A couple of promotions

  • Published
  • By Samuel King Jr.
  • Team Eglin Public Affairs
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  A couple of 12-year veterans with the 96th Medical Group received some great news June 27 when they discovered both were promoted to technical sergeant.

After five tries, high-school sweethearts, Staff Sgts. Anthony and Larrilyn Darif's names were on the coveted list of yearly promotees.

"It was so unexpected, but exciting," said Larrilyn, an emergency management technician trainer.

She said her co-workers were looking at the list and yelled to her she made it. When she looked at the list, she saw her husband's name just below.

"I was in the operating room scrubbed in for surgery," said Anthony, a surgical technician. "They put Larrilyn on speaker phone and she told me I'd made it. I was in disbelief. Everyone in the operating room started cheering."

The 33-year-old hadn't expected to see his name on the list, but he said he was confident Larrilyn's name would be there.

"It was quite a surprise," he said.

The Darifs met in her sophomore and his senior year of high school in Washington Courthouse, Ohio. After Larrilyn's senior year, they both decided to join the Air Force for the education benefits and to hopefully see the world.

"We just wanted to see what else was outside of Ohio," said Larrilyn.

Their plan was to go to basic training together, but a last minute surgical procedure sidelined Anthony for three months. Although they'd been engaged for six months, a week prior to Larrilyn's ship out date, the two skipped the lavish wedding plan and were married by a justice of the peace. They broke the news to their families on the eve of her leaving for basic training.

"The big wedding wasn't important to me, I'd rather just be with him," she said looking toward Anthony.

Anthony followed Larrilyn into the medical career field from basic training and they began their jobs at Luke Air Force Base, Ariz.

Now after 12 years, two deployments, a move to Eglin and three children, they are pursuing assignments to Europe.

"We'd love to go to Europe for a few years while the kids are still young to expose them to the culture and hopefully come back here to retire," said Larrilyn.

Larrilyn will sew on her new stripe in August, followed by Anthony in September.

More than 90 staff sergeants were selected for promotions here this year.