Chief Master Sgt. Richard Costa, a senior enlisted leader whose career spanned nearly 40 years of service in the Hawaii Air National Guard and the U.S. Air Force retired during a ceremony held Jan. 10, 2026, at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.
Costa concluded his service of 39 years and three months to country and state having joined in September 1986. Over the course of nearly four decades, he witnessed and helped shape the evolution of the Hawaii Air National Guard from a strategic reserve into a fully integrated operational force.
“The guard are no longer just ‘weekend warriors’. We’re now totally integrated with our active duty counterparts as well as other branches and no longer a strategic reserve,” Costa Said. “Culturally, we’ve become more like that active duty, not saying that’s a bad thing, we just need to remember we’re from this community and we don’t just defend the nation, but also our homes.”