DALE F. SHIPLEY Lt Colonel, USAF (Retired)

USAF OCS Class 57C, OC LT, 2nd Squadron Adjutant

My life began September 17, 1931 near Hoskins, Nebraska (population less than 100) in a rural farming area in Northeast Nebraska. The first six years of my schooling were in a one-room school. I had to walk more than a mile each way for the first year. My family moved to Norfolk, Nebraska just before I started the sixth grade so from thereon, it was larger schools. The first two high school years were in Hastings, Nebraska, and then graduation from Norfolk Senior High School in 1948. That Norfolk is in Nebraska. It was more than twenty years later that I made it to Norfolk, Virginia.

In 1951, Miss Elaine M. Mittelsteadt became Mrs. Dale F. Shipley. The Korean conflict was in high gear and Uncle Sam's Army was seeking draftees. My options were to enlist in the Air Force or be drafted. I became a draft dodger and enlisted.

My first assignment was basic training at Parks AFB (now closed) in California. Next came career guidance school at Scott AFB, Illinois followed by an assignment as career guidance specialist at the same base. Shortly thereafter the career guidance and personnel specialties merged into a common specialty. Then came Korea where "Bedcheck Charlie" was still making excursions across the 38th parallel, just to make life exciting. The AAA batteries are one heck of an alarm clock. Most of the tour was in Korea; however, the unit moved to Okinawa then to Formosa where our F-86H's flew cover for the Nationalist Chinese who were making their final retreat from mainland China and the Tachen Islands. The Nationalist Chinese were flying missions over mainland China from the base our 86's were using to cover their evacuation. It is little known but it is a fact that we lost several aircraft in those few days. It was not due to hostile fire but pretty darn close to it. From Formosa, it was back to Scott AFB personnel work and selection for Officer Candidate School (OCS).

I had applied for OCS because I was stalemated at staff sergeant. All the blocks were filled to get upgraded to the "7" level. My on-the-job training was completed, I had passed the "7" level test-all I needed was a vacancy. But alas, Scott AFB had a surplus of about 20 technical and master sergeants in the personnel career field. A possible solution was to ship out enough of them (at least 21) and create a vacancy. That was tried but each time one shipped out another one walked in the main gate and re-enlisted at Scott AFB. The surplus must have lasted at least a year so I applied and was selected for OCS. The OCS selection meant that my orders to go to the Pentagon had to be rescinded. Our household goods were already on the way but some good guys in transportation got them back. I could not become eligible for technical sergeant, but I was good enough to become a second lieutenant.

And, "What do I remember about OCS?” Well there are 184 days from March 20, our start date, through September 20, our graduation date. I'm glad I attended and I'm more glad I never had to do it again. During some of the first days I would have gladly left the program, but never NEVER through self-initiated elimination (SIE). Enough said.

Gold bars came and I became a squadron commander at Francis E. Warren AFB, Wyoming. That is a pretty good way to start as a second lieutenant. At Warren we trained airmen, and I later became department training officer. A year later, "Hello" to Amarillo AFB, Texas (now closed). Most of the time at Amarillo, it was personnel duty in the center headquarters. Three years later it was off to Alaskan Command (ALCOM) at Elmendorf AFB. My job was Chief, Airman Assignments for the command and, to the best of my recollections, that is the only assignment where OCS classmates were co-located. The two I remember are Chuck Ballot and Clarence Smith. Oh yes, we were in Alaska for the big shake (a.k.a., earthquake). That happened on March 27, 1964. Next, it was back to Texas and duty at the Military Personnel Center at Randolph AFB, Texas. Ironically, this assignment was to the same directorate in the Pentagon that I had orders for when my OCS selection came through. It's double irony because while stationed at Amarillo AFB I was a member of the Pathfinder study group. This group formulated the plan to move some USAF Personnel functions from the Pentagon to Texas. Oh boy, what a way to beat an assignment to the head shed.

At Randolph, the job was as an automated systems analyst helping design a pie-in-the-sky system to transmit document images worldwide. My claim to fame is that it was my dream to use satellites to get an image from one place to any place in the world. The concept is pretty common now, but in the middle 60's we still used telephones with rotary dials. Touch buttons were to come later and Sputnik was only eight years old.

At Randolph, education became important. Here was a Regular Air Force officer with nothing more than a high school diploma. Night classes and some hard work led to an Associate Degree from San Antonio College. Next came an Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) tour at Colorado State University and a Bachelor of Science in computer science and mathematics. Then it was back to the Air Force for three years before a return to AFIT at Colorado State and a Masters Degree in business information systems.

Between those two school assignments was a year at Headquarters Tactical Air Command (TAC) at Langley AFB, Virginia. Ah, yes! That is where Norfolk, Virginia was first visited. Just as another aside, my travels took me into all fifty states. The fiftieth one came on my fiftieth birthday! We had hardly more than arrived at Langley, when an invitation to come to the Pentagon was received. It was declined, only to be followed by another. Next came a choice: the Pentagon or overseas. Canada looked very good and it was two years in the Canadian Forces Pentagon in Ottawa, Ontario as an exchange officer. Being in Canada was tremendous. The Canadians are great people. A little more irony here. My Canadian tour was during the Vietnam conflict. I was there with all the draft dodgers who had skipped across the border. No problem -- amnesty was granted by the president.

From Canada, it was to school and then to Colorado Springs, Colorado for five years with North American Air Defense Command (NORAD). While there I participated in planning and developing a Department of Defense (DOD) system to tie together multiple computers.

That system has become the predecessor of today's Internet. The NORAD tour was followed by over three years at the Air Reserve Personnel Center (ARPC) on Lowry AFB, Colorado (now closed). While at ARPC I had to make my first visit to the Pentagon but that was only temporary duty. At ARPC my directorate participated in developing systems for mobilizing the reserve forces. Those systems came into play during Operation Desert Storm and more recently in Eastern Europe. Seems that my career was either in the "purple" service -- i.e., joint commands or at school or in some headquarters.

Two children through college and it was like a double pay raise. Besides, I was getting a little long in the tooth. Mandatory retirement was still more that two years away but maybe it was time to try something else. I liked to say, "I've worked thirty years, now I will try retirement for thirty years, then I will decide which I like best." My retirement from the Regular Air Force was on February 1, 1982--the career covered 29 years, 9 months and 0 days.

Elaine and I have two children, a boy and a girl. We have no grandchildren but we do have four GREAT grandchildren--three boys and a girl. Besides enjoying ourselves, Elaine and I have done volunteer work since my retirement. She volunteered with the base thrift shops and the Red Cross before and after my retirement. I worked in the accounting office in a local hospital and also with the base golf course. Our move to Fort Collins was made three years ago. The DOD had closed both Lowry AFB and Fitzsimmons Army Medical Center and our children had stayed in Fort Collins after college.

Today I am a Faculty Affiliate with Colorado State University. There is no pay, but there is great self-actualization. Some students have problems with their first exposure to automated systems in the computer field. It is truly great to observe the "EUREKA" experience. That is when a student's eyes light up and for the first time he or she has some computer understanding.

For the future, we plan more of the same. I am still thirteen years short of having thirty retirement years to compare with thirty working years.

Warmest regards,

Dale