Eustis, Fl – Quan Nguyen who is a graduate of Eustis High School and owns the local business Duct-Man Mechanical, LLC has officially joined the U.S. Air Force. Quan becomes the oldest ever recorded citizen joining the U.S. Air Force. At 41-years and 364 days old, Quan was sworn in just 12 hours before his 42nd birthday and the new cutoff for Air Force members to enlist.

Quan will leave for basic training around July. “This is something I have wanted to do for a long time and there was just this calling to serve. I am so grateful I get to do this and serve this nation,” says Quan.

This is a huge moment in history as the U.S. Air Force recently raised the age limit to join. Quan is now the oldest ever citizen in modern history and recorded history to join the Air Force. We are very thankful for his service to our great nation.

Quan is an amazing story. His parents immigrated to this country from Vietnam on a boat many years ago. They originally settled in New York but then moved to Florida in Eustis. After 10 years together, Quan’s mom found herself single, with two growing boys to look after, and barely enough money to care for or feed them or herself. Quan says she even attempted to sell Quan for $40,000 but when the buyer countered with $5,000 less, the deal fell through and she decided to try something else.

“During that time, we really grew up a little bit. I was able to pick up odds and ends jobs mowing grass, picking up weeds, fixing cars, just anything that could keep me busy and bring in a little money,” Quan says, explaining that it’s how he ended up working in the air conditioning field.

“When I was 15, I was trying to spend the night at my friend’s house and my friend’s dad, who owned an A/C business said, ‘If you want to spend the night, you’re gonna have to go to work with us in the morning.’”

Quan says he agreed and sure enough, the next morning, they were off to a job site near Rock Springs in Apopka – the start of what would become a regular gig for him.

Meanwhile, Quan attended Eustis High School, and despite being bullied and made fun of for being Asian on occasion, he made friends, excelled in leadership roles and was voted student council president, an accomplishment that earned him full-ride scholarships to Lake Sumter Community College (now Lake Sumter State College) and later, the University of Central Florida.

Meanwhile, Quan continued working for the A/C company, and although it took him five years to earn a two-year degree, Quan graduated with an AA in business marketing and finance.

Quan says that’s when fate stepped in again. It was 2005, and he was getting ready to start at UCF, but his boss, in desperate need of Quan’s help due to the demand The Villages was bringing the business, offered him a $40k annual salary to quit college and work for him full-time.

Quan says he declined and was fired.

“He (boss) said, ‘If you’re not helping me, you’re hurting me.’ And I stated, ‘Are you serious?’” Quan says. “You want me to give up my dream and scholarship to work full time for you and be a low life construction worker? Because that’s what I used to call it.”

In time, Quan took his boss’ offer, and as the years went by, his “Duct-Man,” persona was born. With that, money began rolling in with every A/C job they finished.

Quan says by 2007, he was earning $50K, in 2008, he was making $60k and his boss had become his mentor and friend.

But in 2009, everything came to a screeching halt. Quan says his boss was in over his head with debt, and could no longer afford to keep Quan on the payroll so he offered to pay him by the job.

“I was like, I can’t believe I don’t have any more work. I can’t believe that (my boss) who told me to drop out of school said, “I can’t use you anymore because I can’t afford it,” Quan recalls thinking.

Still, Quan, the understudy, pushed forward, and eventually reversed roles with his mentor. When his company went bankrupt, Quan took $4,000 he’d saved, partnered with him and started his own company. By 2010, his friend and former boss was working for him. One day, Quan says that friend apologized for asking him to drop out of college, thanked him for sticking by him through thick and thin, and for helping him when he was at his lowest.

“I told him it was the best thing that could’ve happened to me,” Quan says of his former boss’ original request. “The reason I care for this guy is because he made me make some life decisions I really didn’t want to make. But I wouldn’t be in this field if it wasn’t for him firing me for going to school and for giving me the opportunities he did after getting my AA.”

Quan says at the end of 2010, his friend died suddenly; leaving him grateful for what he’d learned from him, and for what he now sees as a twist of fate that landed him in the A/C business in the first place.

Today, Duct-Man Mechanical, state certified and considered a Trane Comfort Specialist, has grown into a multimillion-dollar grossing company that in 2020 was recognized as the fastest and largest Trane dealer in Lake County. In fact, the company received the “Rising Star” award for gross orders by a dealer covering Central Florida to the panhandle.

Quan has since leveraged several other business opportunities, including opening Lake County Limos, and getting into property management and business financing. He also does community service and philanthropic work, dabbles in modeling, acting and emceeing, and speaks to students at local schools, motivating and encouraging them to persevere in life despite their immediate circumstances.

The fact that Quan is joining the military is just the latest step in his story. It’s an amazing one of perseverance. We are thankful for his service to our great nation. Thank you Quan! God Speed on your journey.