Vance NCO on supplemental promotion list for senior

  • Published
  • By Joe B. Wiles
  • 71st Flying Training Wing Public Affairs
VANCE AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  When the senior master sergeant board met, Master Sgt. LaRisa Toy was in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, on her fourth deployment in a 23-year Air Force career. The only thing missing from her package was a current promotion fitness exam. 

She tested shortly after redeploying to Vance and her score put her on the supplemental promotion list. Sergeant Toy will sew on her eighth stripe July 1 with a retroactive date of rank of May 1. 

She serves as the superintendent of the 71st Comptroller Squadron here, and has a ready smile when asked about her work. "We support so much of the mission behind the scenes. It is fulfilling to know you are making a difference," she said. 

That difference is especially exciting when deploying to a bare-base. Sergeant Toy was part of the advance team for deployments to Mombasa in Africa, Balikesir in Turkey and Italy. "We went in to set up a base, get it going and then leave. The setups involved going into the nearest town for supplies, so Italy was fun," she said. 

While her first three deployments were fairly short, Kabul in Afghanistan was a full six months. "It was a challenge and I thrive on challenges. The hardest thing to deal with was fear of convoys," said Sergeant Toy. "It's not a natural go for us in finance. Knowing the dangers that exist, preparing yourself and all the weaponry -- you had to adopt the mindset of going out and getting where you needed to be. 

"Fortunately I was never fired upon. One of the convoys from our site was hit while I was there and we lost a man," she said. 

The Kabul mission was working with the Afghan National Air Corps. "We didn't get into the city much because of lockdown most of the time. But the weather was nice, until it snowed and turned cold," said Sergeant Toy. 

Snow and cold weather isn't new for Vance's newest senior master sergeant. She grew up in Cambridge, Idaho, population 400. After attending the College of Southern Idaho, she accompanied her brother, Don, to the Air Force recruiter's office to provide moral support. 

"Don decided he didn't like the job they were offering him so he left. Then the recruiter asked me what I was doing. I had no plans, so he signed me up," she said.
She has been in finance her entire career, except for a four-year special duty as superintendent of the Family Support Center at RAF Lakenheath in England. 

Her advice for those facing the next senior board - "Don't take the test lightly. Focus on what you have control over." 

Apparently, it also helps to really, really enjoy your job.