MDG NCO steps to new rank Published March 5, 2010 By Tech. Sgt. J. LaVoie 460th SW Public Affairs BUCKLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. -- Walking into a recent 460th Space Wing Commander's Call, Staff Sgt. Corina Schrank was focused on the upcoming ORI, walking out; all she could think about is that she was now Tech. Sgt. Corina Schrank. In the blink of an eye, or the flip of a power point, Col. Clint Crosier, 460th Space Wing commander promoted her to E-6. Upon hearing the news, she started crying and made her way to the stage, where the wing commander and acting 460th Space Wing Command Chief Todd Kennedy tacked on her stripes. The first person she told, outside of those who were at the commander's call, was her father. "He's a retired Command Master Chief in the Navy and I knew he'd be just as excited as I was. My dad has always been proud of me and a huge supporter in everything I've done in the military so I knew he'd be proud of this too," saidSergeant Shrank. "I almost couldn't get it out cause I was talking so fast and my voice was still shaky. He even called me the next day just to talk to Tech. Sgt. Schrank and not Staff Sgt. Schrank." In order to get to this point, Sergeant Schrank accomplished many things cited in her awards package. She mastered the NCOIC job normally filled by a Tech. Sgt., which was later upgraded to a Senior Master Sgt. position, earning the medical group high marks in the Health Service Inspection. She oversaw more than 300 health-risk assessments, 3,000 gas mask fit test and 75 mold investigations here at Buckley alone. When stationed at Keesler Air Force Base, she was selected to deploy to New York after 9/11 where she gathered 15 thousand samples to ensure the safety of rescue workers. "I don't know what was on my package," said Sergeant Shrank, "but I do know that as a Staff Sgt. I tried to step out and do everything above and beyond what was asked of me. Sometimes I excelled and sometimes I fell on my face, but I tried. Everything pays off in the end, whether personally or professionally." In Sergeant Shrank's case, the payoff was a stripe, which according to her commander, she deserved for so many reasons. "She embodies what it means to be a Tech. Sgt. and NCO in that she is technically proficient in her career field and she is a mentor and leader to the Airmen in her shop," said Lt. Col. James Jablonski, 460th Medical Operations Squadron commander. "Beyond her technical expertise she embodies the Air Force core values, especially Integrity by doing what is right even when no one is watching, when it would be easy to take short cuts. By also displaying excellence in all that she does she motivates her team to achieve goals beyond what they could accomplish individually. Simply put, she is ready for the challenges of being a Tech. Sgt."