Phil Kemp knows the time has arrived to hit the road

  • Published
  • By Philip Lorenz III
  • AEDC/PA
Arnold Air Force Base, Tenn --  As a high school student, Phil Kemp loved history and envisioned pursuing an educational career. He wanted to be a schoolteacher.

Kemp, who is a special agent for the U.S. Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) Federal Investigative Services at Arnold Engineering Development Center (AEDC), is hanging up his badge at the end of January after enjoying a career spanning 32 years, with 21 of them at Arnold Air Force Base.

As an investigator with OPM, he is the individual who conducts background investigations to determine whether an employee at AEDC is trustworthy to have access to classified information. For Kemp, this often involves driving long distances to conduct interviews with the prospective employee's friends, neighbors, classmates, fellow college students and former employers and coworkers. He also investigates DoD contractors and other government agencies.

So, how did a young man with plans to go into teaching get into law enforcement?

Kemp said his interest in that profession began when he was young.

"You have to understand, I grew up in Adamsville, Tenn., the home of Bufford Pusser," he said. "You might recall that movie 'Walking Tall,' that was based on his life."

However, another event also helped to push Kemp in the direction of a career in law enforcement.

"I had a friend who was a cop," he said, recalling an event that took place when Kemp was a senior in high school.

"It's kind of a funny story," he continued. "My friend was married to the chief of police's daughter. So, daddy-in-law had to find him a job, so, he made him a cop. I was sitting in town one cold night. My friend was sitting there watching the traffic - he was in a patrol car and I was in mine. There was a car that came through town and ran a red light and nearly caused a wreck. My friend ran them down and they [people in the car] were drunk and all wanted to fight. So, I helped my friend and that sort of stuck in my blood."

However, by the time Kemp was considering college, he realized that teaching didn't pay well and his father wanted his son to consider engineering as a career.

"My dad was one of the Oak Ridgers," Kemp said. "He was a millwright, he and my grandpa both. They were taking apart a lot of the stuff they had used to build the [atomic] bombs. They were taking that apart and refurbishing stuff."

Kemp lived in Oak Ridge area until about 1959 when his family moved to Adamsville.

He attended the University of Tennessee at Martin and started taking classes that would have lead to a degree in electrical engineering. Before long, Kemp realized engineering wasn't for him and he finally pursued an undergraduate degree in criminal justice, graduating in 1977. Later, he received his master's degree in Criminal Justice Administration from Troy University at Montgomery, Ala.

His first real paying job in law enforcement was as a dispatcher for Adamsville Police Department and then the McNairy County Sheriff's Department. Later, he was a police officer for Sharon, Tenn., for about a year, and then a police dispatcher for the city of Martin. This was followed by a six-month stint with the fire department.

"Then I went to work for TVA's Public Safety Service," he said. "This was his first federal job. Then I found out about the Defense Investigative Service in 1982. A guy I worked with was former Air Force and he knew about them."

Kemp met the man who had conducted the background investigation on his friend, who had been hired by the Defense Investigative Service.

"I talked to the guy that did the job [background investigation] and I applied and got a job six months later," he said. "You went through a four-week school and somebody was always with you for six months [of on-the-job training]."

Kemp, who first came to AEDC on a part-time basis in 1988 before it turned into a full-time position in 1994, has enjoyed his job. He said all too often, good people have something in their past that requires investigating. He said it is important to be fair and thorough in conducting a background investigation.

However, Kemp also said he didn't hesitate to flag someone for a criminal investigation if that was warranted.

When he first began working as a background investigator, the agency was called the Defense Investigative Service and by 1997, it became the Defense Security Service.

"At the time the mission went to OPM [before 2005], we did background investigations strictly for the DoD, for those needing security clearances or who were being considered for sensitive positions. After the mission went to OPM, we conduct investigations for most all branches of the government."

Kemp said he is proud of his career as a special agent with OPM's Federal Investigative Services.

"I believe it is very important to the safety of our country," he said.
Kemp said recognizing the right time to retire was a very personal decision.
"I had looked forward to retirement for several years so I could go help my dad, who loved to work on old cars," he said. "My dad had totally restored one 1954 Hudson so far by himself and a 1951 for another fellow. I mentioned my dad was a millwright, so he knew what to do and how to do it."

Doctors learned that Kemp's father had colon cancer in January 2009 and other health problems followed.

"He died in October 2009," Kemp recalled. "So, so much for my plans to help him do something we both enjoyed. I also realized we're not promised tomorrow and I want to do a little 'living' while I'm still healthy enough and young enough to enjoy it. It's not that I don't want to work. I may even go to work after a few months, in fact, would love to find something to do that I enjoy. And it sure doesn't have to be in investigations or law enforcement - just something to keep me busy, but not too busy."

Holly Petty, who is the consolidated unit IP program manager for AEDC's Information Protection Office, has known Kemp since she started working at Arnold in June 1995.
Her job is to ensure everyone has the required investigations to have access to classified material in the scope of their duties.

Petty shares a hobby with Kemp that brings their families together outside of work.

"Phil and his wife, Mary Ann, go camping with my parents, my son and I," she said. "We hope to all go to a campground this summer where you can search for diamonds. My family also plans to go to a campground in Alabama where you can pan for gold. We hope they go with us. We also eat together with the same 'lunch bunch' each day. Phil and his wife are great people, I love their company, and I will really miss him."