Senior NCO, wife extend helping hand to complete strangers Published March 9, 2007 By Valerie Mullett 341st Space Wing Public Affairs Office MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, Mont. -- Out for an evening of relaxation last summer afforded Master Sgt. Darrell Stegman and his wife, Debra, the chance to pay it forward. While in a local venue listening to a band, Mrs. Stegman overheard a woman talking about her new set of twins and showing off recent photos of them. Having a natural affinity towards babies, she asked to see the photos as well, and found out a bit more about the entire family. "The twins were born two-and-a-half months prematurely and were in the neonatal intensive care unit at Benefis," said Sergeant Stegman. "Our daughter had a premature baby, also, so my wife really related to this young woman." As it turned out, the family was from Browning, Mont., and could not afford to live in a motel while the twins were in the hospital. They came to Great Falls when they could, but it wasn't as often as they liked. And the twins were probably not coming home anytime soon. "My wife came over to me and explained their situation and was adamant about wanting to help them out," Sergeant Stegman said. That was Saturday night. By Thursday, they had made their newly-purchased, used only three-or-four times by the Stegman's, motor home available to the couple to use while here visiting their babies. "It isn't a new unit, it is used," the avid outdoorsman explained. "And when I found out Benefis had an RV area, I knew it was the right thing for us to do. There isn't a Ronald McDonald House here, like my daughter was able to use when her baby was born prematurely. We just wanted to give something back in the name of those who helped her. " A native of Indianapolis, Sergeant Stegman has been in the Air Force nearly 24 years, the last eight of them here at Malmstrom. He is presently the superintendent of the vehicle maintenance section at the 341st Logistics Readiness Squadron, overseeing the repairs and upkeep of 800 government vehicles. He and his wife have three grown children and for fun, they enjoy camping and walleye fishing. Early in his career, a then Staff Sgt. Lester Duvall, took him under his wing and mentored the then-Airman Stegman, providing him guidance and a solid foundation that set the stage for what lay ahead. His most memorable Air Force moment was meeting Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf while deployed during Desert Shield/Desert Storm. And retirement is in his future, he just isn't sure when. For now, he's just thankful he was in the right place, at the right time on that night in August.