Couple celebrates promotion together

  • Published
  • By Lois Walsh
  • Team Eglin Public Affairs
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  When the staff sergeant list was released Aug. 19, it brought good news to a married couple stationed here.

Senior Airmen Ryan and Candice Tadlock were among the 13,518 eligible Airmen selected for promotion to the NCO rank. Ryan, a vehicle maintenance journeyman with the 96th Logistics Readiness Squadron, and Candice, a career development journeyman with the 96th Force Support Squadron, celebrated their promotions together.

The couple has been in the Air Force for almost five years and married for almost two and a half years. Studying wasn't easy with jobs during the day and twin 16-month-old daughters at home at night. But both realize their hard work was worth it.

"We would take turns studying, rotating the schedule," said Candice who was selected on her first try. "It was very difficult, we had to take the time out and support each other to be able to study."

Candice said she wanted Ryan to have more time to study since it was his second time to test. He knew what he had to do.

"I studied last time but not as hard as I should and I missed (the cutoff) by very little," he said. "I just needed to study harder and it paid off."

The couple said they never talked about being promoted together because they didn't think it would happen. Candice had complete confidence that Ryan's name would be on the list. She didn't think hers would show up on the official release as well.

"It was a shock," Candice said, after a call from her supervisor woke her up with the news that both were selected. She immediately tried to call Ryan who beeped in from his cell phone.

"A friend from Lajes Field e-mailed me before I could open the file on the computer," Ryan said.

Ryan expects he will pin on his new rank in December right around the time he will head out on his third deployment. Candice thinks it will be a year before she enters the NCO corp.

Regardless of the timing, both admit the pay raise will be a welcomed bonus for their family. Right now, both are enjoying their success and not looking ahead to their next promotions since they probably will be on different cycles to test for technical sergeant. But they both know the key to success.

"Study hard and apply yourself," Ryan said.