By the time you read this, Quan Nguyen, owner of HVAC company Duct-Man Mechanical, will be temporarily trading in thermostats for military fatigues. At 42, he is headed to Lackland Air Force Base in Texas to begin five months of basic training and tech school with the U.S. Air Force, becoming the oldest civilian ever to enlist without a waiver under the military’s recently raised age limit.

“This is a 25-year-old dream that is coming to life,” Quan says. “I’ve been training with the active military recruiters’ office, and it’s been quite fun. We were training in the rain the other day, and they wouldn’t let a little rain stop our workouts.”

Quan, who signed his enlistment papers just hours before his 42nd birthday, is now the oldest known citizen to voluntarily join the Air Force since the age limit was raised to 42. He said he’s ready for the challenge, even if most of his fellow recruits are half his age.

“There were 12 recruits at training, and I got second place in the physical test (PT),” he says. “Some of these kids are my kids’ age—18 to 20—and they ask, ‘how old are you?’ I tell them, ‘I’m twice your age.’”

A husband and father of three, Quan credits his wife, Tiffany, with being his biggest supporter.

“She’s super supportive of this goal, and knows that I’ve been wanting to do it for a long time,” he says.

Not everyone would receive the kind of support Quan did after telling their partner about an intense eight-year enlistment.

“For me to have a person behind me like that is amazing,” he says. “We’ve been spending quality time together. I’ll be gone for five months, and I’m sure things will change. But this is a journey you can’t hold back from anyone.”

Quan said his son Ty and brother-in-law Tim and the rest of the staff will run the air conditioning business while he’s away. 

“The business is still open,” he says. “We’ve got a good team. Tim is our GM. My son is also going to handle things. It’s all in-house and truly a family business.  The A/C company is still going to run like normal. There’s no ownership change and we definitely are not shutting down anytime soon.”

For nearly 20 years, Quan has built Duct-Man Mechanical into a multi-million dollar business serving Lake, Orange and Sumter counties. Known for his hands-on service and community mentorship, Quan has also pursued projects in homebuilding, house flips and youth development.

“A lot of people define success as the amount of money you have or the stuff you can accumulate,” he says. “I used to. But now, to me, success is having good health. And having the health at 42 years old to join the U.S. Air Force—that’s the ultimate flex.”

Quan said his journey officially began in February 2024 and has already inspired others to consider military service later in life.

“There’s so many people that have seen the story online and told me that they’re thinking of joining and asking me how to go about it,” he says. “They range from older men and woman wanting a life change, or how their kids were thinking about joining and want more information, so we pass it along to our recruiter. They think ‘if he can do it at his age, maybe we can too.’”

Quan added, “I didn’t have the opportunity when I was younger because of some of the decisions I had to make for my mom, I had to take care of her at a young age, then college happened, and of course I met my wife Tiffany, then the business took off and then we had kids, but that’s just life.”

While the path hasn’t been easy, he believes the benefits, especially for older recruits, are worth it.

“A lot of people use the US armed forces as a safe haven,” Quan says. “We have saved over $1000 a month just in insurance, and it covers the whole family.  There’s all kinds of loans from housing to schooling that can easily get paid for, and you can even pass it to your kids for their college. Older people should really try it. For me, it’s been a blessing.”

As for what comes next, Quan is ready to see how he can be of service to the branch, and hoping his leadership skills in the civilian world can assist in the military world. 

“It’s crazy for some to think that I am really go through with it, but it’s my journey and I know this is my purpose, and that is to serve,” he says. “As for the others, they will have to find their joy and purpose in this world. Until then, Aim High!”