TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- When Carroll Dobbs joined Tinker Air Force Base as a member of the 72nd Security Forces in 1972, he said he never foresaw that he would have stuck with his service for nearly 50 years.
Now as director of the 38th Engineering Squadron within the 38th Cyber Engineering Installation Group, Dobbs likes to say that the sun never sets on his squadron and the work they do with engineering projects around the world.
Dobbs said that while he has contemplated retirement “at the end of the year” for around the last 10 years, he found his job too enjoyable to actually retire and, before he knew it, he found himself with 50 years of service under his belt.
“I’ve just enjoyed this job too much and thought about what I might miss if I leave it,” Dobbs said. “There have been a lot of changes over 50 years, but through it all I’ve been coming through the same gate and working on the same hill.”
While there have been many aspects of his job that he said he finds worthwhile, one of the highlights of his time at Tinker has been watching both his field and the installation evolve over the years.
At the time he began, Dobbs said that there were no computers in use by his group -- everything was recorded with pen and paper. He also recalled how there were still many of the World War II-era wooden structures around the installation, and that Tinker’s gates at the time were small shacks.
“One of the more important things I’ve seen over the years is the increase in capability of the workforce,” Dobbs said. “Despite what people say about Millenials, I think some of our best workers are the younger, more excited ones that are educated and willing to try things. Just seeing the growth of the workforce has probably been the most important thing I’ve witnessed.”
Three years prior to joining Tinker, Dobbs had been drafted into the Army as part of the Vietnam War effort and it was here he gained his first two years of service.
Leaving the Army in December 1971, Dobbs joined the 72nd Security Forces in April 1972 and served there for five years before joining the 1845th Electronics Engineering Squadron.
With a strong background in engineering, Dobbs worked in a variety of different roles ranging from system engineer to being part of the Pentagon’s Joint System Telecommunications Engineering Management organization.
Through it all, Dobbs said he has had opportunities that he never would have otherwise imagined since joining Tinker. While he’s not sure what retirement looks like, he is certain he’ll be sticking around Tinker until he finally decides what his next chapter in life will look like.
“I would recommend a career in the Air Force to anybody,” Dobbs said. “It’s been a great ride, I’ve enjoyed my career and I wouldn’t have traded these experiences for anything.”