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Colonel reflects on 40 years of service

  • Published
SOUTHWEST ASIA --   When Airman Basic Dave Thurston joined the Air Force in 1964, there had been no moon landing, the SR-71 Blackbird was about to fly for the first time, Vietnam was just beginning and postage stamps were a nickel.

Now, as Colonel Thurston, he is deployed as the director of public affairs for Central Command Air Forces-Forward; both the world and the Air Force are considerably different than when he enlisted.

"Back then, it was a whole different service," Colonel Thurston said. "Women served in the WAFs, Women in the Air Force, there were discrimination issues in the military, and we had regular details - KP (kitchen patrol), latrine duty, that sort of thing. My base pay that first year was $67 per month."

Now, 40 years later, Colonel Thurston has seen the Air Force and the world change dramatically. With virtually two careers as an Airman, the colonel has one word to describe the Air Force: opportunity.

"I've had a great career in the Air Force," Colonel Thurston said. "One piece of advice I give people is never pass up an opportunity. I've been lucky in my career, but I've also taken advantage of opportunities as often as possible. If you want a good career, that's one of the keys."

Colonel Thurston spent his first four years in the Air Force performing structural repair on jets during the Vietnam era.

"It was very satisfying to be in Thailand, patching up F-105s as they returned from bombing runs over North Vietnam," the colonel said. "They'd come back with bullet holes and parts missing entirely. I felt very much a part of the war effort. We were actually doing all the things we practiced, but for real."

After duty as a technical school instructor and an overseas tour in Okinawa, it was 1976. America celebrated its bicentennial, women were admitted to the Air Force Academy for the first time and stamps cost 13 cents. Tech. Sgt. Thurston attended the NCO Academy at Lackland AFB, Texas, and was helping to run his former technical training school.

"That was one of the most rewarding times in my career," he said. "Every 16 weeks, we would send 300 new airframe repairmen into the Air Force. It was just amazing to see the level of awareness wash over them from when they first started to when they graduated. They realized what they could accomplish, and I got to be a part of that."

Four years went by, and despite a line number for promotion to master sergeant, he left the enlisted corps behind to attend Officer Training School. Coincidentally, he was assigned the same room from his days at the NCO Academy. But after 12 years of night classes to get his degree, a newly-commissioned 2nd Lt. Thurston was reassigned to a different kind of duty with the 308th Strategic Missile Wing at Little Rock AFB, Ark.

"It was tough because very little of my 16 years in the Air Force counted for much when dealing with the Titan II missiles," Colonel Thurston recalled. "It was entirely different than anything I had done before - a very complicated and technically challenging weapon system. Crew duty was probably the most difficult three years of my career."

In 1983, people learned Darth Vader really was Luke and Leia's father, the F-16 Fighting Falcon was the Air Force's newest fighter and stamps cost 20 cents. That year, his wing commander needed a new public affairs officer, so 1st Lt. Thurston went back to school.

"I barely knew what public affairs was," Colonel Thurston admitted. "In school we studied a lot of scenarios - emergency response, media relations. In that first year, after I completed the course, I used practically every single lesson I had learned, dealing with missile system problems, community relations and national media queries."

Captain Thurston then followed with assignments to Strategic Air Command headquarters at Offutt AFB, Neb., and then Patrick AFB, Fla.

In 1991, the first Gulf War was fought, Nirvana changed music, the Air Force made effective use of F-117A Nighthawks, and stamps cost 29 cents. And Major Thurston's career took him to the Pentagon for the next eight years.

"That was the absolute best time in my career," Colonel Thurston said. "I worked in the nerve center of the U.S. military and watched the world change from the Cold War mentality to forming new international relationships and the expansion of NATO."

One eye-opening experience came during a trip to the former Soviet Union.

"I met a young woman in St. Petersburg whose father had been in the Russian Air Force. It was surreal, because she talked with me about growing up as a Russian Air Force brat and what her father had done from their side of the Cold War. My daughter had watched me do the same on our side. I'll never forget that," Colonel Thurston said.

After attending the National War College and an assignment at Tinker AFB, Okla., Col. Thurston settled into his current job as the director of public affairs for Air Mobility Command at Scott AFB, Ill.

"I'm in my personal dream assignment at Scott," Colonel Thurston said. "It's a great mission - helping and supporting people, I have a great team there, and my daughter's family is nearby. It's a great place to wrap up a career."

In 2004, 40 years after Colonel Thurston enlisted, the world is fighting a different kind of war, the Air Force is beginning to fly the F/A-22 Raptor, and stamps are 37 cents. But now people send e-mails for free.