WOBURN, Mass. (MyFoxBoston.com) – It was a special moment in Woburn for a military family Saturday that almost didn't happen: the Air Force further elevated its spirit as it elevated a high-ranking local officer.
Lt. Col. Sarah-Ann Beal was promoted to Colonel after more than two decades of service.
"It means so much to me that I was able to do this with my family here,” she said.
The emotional day was overwhelming for the new colonel whose promotion unique in a number of ways.
"I've always been proud of my sister and her accomplishments,” Col. Beal’s brother Neil Bottomley said.
Bottomley said his sister is the first in her position in her air force unit to be promoted to colonel in twenty years, now she’s one rank below Brigadier General,
The location, a Woburn Massachusetts yard, also stands out for the occasion.
"I think she's extremely intelligent,” Beal’s father Arthur Bottomley said. "I would've felt real bad if I'd missed it."
Arthur Bottomley, himself a Korean War veteran, would not have been well enough to attend the pinning ceremony if the Air Force had held it where his daughter is based in Texas.
The military took Beal's special request to heart and scheduled the prestigious moment to occur at the family's annual reunion.
"He said 'I'll take care of it, I'll see what I can do about an honor guard.' And the next thing I knew he said he had 11 people coming out to set up,” Beal said.
Col. Beal choked up while thanking her family for supporting her on this journey while having to move around the country.
"You can never get that time back, but what we do, I think, is really important to serve our country,” Beal said.
Through the tears of joy the enormity of the accomplishment, humble reminders from family that to some, Col. Beal will always be Sarah-Ann.
"But I still get to pick on her she's still my baby sister,” her brother said,
Col. Beal will return to her unit in Texas soon.