Family service spans NCO ranks

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Barbara Plante
  • Public Affairs
LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. --  Anyone who has ever served in the Air Force knows you feel like you are part of a large family, for one family this has become a fact. With over a century of combined service and careers that stretch over five decades, there is one family that now covers all the NCO ranks.

Chief Master Sgt. Stephen Plante, 944th Fighter Wing Mission Support Group, superintendent, originally from Miami, Fla., joined the AF right after high school in 1975. He spent his first four years of service on active duty in the maintenance career field. When he left the service, he worked in the civilian sector but was soon drawn back to the military as an Air Reserve Technician in 1980. He accepted a job at the newly formed 944th Fighter Wing, at Luke AFB Ariz., in 1986, where he would later meet his future wife.

Tech. Sgt. Barbara Plante, 944th Fighter Wing NCOIC Public Affairs at Luke AFB, and her two nieces, Senior Master Sgt. Kathleen McCool, a flight chief in Recruiting Services stationed in California, and Staff Sgt. Kathryn Jolly, assistant NCOIC of Installation Personnel Readiness at Eielson AFB, Alaska, are all native Arizonians.

As a traditional Reservist, who currently works full time as a DOD civilian at Luke AFB in the Public Affairs office, Barbara is the late bloomer in the group. After working in civil service for 13 years and serving in locations such as Turkey and Guam, she accepted a position at the 944th AF Reserve Fighter Wing. Wanting to participate more, she joined the AF and became a uniformed member of the AF Reserve in 1997 at the age of 34.

Senior Master Sgt. Kathleen McCool joined the AF in 1995 soon after high school graduation. Her first duty assignment brought her right back home to Luke AFB in the Medical Administrative career field. She later met her husband while serving as a Training Instructor at Lackland AFB, Texas. Sergeant McCool will soon head to Randolph AFB, Texas, to join the Recruit the Recruiter team.

Master Sgt. Christopher McCool, also a flight chief in Recruiting Services, stationed in California, is from Corpus Christi, Texas, and began his AF career in 1991. He worked in the maintenance career field on C-130s and C-5s. He and his wife have both served as TIs and recruiters at Lackland AFB. Sergeant McCool will join his wife at Randolph AFB, this summer to be in the Training and Standardization Branch of Recruiting.

Master Sgt. Brian Jolly, NCOIC Electrical Systems Craftsmen stationed at Eielson AFB, originally from Winnsboro, S.C., joined the AF in 1995 and was sent to Luke AFB for his first duty assignment. While at Luke, Sergeant Jolly met a fellow airman, then Airman Kathleen Linderman (McCool), at a Chapel gathering. She invited him home for Christmas dinner where he met her sister and his future wife. Sergeant Jolly will be deploying for his third tour of duty in the desert later this summer.

Staff Sgt. Kathryn Jolly, the youngest of the group, joined the AF in 1999, also right after graduating from high school. She too was assigned to Luke AFB for her first assignment. After taking a break from the service to have two children, she rejoined her husband on active duty in 2006. Her current goal is to become an Airmen Leadership Instructor at Eielson AFB.

"It was really a special feeling to have my family members together and have a picture made in uniform while we still covered all the NCO ranks," said Kathryn.

When the family gets together the subject always turns to the AF. "Whether we are sharing funny stories about basic training, comparing PT scores or taking advice from the Chief (Uncle Steve), we always have a great time," said Kathleen.

"I am proud to have served our country for over 34 years and to be part of the AF family. I am even prouder and tremendously fortunate that I am able to share that with my wife, nieces and nephews," said Chief Plante.