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Staff Sgt. Coley; Journey of an Airman

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Daniel Blackwell
  • 20th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. --  Some believe that in the beginning God created the Heavens and the Earth; He then created man, with man came free will, from free will, ingenuity, from ingenuity came technology, from technology came society, from society came collective self-preservation, preservation sparks conflict.

Man's perpetual inclination towards conflict, and desire for security, forged militant armed services, from such services came war, from war came the Air Force, from the Air Force came the 20th Communications Squadron, from this squadron came the call to serve, and from this, came Staff Sgt. Nathan Coley, 20th CS ground radar systems supervisor.

The journey to serve God and his country holds immense significance to Coley. His faith tempers every word he speaks; calls for personal sacrifice placing others needs above his own, compels him to treat others how he wants to be treated, while also setting an example of excellence through his actions.

His faith closely aligns with Air Force core values; integrity first, service before self and excellence in all we do, giving Coley added conviction in what it means to be a hard-working Airman of integrity.

"If you could take all the good bits and pieces of people you know and put them into one person, you'd get sergeant Coley," said Master Sgt. Casey Harrell, 20th CS airfield systems section chief. "He has great work ethic and always follows through; he makes my job easy."

Being the youngest of seven children, with six older brothers, Coley grew quickly spiritually, emotionally and later professionally. He attributes a majority of this success to the Air Force and the opportunities the force has given him in his life.

At the age of two his parents decided to separate from one another. Coley was never bitter or jaded by this fact, but instead looked at the subject from a different perspective, a positive one.

Both my parents brought a different parenting style and personalities to the table and I learned valuable life lessons from them both, he explained.

"I look at it now and feel it was a good balance," he continued.

"Whenever I'd go visit my dad," Coley said. "It was very structured. Dinner, chores and bedtimes were always set. When I visited my mom, it was a much less structured environment."

Both taught Coley personal responsibility; one through structure, the other through learning from personal decisions made when given the freedom to do so.
At the age of 18 Coley desired independence and wanted to make a living of his own accord.

At that point in my life the military was the furthest things from my mind, Coley explained. I didn't want to take orders from anyone; I wanted to blaze my own trail to success.

In turn, I also went through a spiritually rebellious stage in my life in which I strayed from God and living a Christian life, he continued.

From the age of 18 to 22 Coley rented his own apartment, lived paycheck to paycheck and attended Saddleback Community College when funds would allow him to.

"To be honest I was hurting financially," Coley said. "I was struggling and racking up a lot of debt."

Over this period he realized that a financially comfortable and independent life was much harder to attain than he initially imagined.

"I need to do something," he thought. "I need to do something to further my life."
Finally reaching a breaking point after years of struggling financially, spiritually and emotionally, Coley turned to God.

Coley prayed, "God I know this isn't the life you called me to lead, I want to do better."

The very next day following his prayer, an Army recruiter called him seemingly out of the blue.

"Some people may say it was just a coincidence," Coley explained. "I feel it was the Lord guiding me."

Coley decided then that he wanted to give the military a shot and that the Army was his ticket. However, after speaking with his mother on the topic she suggested that he look into the Air Force before making a commitment.

He spoke with an Air Force recruiter, as well as a friend of his brothers that gave Coley his personal experience in the Air Force in addition to doing his own personal research. The end result was, he wanted to be an Airman.

In retrospect as a now 27 year old staff sergeant, Coley believes the Air Force was his best choice.

"I truly believe that the Air Force offers the best quality of life out of all the services," Coley explained. "Especially after seeing some of the other services cultures while deployed."

"I also feel there's more room for improvement on policies and change in the Air Force," he continued.

"The Air Force is just a great organization," he added.

He joined the United States Air Force in 2008, and was the first, and only of his older brothers to join a service even though their father, and both grandfathers were retired Navy.

After graduating technical training school Coley began his Air Force career in radar surveillance and maintenance.

I was, and am, very happy because this was my first choice, Coley explained. I'm happy I was lucky enough to land it. I truly believe it is one of the best career fields in the Air Force, and transfers nicely into civilian work as well.

Even with his new found career, financial security and educational opportunities he still felt something vital was missing in his life.

Coley knew his father to be a Christian for as long as he could remember and was raised in a Christian home and atmosphere growing up. Coley also considered himself to be a Christian until he was deployed to Afghanistan, where he truly gave his life to the Lord.

Coley contributes a large amount of his spiritual and overall success to his close friend of four years Tech. Sgt. Tyler Hand, 729th Air Control Squadron ground radar systems supervisor.

"We first met at Aviano Air Base, when he came to my work center," Hand explained. "I've known him for four years and would describe him in many ways."

"He's shown consistent traits of honesty, motivation, quick learning, well-rounded humor, respect for authority and a drive to succeed," Hand continued.

While deployed, Hand helped Coley gain a deeper knowledge of the bible, its scriptures and how to apply these findings to his life.

Hand remains humble for the positive role he's been able to play in Coley's life.

"It's very encouraging really," Hand explained. "It's always good to see the investments in others pay off."

"The fruit in Coley's life is the result of many influences," he continued. "I'm honored to be a significant part of it. It is wise to see oneself as a tool used by God in the lives of others. No one single person acts as a sole influence."

"Nate is one who finds those he looks up to and seeks to learn from them," Hand added.

"I didn't always do what was right and I slipped up a lot," Coley explained. "But Hand never gave up on me, and never left my side. He's just an awesome guy."

Becoming a Christian changed every aspect of Coley's life, to include how he views the world, how he supervises and how he works.

"I sometimes look out into the universe at night and think, wow....that's amazing," Coley said.

While supervising Coley holds his troops to high, but achievable standards.

"I hold my troops to a high standard," Coley said. "Ultimately, I want them to take initiative, grow as individuals and succeed in life."

He also uses his renewed faith to analyze his own work ethic and actions daily.

"When it comes to doing maintenance," Coley explained. "Especially on a radar system; you definitely don't want to cut corners."

"As soon as you cut corners, you get lazy," he continued. "As soon as that happens, you lose integrity."

Coley's work ethic and integrity extend off duty as well.

In Oct., Coley will receive his Community College of the Air Force degree and plans to pursue a bachelor's degree in technology management.

"It was hard," Coley said. "Going to school between deployments, but I'm proud of myself for sticking in there."

Even with his success, Coley always feels there is room for growth and constantly seeks to develop himself on all levels.

Each day during his drive home from work, Coley uses the time to reflect on his day in an effort to grow as an Airman and Christian.

"On my way home I analyze my day," Coley said. "Thinking, how I can be a better leader, a better friend, a better Christian."

Coley's new outlook ensures he makes the most of each day, motivates his troops and produces quality work for both the Air Force and God.

Hand remains proud of Coley's growth, both spiritually and professionally to this day.

"I'm very proud of Nate," Hand explained. "He's an incredibly hard worker, quick learner and respectable Airman. As a friend, he has been like a brother to me, and I know he always will be."

"I think as human beings we're constantly learning in our lives," Coley said. "It doesn't matter how old we are. But if we get callused and stop trying to learn, that's when we stop growing."