because he didn’t have a pending deployment to worry about this round — he has deployed three times in four years. And he knew what his bosses expected.

“My leadership pushed me to study,” Kitt recalled.

That was a common refrain from the airmen at Hill who made the list. Focus and study, then study some more.

Senior Airman Bernardo Garcia of the 5th Force Support Squadron at Minot Air Force Base, N.D., said he studied for his test, too, setting time aside each day to hit the books.

“Study, study, study! At least one hour a day,” Garcia advised E-4s coming up the line.

Senior Airman Daniel Larsen of Hill’s 388th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron followed the recommendation of his bosses and used a commercial study guide. He made the list on just his first try at E-5.

For them, and thousands of others, that studying paid off. Aug. 20 marked a day of high fives, handshakes, taping on temporary patches and even congratulatory cakes.

At Langley Air Force Base, Va., staff selects gathered in the afternoon to celebrate.

“I feel great!” Senior Airman Vanity Barr said while sharing cake with other members of the 1st Civil Engineering Squadron. “My hard work finally paid off. I plan to add a fresh perspective in everything I set out to do as a staff sergeant.”

Senior Master Sgt. Ineal Knowlton turned the Langley gathering into a family celebration, showing up to congratulate cousin Senior Airman Emanuel Knowlton of the 1st Maintenance Operations Squadron. “I feel so different, very different,” the younger Knowlton said. “I did not expect to make it, but God is good!”

But beyond the day’s congratulations, some, like Senior Airman Brittany Robinson of Minot’s 5th Logistics Readiness Squadron, already were thinking ahead.

“It’s more stress and responsibilities, but I am prepared,” she said.

Along with additional responsibility, promotion means a bigger pay check — about $100 a month for an E-5 with five years of service. An airman’s basic housing allowance also grows, with the amount depending on where the airman lives and the number of dependents.

Promotions start in September and continue until next August, with about 1,000 airmen moving up each month. Airmen will assume their new ranks based on seniority, with the longest serving members promoted first.