South Williamsport native retires from Air Force
'I wouldn't change anything'
Master Sgt. Anthony Pasco, right and presiding officer Lt. Col. Tiffany Taylor salute each other as the official retirement of Pasco is announced at a retirement ceremony at the American Legion Post 1 in Williamsport, Dec. 15, 2023. Pasco retired after 23 years in the Air Force. He had joined after graduating from South Williamsport High School in 2000. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette
Master Sgt. Anthony Pasco, right and presiding officer Lt. Col. Tiffany Taylor, left, listen as Pasco’s son Elijah plays the National Anthem on the saxophone at a retirement ceremony at the American Legion Post 1 in Williamsport, Dec. 15, 2023. Pasco retired after 23 years in the Air Force. He had joined after graduating from South Williamsport High School in 2000. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette
Master Sgt. Anthony Pasco, right and presiding officer Lt. Col. Tiffany Taylor salute each other at a retirement ceremony at the American Legion Post 1 in Williamsport, Dec. 15, 2023. Pasco retired after 23 years in the Air Force. He had joined after graduating from South Williamsport High School in 2000. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette
Master Sgt. Anthony Pasco, right and presiding officer Lt. Col. Tiffany Taylor salute each other as the official retirement of Pasco is announced at a retirement ceremony at the American Legion Post 1 in Williamsport, Dec. 15, 2023. Pasco retired after 23 years in the Air Force. He had joined after graduating from South Williamsport High School in 2000. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette
Master Sgt. Anthony Pasco, right and presiding officer Lt. Col. Tiffany Taylor, left, listen as Pasco’s son Elijah plays the National Anthem on the saxophone at a retirement ceremony at the American Legion Post 1 in Williamsport, Dec. 15, 2023. Pasco retired after 23 years in the Air Force. He had joined after graduating from South Williamsport High School in 2000. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette
Master Sgt. Anthony Pasco, right and presiding officer Lt. Col. Tiffany Taylor salute each other at a retirement ceremony at the American Legion Post 1 in Williamsport, Dec. 15, 2023. Pasco retired after 23 years in the Air Force. He had joined after graduating from South Williamsport High School in 2000. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette
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Friends, family and other well-wishers turned out at American Legion Post 1, Williamsport, to give Air Force Master Sgt. Anthony Pasco a send-off he won't soon forget.
Pasco told the roomful of people, which included many military colleagues, that he surely felt the outpouring of love.
Pasco is officially retiring from the Air Force in June after more than two decades of service.
"It's been a crazy journey," he said.
The South Williamsport native recalled the assignments and the people who helped him throughout his career.
"It's a difficult thing to retire," he said.
He thanked family and friends for their support, including those first days when he was trying to get through basic training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, many miles from home.
"You guys gave me the will to get through that part of the Air Force. It's not easy," he said.
His 23-year career has included various assignments, including his present position in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, where he leads recruiting operations in a 65,000-square-mile region.
By his own admission, Pasco said he didn't know what to do with life after graduating from South Williamsport Area High School.
He didn't relish the idea of continuing his education.
"I felt it (Air Force) was the best option for me," he said.
Lt. Col. Tiffany Taylor, commander, 342nd Recruiting Squadron, noted Pasco's many accomplishments throughout his career.
His steady ascension through the ranks included taking on new responsibilities and learning new skills as well as earning credits through the Community College of the Air Force.
"But he hated school," Taylor said with a laugh.
The Air Force, she noted, shaped and developed him.
"We don't always know our paths," she said.
Pasco said the Air Force ended up being the best decision he could have made.
"It was everything and more," he said. "I wouldn't change anything."
He conceded his career had its challenges, especially early on.
His first duty assignment was in Italy as a weapons lead crew member, where he was faced with adjusting to a new lifestyle and a strange country.
Later assignments included that of Aircraft Armament Systems Team Chief, 27th Fighter Wing, Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico, and as group security manager at the 56th Fighter Wing, Luke Air Force Base, Arizona.
Along the way came deployments to Kuwait and Qatar in combat support missions.
Taylor presented Pasco with a certificate of retirement. Pasco received an official certificate of appreciation from President Joe Biden.
"This ceremony is really about you guys," Taylor told everyone "Your love and support fueling his career."
Pasco, for his part, said he loved everyone in the room.
The people especially important to him in his life, he said, include his wife, Julie, whom he married in 2020, as well as his children, twin 19-year-old daughters, Zoe and Anina, and 16-year-old son, Elijah.
"I wanted to be able to celebrate with friends and family," he said.