Page 19 - Desert Lightning News 12-4-15

Desert Lightning News
Guardian Angel retires after 41 years of service
Airman 1st Class Jake Carter
99th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev.
-- The year is 1974. The Vietnam
War is on its way to an end after al-
most 15 years of fighting. The U.S.
Air Force was trying to give Ameri-
ca the upper hand.
Also in 1974, a young man named
Paul Koester decided that he wanted
to join the world’s greatest Air Force.
Originally from Colorado
Springs, Colorado, Koester planned
on serving four years as a jet engine
mechanic and that would be it. But
during basic training, that thought
would never become reality.
While in basic training, individu-
als from Pararescue came to Koes-
ter and fellow trainees to see if they
would be interested in becoming a
Pararescue Airmen. He took physi-
cal training tests which included
swimming to see if he was cut out
for the job. After barely making it
through, it was on to the training
pipeline for the young Airman.
“Back then, the pipeline was a
year-and-a-half, now it is two-and-
a-half (years). All the schools that
they are going to throw at you jump,
dive, weapons tactics and survival
to make sure you are fully prepared,”
Koester said. “That has not changed
one bit, if anything it has gotten bet-
ter. They do a great job of weeding
out the people who aren’t cut for
the job and what comes out of the
school house; those guys are ready
for the pipeline.”
After successfully completing his
training, Koester was sent to Elmendorf
Air Force Base, Alaska to start his career
as part of the 71st Aerospace Rescue and
Recovery Squadron. After serving over
four years at Elmendorf AFB, he was
credited with saving over 75 lives.
For the next six years from 1980 to
1986, Koester served at McClellan AFB,
California and Little Rock AFB, Arkan-
sas, before he met his wife, Stacey.
“I was in the Air Force for almost 10
years before I met Stacey when I was
stationed at Pope (AFB, North Caro-
lina) at the time,” Koester said. “I made
the decision to leave active duty and
join the Air National Guard. I wanted
to finish graduate school, I wanted to
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live a normal life and settle down. We
moved to Annapolis, Maryland, started
our family, and I maintained my career
by working weekends in the Guard.”
From 1987 to 2003, Koester
served at Francis S. Gabreski ANG
base in New York where he was a
part of the 102nd Rescue Squadron.
“I had a few deployments from 1997
to 2002, and of course in that time 9/11
hit,” Koestersaid. “It wasa game changer
for everybody. Our team responded to
the World Trade Center; we were some
of the first guys on the ground and we
spent about 26 hours there.”
With the collapse of the World
Trade Center, Koester and his team
worked tirelessly trying to find anyone
who survived the building collapse.
Koester and his team were credited
with pulling out the last survivor that
dreadful day in New York City.
“After 9/11, I came back home and
I had to drive past the Pentagon going
back to Annapolis,” Koester said. “Three
weeks later to the day, we were over on
the Kuwait/Iraq border doing Operation
Southern Watch. After that I came back
home and said it’s time for a change.”
After returning home from his de-
ployment, Koester and his family won-
dered what would happen next. With
9/11 kick starting the war on terror,
Koester either was on duty with the
Guard or at his part time job -- until
deciding to return to active duty.
“I called up the career field manager at
the Pentagon and said ‘I think it’s a good birthday, Koester was the oldest enlisted
time to come back in (to active duty),’”
Koester said. “Thirty days later, we had
orders to Nellis in March of 2003. In
2005, I deployed to Afghanistan and
have been going back ever since.”
When coming back to active duty,
Koester came to Nellis AFB, where he
was a part of the 58th Rescue Squadron,
and concluded his long career in 2015.
With Koester’s now at 41 years
of service, he notice Airmen that he
works with on a daily basis can be
considered his kids.
“At my age, most of the Airmen that I
deploy with are younger than my kids,”
Koester said. “So that is kind of differ-
ent; and you look at them like they are
your own kids, extremely professional
at what they do and great guys to de-
ploy with. Some probably look at me as
a father figure and I’m fine with that.”
Retired Chief Master Sgt. Paul Koester, 58th Rescue Squadron chief enlisted manager, shadows
an Airman participating in a training scenario Oct. 22 at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. At the time of
his retirement, Koester was the oldest enlisted member actively serving in the Air Force, as well as
the longest serving Pararescue Airman in history.
With his combined service years
totaling 41, Koester says the biggest
challenge he has faced is balancing
his two families.
“You’ve got your wife and kids at
home that hear a little bit about it, see
it on the news, but they really have no
idea what you are going through and
we don’t want to share most of the be-
cause of the sensitive stuff that we do,”
Koester said. “And then you have your
military family. Especially as a senior
NCO, you have a full plate. You have
a group of airmen that look to you
to take care of them when you’re de-
ployed. And that’s the best part is hav-
ing that responsibility. That is the most
rewarding part of having the job.”
With retirement in the books, Koes-
ter says he will miss the Air Force and
deploying down range, but enjoys the
time he gets to spend with his family.
“It’s great coming home at a regular
time,” Koester said. “I’ve got two kids that
have moved back home for the short
term and I have a grandson in the house,
so it’s nice to have a normal routine and
I don’t have deploy which is great, and
on the other hand, I don’t get to deploy
again, and that’s probably the one down-
side which I definitely will miss.”
After recently celebrating his 60th
member actively serving in the Air Force
as well as the longest serving Pararescue
Airman in history with 13 deployments
throughout his illustrious career.
19
(U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Jake Carter)
“I am honored beyond belief to have
the opportunity to preside over this re-
tirement ceremony,” said Gen. Hawk
Carlisle, Air Combat Command com-
mander, who presided over Koester’s
retirement ceremony. “Chief Koester is
much too humble of a man to admit
this, but very few people serve long
enough to actually witness their legacy
in the Air Force and Chief Koester will
be able to do that.”
“I will tell you in my humble opin-
ion, I believe that our PJ’s in par-
ticular are probably the top two or
three most highly trained and skilled
members of the entire United States
military and it speaks to what Chief
Koester has been through in his life
and what he has done,” Carlisle said.
Koester plans to skydive in his
free time, conduct firearm training
for military members, as well as be-
ing a gunsmith -- which he has been
doing since 2006.
During his retirement ceremony,
he also left his battlefield airmen
one last message.
“We are the outliers when you look
at the overall mission of the Air Force.
I use to have a very specific task, ‘kill
the enemy, destroy the ability to fight,
save American lives, and bring them
home to their families,’” Koester said.
“That hasn’t wavered since I came in
in 1974, we are still here for that very
same reason and battlefield airmen
do it the best, no question about it.”