NOME, ALASKA — Air Force Technical Sgt. Frank Lott thought he was doing everything the Air Force wanted him to do, but now finds his career at a dead end with little hope of future promotions.

“I thought I was checking all the right boxes,” the 13-year veteran told reporters. “I did a tour in Iraq and two in Afghanistan working on F-15E Strike Eagles. I even thought of one day making Chief Master Sergeant.”

All that ended for Lott last January when he was relieved of his duties as an F-15 crew chief and reassigned as a supply sergeant for an Air Force Reserve unit in Nome, Alaska.

Lott’s fall from grace began during a joint exercise in Thailand. Lott’s former coworker Staff Sgt. Randy Thorne explains, “I knew how he was all about the whole devoted husband thing. But come on! We were in Thailand!”