The right kind of wrong: A uniform correction turns into a surprise promotion

U.S. Air Force Col. Leland Cowie II, 435th Air Ground Operations Wing commander, and U.S. Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Jared Roman, 435 AGOW command chief, surprise U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Carlton Vance, 435th Air Ground Operations Wing Financial Management resource advisor, with his promotion to technical sergeant through the Stripes for Exceptional Performers program Dec. 1, 2025, at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. The STEP program allows a commander to select a limited number of Airmen for promotion based on merit to the grades of staff sergeant through master sergeant based on their exceptional performance. (U.S. Air Force photo by Capt. Amber R. Kelly-Herard)

PHOTO BY: Capt. Amber R. Kelly-Herard
VIRIN: 251201-F-MM068-1001.JPG
FULL SIZE: 3.55 MB
Additional Details

CAMERA

NIKON Z 6_2

LENS

NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S

APERTURE

280/100

SHUTTERSPEED

10/1250

ISO

2000

IMAGE IS PUBLIC DOMAIN

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This photograph is considered public domain and has been cleared for release. If you would like to republish please give the photographer appropriate credit. Further, any commercial or non-commercial use of this photograph or any other DoD image must be made in compliance with guidance found at https://www.dimoc.mil/resources/limitations, which pertains to intellectual property restrictions (e.g., copyright and trademark, including the use of official emblems, insignia, names and slogans), warnings regarding use of images of identifiable personnel, appearance of endorsement, and related matters.

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