In August, Dr. Frank Kestler, a dentist with practices in Mattituck and Shelter Island and a reserve officer in the National Guard, went overseas to serve as a medical officer, helping outlying bases in Afghanistan.
His third tour of duty in the War on Terror now over, Dr. Kestler is on his way back home to Shelter Island, with his plane scheduled to land at MacArthur Airport at 4:30 p.m.
Dr. Kestler is also stepfather to who died to save his platoon in June of 2010 in Afghanistan. A welcoming party is planned for Dr. Kestler’s homecoming at the Mitchell Post 281 American Legion on Shelter Island, after he travels from the airport through the South Fork, up through Sag Harbor and onto the South Ferry.
Dr. Kestler told the Shelter Island Reporter earlier this year: “I think it will be a great experience. I’m hoping to get close to where my stepson was and I’m hoping I’ll be able to visit soldiers there.”
Stay tuned for a photo gallery of Dr. Kestler’s homecoming on Patch.
