19 Airmen promoted below-the-zone Published Jan. 4, 2011 LITTLE ROCK AIR FORCE BASE, Ark. -- Nineteen Little Rock Air Force Base airmen first class have been selected for Senior Airman below-the-zone promotions. The below-the-zone promotion is a competitive early promotion program restricted to elite airmen first class who stand out from their peers and perform duties at a level above their current rank. The BTZ means Airmen are able to get promoted to senior airman six months earlier than they would normally sew on that rank. This is not only a financial benefit to the Airmen, but it also affects their testing dates required for the next promotion to staff sergeant, officials said. The selectees are: 19th Maintenance Operations Squadron Airman 1st Class Miesha Johnson 50th Airlift Squadron Airman 1st Class Carlos Lopez 53rd Airlift Squadron Airman 1st Class Matthew Derda 19th Airlift Wing Airman 1st Class Barron Dietrich 19th Civil Engineer Squadron Airman 1st Class Parker Smith 19th Aerospace Medicine Squadron Airman 1st Class Amanda Mobley 19th Logistics Readiness Squadron Airman 1st Class Kevin Crowder Airman 1st Class Andre Westmoreland 19th Equipment Maintenance Squadron Airman 1st Class David Rudd Airman 1st Class Jeffrey Mikulan Airman 1st Class Joshua Moore Airman 1st Class Andrew Rupipper Airman 1st Class Vincent Boyd Airman 1st Class Anthony Owens 19th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron Airman 1st Class Andrew Dittman Airman 1st Class Brandon Harris Airman 1st Class Joshua Lyford 19th Security Forces Squadron Airman 1st Class Matthew Kelm Airman 1st Class Tyler Wells (From compiled reports)