AEDC Missions Support Chief Col. Robert Bender retires after long and rewarding career

  • Published
  • By Philip Lorenz III
  • AEDC/PA
ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, Tenn. --  Colonel Bobby Bender, AEDC's Mission Support Division chief, is retiring June 15, after an Air Force career spanning 27 years.

Bender joined AEDC's workforce in July of 2008 after serving as the deputy chief of the Anti-Terrorism Force Protection Division at the Pentagon.

Colonel Art Huber, vice commander of the Aeronautical Systems Center at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, praised Bender and his contribution to the team at AEDC.

"Sometimes it is better to be lucky than to be good," Huber said. "In the case of Colonel
Bender, I recognize that I and the Arnold community were very lucky indeed to have had the benefit of his leadership, enthusiasm and management talents.

"When I was AEDC commander, I had the responsibility to find the next Mission Support Group commander which, of course, turned out to be Bobby Bender. In perusing the career summaries of those available on the candidate's list, I was looking for someone who had the right mix of command, test, staff, operational and support experiences that would enable him or her to provide direction and understanding for the Mission Support Group role."

Huber added, "I think everyone would agree we found that perfect mix and hit the jackpot with Colonel Bender. He has been adept at projecting a strategic vision as well as providing oversight of the details. I probably most valued his innovative and practical bents.

"He challenged me with his ideas and helped me immensely with his advice. He empowered his people, yet guided them to achieve more than they thought they could. He has been a mentor and model leader balancing the demands of his job with the needs of his family. Perhaps most of all he leaves the legacy of a place better now than when he arrived, which is the real measure of any man. We are all better off for having known and worked and played with Bobby Bender."

Bender, a Hollidaysburg, Penn., native, was commissioned in 1985 after completing Lehigh University's Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps program and earning his bachelor's degree in chemical engineering there.

Anyone visiting Bender in his office at AEDC would probably notice the photo of him posing with his family in front of a B-52 Stratofortress bomber as well as some other B-52 mementos.

Bender is particularly proud of his early assignments as a B-52 master navigator who flew more than 3,700 hours on the iconic aircraft which is still in service and undergoing upgrades. He also is proud of his tours commanding the 40th Expeditionary Operations Support Squadron (OSS) during Operation Enduring Freedom and 5th Expeditionary OSS during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

One of Bender's collateral roles at AEDC has been to manage the Emergency Operations Center during emergency response exercises.

Dan Johnson, ATA Mission Support Division's Exercise Evaluation Team chief, has worked with Bender for several years.

"Colonel Bender was the right person at the right time to help mature our disaster response force, especially the Emergency Operations Center (EOC)," said Johnson, who is a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel. "He epitomized the role of EOC director and modeled the job for others - we are better because of him.

"Under his leadership, everyone else stepped up and embraced their respective roles in the EOC. He relied on the functional experts to do their job and they delivered. He has a clear understanding of how to manage a crisis - thinking ahead, asking the right questions, and staying focused on supporting the Incident Commander on scene.

Johnson said Bender is one of those unique people who know how to be professional, but still find humor in the lighter side of any situation.

"He taught everyone to plan ahead, consider your options, think before you react and always find a way to enjoy the moment," Johnson said.

Bender said he has enjoyed the challenges of his position at AEDC.

"Since so much comes underneath this job, from civil engineering to roads and grounds, from cops, fire fighters and the computer systems to run it all, there are many challenges," he said. "Having the resources to maintain the old infrastructure and getting money to fix it is probably the biggest challenge - just balancing limited resources between operations and maintenance. Money for maintenance is money that cannot be put into an investment project."

Bender said despite the economic uncertainties, he sees a bright future for AEDC.

"The military strategy has always been, 'defend a higher ground,'" Bender said. "That's why I always believe space is the higher ground. And to defend the higher ground you've got to fight from the higher ground. That hasn't changed in a long time and will be truer in the future.

"As Dan Marren (Tunnel 9 Hypervelocity Facility's director) says, 'the physics isn't changing.' That's where systems like arcs, space chambers, our Tunnel 9 Hypervelocity Facility will continue to contribute to the mission. What we put through it and how we put it through that environment is going to change. In my opinion it is going to get better. It's going to get more efficient."

Bender added, "I'm stealing another one of Dan's lines, 'the problem doesn't go away just because the calendar shows a later year.'"

Regarding emerging threats and the aerospace programs necessary to meet those threats, Bender spoke about the cycle of conflicts and funding.

"There is no doubt that after every major engagement there is a lull that follows," he said. "There will be a pull back of money from the nation for the military and we're seeing that
play out. This will be followed by a rebuild.

"This nation will rebuild its military, it will retool its military and it will be different. It will be more lethal and involve intense engineering. Intense development testing is going to occur over the next 10 to 20 years. We would be foolish to re-equip the nation with the same toys that we fought the last war with."

He added, "We should be working on better weapon systems and better tools. Why is AEDC important? The answer is simple, it's because we are going to develop those aerospace systems here. We are going to develop the propulsion systems that power them at AEDC. We're going to develop the satellite sensors and components here."

Asked what he will miss most about AEDC and his Air Force career, Bender said the answer is simple.

"I will miss some incredible friendships that I've made and they will continue," he said. "AEDC has been good to me and my family - I'll miss it a lot. I'm going to miss the woods, running, golfing with the friends I've made, the whiskey and the laughter. You can work hard problems and still laugh while we work to solve them."

Bender's awards and decorations include the Defense Superior Service Award, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal with one oak leaf cluster, Air Medal with two oak leaf clusters, Air Force Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters, Air Force Achievement Medal, Air Force Combat Action Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal with one bronze star, Iraqi Campaign Medal with one bronze star, Air Command and Staff College Dean's Award for Research and Excellence in Airpower Application and Squadron Officer School Distinguished Graduate. He also belonged to the Phi Alpha Theta (history academic honor) Society and earned the Eagle Scout award from the Boy Scouts of America.