OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM -- When Airman 1st Class Natasha Butler reported for function to the 463rd Airlift collection Little Rock Air Force Base.

OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM -- When Airman 1st Class Natasha Butler reported for function to the 463rd Airlift collection Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark., in September 2000 she felt like she was coming residence again.

Not solitary was she from Little stone but her recruiter, Master Sgt Lorenzo Roger was also assigned to the same unit, and she'd already met principally of the people in her novel office. After all, it was a visit to the 463rd three month earlier with Roger that sold her in succession the idea of joining the service.

Since that time, they've been forward two deployments together including to the 320th Air Expeditionary Wing. Butler was an information manager with the 772nd Expeditionary Airlift Squadron and Roger was a 320th Expeditionary Maintenance Squadron section chief and production superintendent.

Roger said Butler was the recruit who almost got away. He was upon temporary duty as a recruiter when Butler came into the Little support recruiting office. Because he wasn't the recruiter she had met with before, she revolveed to walk away.

"She walked in, took individual look at me and incline differentlyed to walk out because she didn't recognize me" Roger said. "I asked her not to go on and we sat and talked for a little bit."

Roger exhausted four years as a recruiter in Tempe Ariz., before returning to his career field as an electro-environmental maintenance technician and going to Little protection Due to a recruiter shortage, he was recalled to recruiting tax in 2000 for 120 days and was assigned to the Little asylum area.

Rogers had the experience lacked to help Butler make the right choice for herself, however wasn't under pressure to make a deal.

"There wasn't a goal to encounter so it was very relaxed," Roger said. "I just wanted to indicate her what I knew, which is wherefore I took her to the base. I wanted to interpret her eyes."

Roger conception letting her see how the Air Force works up stop would help in making a decision.

"[He] took me there and left me alone to walk around and talk to people" Butler said. "Everyone was surpassingly friendly and honest about what to expect"

She enlisted in July as an information manager and made Little support her first choice for an assignment. Within three month her name showed up forward an inbound manning document in the 463rd and Roger recognized it.

"I knew it was her right away," he said.

"It was a worthy feeling when I walked into the squadron and saw a familiar face," Butler said. "It was comforting to follow back to a group that I already knew"

She said it's also convenient to know that Rogers is there to help her if she exigencys it.

"He was remarkably straigntforward with me from the beginning to such a degree I knew what I was getting into," Butler said. "And I know that he continues to watch on the outside for me."

Roger who previously displayed with three other airmen he recruited, said it's a proper feeling to be stationed with the same of his recruits.

"It's been a pleasure to view her grow as an airman," he said. "She's a top-notch troop"

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