Commander STEPs deployed Eglin Tech. Sgt.

  • Published
  • By Lois Walsh
  • 96th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  Being deployed is tough -- Airmen worry about their safety, their loved ones back home and their jobs.

But one thing that Tech Sgt. Dennis Barnett doesn't need to worry about while being deployed is getting promoted. A telephone call from across the globe let him know he was being STEP-promoted to master sergeant, effective Jan. 9.

Sergeant Barnett, the 96th Security Forces NCO of Pass and Registration, is one of 61 security forces personnel currently fighting the global war on terror. It was midnight when Sergeant Barnett received a call that pushed his heart rate up, higher than the everyday stress of being in a war zone. On the other end of the phone was Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Riemer, program executive officer for weapons and Air Armament Center commander. In the general's office was Sergeant Barnett's family, 96th Air Base Wing leadership and his supervisors from security forces.

"I understand you're a Seminole fan," General Riemer, a University of Florida alumnus, kidded the sergeant. "I'm just calling to let you know the Gators won last night."
The general then cut to the purpose of the call, assuring Sergeant Barnett, "It's all good news." He told the Airman that he was handing his wife, Donna, a set of master sergeant stripes because of "his dedication to your county, your service, for all your hard work and the hardship you and your family have gone through over the years."

Sergeant Barnett's record is impressive; he conducted training for more than 100 Iraqi police, a critical effort to facilitate their assumption of security. He also discovered a human trafficking ring with ties to organized crime, freeing 130 third country nationals.

Sergeant Barnett also worked closely with the U.S. State Department, coordinating security during Saddam Hussein's war crimes trial. He also conducted security for President George Bush during his North Atlantic Treaty Organization conference visit.