Air Force in his blood - 509th MXG commander retires after forty years of service

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Stephen Linch
  • 509th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE, Mo. --  A lot of things were going on in1968, Richard Nixon was elected president, Martin Luther King Jr. and Senator Robert F. Kennedy were assassinated and Airman Basic Bob Dulong was dangling two feet off the ground. 

"I always say that America's greatest asset doesn't come with a serial or tail number, but a social security number," said Brig. Gen. Garrett Harencak, 509th Bomb Wing commander. "In this case, I was wrong. Bob Dulong was assigned a serial number when he joined the Air Force in the late sixties." 

Beating the Department of Defense to the punch, Bob Dulong went looking to go from college to the military before he was drafted. After visiting other services' recruiters, he found himself in an Air Force recruiter's office. 

"The recruiter showed me a picture of a B-52," he said. "I had never seen a B-52 in my life and he told me I could be a crew chief on it. So, I signed up took destiny in my own hands. 

"I wanted to work with my hands and the Air Force offered me that opportunity," he added. 

It was the fall of 1968, he was 18, and like many a young men Bob Dulong was aimless and wanted to do something and earn a living so he joined and was off to Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, for basic training. 

"My training instructor was this huge, huge individual," Col. Bob Dulong, 509th Maintenance Group commander exclaimed, talking of an event that happened 40 years ago as if it had happened yesterday. "Being from New England, I was not used to his particular drawl. Every time he said Airmen, I thought he was saying Herman. 

"So I thought, 'which one of these guys is named Herman?' and I kind of snickered," the colonel said. "He knew where it had started. I was a 126-pound weakling; he came up and grabbed me by the shirt. Next thing I know, my feet are dangling off the floor and he was just pounding me against the wall lockers. 

"As soon as he said 'Airman' right in my face, I got it," he added. 

Upon coming into the Air Force, Colonel Dulong was fortunate enough to work on the B-52, KC-135 and C-141 airframes when they were new, but he still didn't know if he wanted to stay in the service. 

"My first intent was to serve for four years," Colonel Dulong said. "Two years in, I felt like alright I need to get out of this." 

"When I met him, he said he was going to do four years and get out," said Denise Dulong, Colonel Dulong's wife of 37 years. 

He decided to re-enlist at his three-year point. 

"As a young Airman, the Air Force wasn't the most pleasant experience, because I was on the bottom of the totem pole," Colonel Dulong said. 

"I was determined to get out, but along the way I got married and President Nixon gave us the biggest pay raise in military history. I went from making $44 to more than $100 every two weeks, which made me recognize that this was pretty good," he said 

"I had also gone from the bottom to being a crew chief -- the non-commissioned-officer-in-charge of an airplane," he added. 

With multiple assignments and aircraft making up their first three years, the Dulongs where happy to settle down at Plattsburgh AFB, N.Y. 

It was at his six-year point that Staff Sgt. Dulong once again contemplated getting out; that is until he once again received recognition for his hard work in the form of promotion. 

"I was supposed to take the post office test, but the day before the test my section chief called and said that I had a line number for technical sergeant," he said. 

He was gaining rank fast enough that he decided to stay in and keep supervising Airmen. 

As a supervisor Tech. Sgt. Dulong would get Airmen that couldn't read, so he worked out a deal with the education center to have his Airmen take classes to become more proficient on their reading comprehension. This helped his Airmen on their career development courses and would be able to follow their technical orders. 

"(The education center) was starting a college prep program. That college prep program launched my academic education and ultimately my commission which has given me the chance to go on for so many years," Colonel Dulong said. 

Sergeant Dulong had spent eight-and-a-half years at Plattsburg AFB, ultimately making it to the rank of senior master sergeant when he was commissioned. 

He probably would have achieved the rank of chief master sergeant by October 1982, instead he received his commission in July 1982. 

"One year I was a senior master sergeant pulling jokes on second lieutenants, and then the next year I was a second lieutenant," Colonel Dulong said. "But I was armed and dangerous; I knew what they were going to pull on me." 

Once commissioned, Colonel Dulong served in a variety of positions from 1983-2002 at Robins AFB, Ga.; Dyess AFB, Texas; Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio; Offutt AFB, Neb.; Langley AFB, Va.; and Ellsworth AFB, S.D., before deciding to retire. 

In 2002, he tried to retire for his third time. In fact, he already had a job and house lined up, but one of his old supervisors had a different plan. 

"He made the difference in 2002, because instead of retiring I went to Charleston," Colonel Dulong said. "In his words 'there were a bunch of Airmen on the flight line that needed me,'and it wasn't 'I want you go,' it was a, 'they need you'." 

"There were 1,700 Airmen in that group and together we had great success: Operation Iraqi Freedom with the air drops over Northern Iraq, humanitarian missions, and so on and so on," he added. 

After sometime at Charleston AFB serving as the deputy commander of the 437th Maintenance Group, he was promoted to the rank of Colonel and went to Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala. 

The Dulongs assumed they would be going to Charleston, McChord or McGuire AFB, from Air War College because of the colonel's experience in Air Mobility Command, but they were wrong. 

"When I went to Air War College, the 509th Maintenance Group commander spot was open and needed someone with a bomber background and nuclear maintenance experience," he said. "I don't think there was another officer in that lot that had the qualifications." 

So the Dulongs packed their bags and headed to Knob Noster, Mo. 

"It was a very pleasant surprise to find out we were coming to Whiteman," he said. 
"People throughout central Missouri are just so warm and friendly, and the B-2 is a non-traditional aircraft that defies physics every time it takes to the air. 

"It had been shrouded in secrecy all my time at headquarters," he added. 

Quoting retired General Ronald Keys, Colonel Dulong said, "The B-2 is an expression of national resolve." 

One B-2 is equivalent to an entire squadron of F-16s ... fighters are fun but bombers make policy, he said. 

The chance to lead great Airmen at Whiteman has been a great experience for this seasoned maintenance troop. 

"I like the opportunity to turn around and go out to the shops and see the work that people are doing," he said. "I have a chance to affect the training of aircraft maintenance and advanced technology and have the good fortune to be involved in this nuclear enterprise. 

"What separates us from the rest of the nations in the world is that we have the instruments of national power and we can project those anywhere in the world. 

"The best part about being the 509th MXG commander is having the best people in the 
world work for you," he said, reflecting on his time at Whiteman. 

They are always looking for ways to do better though, he added. 

"You have to bolster your skills," he said. "In some cases that might be taking college courses or mastering your skills. 

"Go as far as you can possibly go," he said. "Do your job to the best of your ability and try to become better each and every day.

"Once you become a supervisor it has to be about others," the colonel said. "I would say that in my particular case, I had a lot of good supervisors that helped me get here." 

With the joys of his retirement and the celebrations of the lives he touched along his 40-year career, there will be many that aren't ready for him to leave. 

"Colonel Dulong is an Airman's Airman," said Mike Wardell, 509th Bomb Wing director of staff, who has known the colonel for 12 years. "He sees things through an Airman's eyes, also a non-commissioned officer's, senior NCO's, company grade officer's, and field grader's eyes; he has as many lenses as a housefly. 

"He leads with his heart and his head. Few people love the Air Force as much as 
Colonel Dulong, and few people have spent so much time in it," he continued. "When he joined, the Air Force was 22 years old, McNamara was Secretary of Defense, and the Vietnam conflict was in full swing. 

"The Air Force has been a better place because of Colonel Bob Dulong," Mr. Wardell said. "He will be fondly remembered by many people who will miss his leadership and his generosity of spirit." 

Serving the United States Air Force in every rank except chief master sergeant and the general officers ranks over the past 40 years, Colonel Dulong has accomplished everything in the Air Force except retire. 

"Never did I expect to make 40 years," the 40-year Air Force veteran said. "This is my fourth time trying to retire; this time I'm going to make it."