SMSgt Selectee!
Last Wednesday evening was amazing, we're finally now just settling back into the 'real world' after news that Mr. B is one of the newest Senior Master Sergeant Selectee! (SMSgt) Out of the 12,351 eligible people Mr. B was one of the lucky 1,702 to get selected and receive a line number. He's now a member of the top 3% of the Air Force. Sure we'll have to wait a year before he sews on but it will be a year well worth waiting for :)
While any promotion within the military is great and often hard worked for this one has been the 'best' one for us to find out about...for several reasons. First being that he 'beat' the AF statistics in many ways! As always when testing and making promotion early time is not on our side, meaning that the longer you've been in the more points you get and the more likely you are to make the next rank. We always get the lowest points because he's generally one of the ones testing who has been in service the shortest. The average time in service for someone to make SMSgt is 20 years, Mr. B will be at 16 years in April!
Next is the fact that SMSgt is one of the hardest ranks to make first time, I think because it's a combination of test scores and board scores (I know military jumbo), since this is first rank where board scores are given, but since I'm not an expert on the matter we'll have to leave it at my guesstimate why it is so hard. This was Mr. B's FIRST and LAST (due to selection) time testing for SMSgt!
Studying for the PDG test really pays off. Each year he has to study he really dedicates himself to the process and as a result his test score goes up every time. This year he scored better than 98.2% of the other testers! I just have to brag and say how proud I am of him and his commitment :) He's board score was also excellent for a first timer...hence the selection and line number :)
And truthfully he couldn't have been so successful without the support of all of our amazing family, friends, and leadership. We've met some amazing friends along the way who have served not only as friends but mentors and we are so blessed for those people in our lives. I'm also thankful for my friends who've been my support system throughout the process (which starts when you enter the military and ends when you retire or make Chief ;p), we succeed only because you walk beside us :) And while I was really not thrilled to be on our 2nd tour here, it hasn't been horrible (yes, trying/frustrating at times but I'm surviving) and I'm starting to see the bigger picture...something that He seen all along... and I can say this experience has been about walking by 'faith and not by sight' (2 Cor. 5:7).
Next stop will be Chief, the final rank to achieve on the enlisted side, we'll see if he can make it by 20 years ;) And now it's just 'hurry up and wait' to see where we'll be moving to and when....
posted by Mrs. B @ 1:33 PM
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