Airman Spotlight: SSgt Thomas Lester Published May 31, 2010 607 SPTG/CEF OSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea -- Unit: 607 SPTG/CEF Job title: Heating and Ventilation Craftsman Job description and its impact on the overall mission: SSgt Lester is responsible for organizing, training, and equipping 4 multi-AFSC craftsmen in the management, development, and maintenance of support systems inside the Korea Air Operations Center (KAOC) and the Korea Combat Operations Intelligence Center (KCOIC). He coordinates work with Republic of Korea Air Force Civil Engineer and 51 Civil Engineer Squadron counterparts in all matters dealing with heating and air conditioning. The vital maintenance and rapid repair of the buildings Air Handling Units that SSgt Lester performs for both facilities ensures that critical oxygen levels are maintained within acceptable tolerances. Time in the military: 12-years Time at Korea: 9-months DEROS: September 2010 Family: Parents reside in El Paso TX. Hobbies: Automobile enthusiast. Why did you join the military? To serve and give back to my country. Where do you see yourself in 10 or 20 years? To honorably retire from military service and fulfil my life long dream of opening up an auto hobby shop that specialize in high end street racing. What do you do for fun here? Spend time with my extended family from the southern region of south Korea and friends. I also enjoy taking formal and conversational classes, to increase my Hangul linguistic ability. I also recently started a new program that I really enjoy, we work with Pyongtaek City Hall and the program focuses on teaching English to locals. What's your favorite Air Force memory or story? Finally obtaining orders to Korea after four previous attempts had all been cancelled. I feel it's a good story because the norm is that a lot of folks get orders to Korea and they don't want them. I had been trying for a period of eight years to get orders to come over here so I could reconnect with my family I haven't seen since I was a child. What accomplishment are you most proud of? After a couple of years spent working late nights and weekends on my street car I finally achieved 0 to 190+ mph on the local raceway. Who are your role models? My role model has been Michael Chang ever since 1987 when I saw him win a draw match at the US open. His drive and determination has always been inspirational to me. As an Asian American myself I feel that I somehow felt connected to a wider world other than El Paso Texas.