MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. -- Master Sgt. Randy Stephens is a pest management technician with the 908th Civil Engineering Squadron. Stephens also works full time for the 908th Airlift Wing’s finance office. Stephens has been with the 908th for the entirety of his 17 year career.
Always seeking self-improvement, Stephens made the choice to join the Air Force as a reservist. He said he wanted a way to build character and learn new skills while also being able to stay close to home and take care of his family. The 38 year old Master Sgt. spends his time “chasing his children around” when he’s not busy ensuring that members of the wing are paid properly and on time.
Joining the wing as a traditional reservist, Stephens was assigned to the 908th CES and served as a Security Forces augmentee. Stephens said working in security forces taught him valuable leadership skills that he was able to apply to the other aspects of his life.
“I try to be the leader and supervisor that I would’ve wanted to have as an Airman,” said Stephens. “At the beginning of my career, I saw qualities in leaders that I liked and I saw qualities that I wanted to avoid. I’ve tried to keep that in mind throughout my time in the military.”
Stephens said he fell into the financial side of the Air Force out of a desire to understand things from a “behind the scenes” perspective. He initially started learning the process of filling out vouchers and other finance paperwork on his own, then began assisting others in his unit with the same process. Stephens started working full time in his finance capacity in 2018 and never hesitates to help airmen through the sometimes complicated process of making sure their pay is correct and timely.
Master Sgt. Stephens is a Reserve Citizen Airmen who strives to better himself as well as those he serves with. His dedication to the core value of “Service Before Self” make him an asset to the 908th and helps our members carry out the wing’s tactical airlift mission.