MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. -- It was a hot day in August when my coworker and I walked into a warehouse with 80s rock music bouncing wall to wall. A cheery face with a grin ear to ear stepped out from behind boxes of equipment and and greeted us with a firm handshake.
“Hey! Are you guys here to drop off some stuff?” the smiling man said.
He walked us through the process and paperwork, and after we were done unloading our old desktop computers, he offered us some popsicles and gave us a tour of the warehouse.
Stephen Bueschel, 5th Logistics Readiness Squadron property consolidation warehouse operator, has been working as a warehouse operator for three years, and has lived in Minot for over twenty.
During the tour, he showed us his “living room,” a section of the warehouse where he repurposed some decommissioned furniture, an electric fireplace, and had constructed a living room where he spent his breaks. Here, he displayed a variety of model airplanes and remote control models he built.
As we sat down with our frozen treats listening to classic rock, he treated us like we were old friends catching up on life.
Bueshel joined the Air Force as an airfield ground equipment (AGE) Airman in 1988, and retired in 2008 at Minot.
“DINSTAAR Baby!” Bueschel said after telling me he was an AGE Airman.
After a few years of doing civilian work at Minot, he decided to come back to Minot AFB and to work for the 5th LRS.
“I like everything about this job,” said Bueschel. “I get to use my mind, my hands, my body and I get to talk to people. You name it and it’s probably something I like about the job. And I really like the people, they bring out the best in me.”
His job is to consolidate excess property on base, and ship it to Fort Carson, Colorado. Additionally, he ensures all of the paperwork is accurate, and every piece of property has the proper documentation.
Although he ships it to Fort Carson, he prefers it when different squadrons visit his warehouse, and pick up things they might need before it is shipped. In the last year, Bueschel has reissued over $230,000 of property back into the base.
If your squadron is in need of furniture, appliances, or general equipment, send Mr. Bueschel an email. Additionally, if your squadron is getting rid of things, take a picture of it and ask Bueschel he thinks it is something that could be reissued.
This story has been edited on Dec.,18 2023 for clarity from its original version published on Sept., 15 2023.