From a sandbox to 'the' sandbox

  • Published
  • By Maj. Elizabeth Ortiz
  • 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq (AFNS) --  Growing up at Mather Air Force Base, Calif., in the early 1960s, toy Tonka trucks, road graders and scoop shovels were Jeffrey Dunn's favorite toys. Four houses away, his best friend, Brian Bishop, preferred airplanes. Building roads and constructing runways in a sandbox Jeff's dad built behind the Dunn house, the boys played together nearly every day.

Over the years, these childhood adventures led Jeff and Brian to pursue careers in the Air Force. One of them became a heavy equipment operator and the other a fighter pilot. By and large, they kept in touch through the "parent grapevine."

Today, Jeff is Master Sgt. Jeff Dunn, 407th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron horizontal section chief at Ali Base, Iraq; and Brian is none other than Brig. Gen. Brian Bishop, commander of the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing here. Forty-six years later, the two childhood buddies are reunited in another "sandbox," this one in Iraq.

Since the 407th Air Expeditionary Group organizationally falls under the 332nd AEW, Sergeant Dunn and General Bishop have had a chance to catch up twice at Ali Base. What did they say when they saw each other the first time? General Bishop held out his hand and said, "Look at you!" In response, Sergeant Dunn rubbed the star on the general's collar and said, "Look at you!"

"Meeting a childhood friend when he is now a brigadier general and your boss could be a little intimidating," Sergeant Dunn said later. "We've both had such long and interesting careers that share similarities, only we've experienced them from different perspectives."

"This is a perfect example of what the Air Force family is," said General Bishop. "We grew up together in the Air Force, and, now, the Air Force brings us back together."

Since their boyhood days at Mather AFB, Sergeant Dunn and General Bishop have seen each other on several occasions through the years. The last time was in 1998, when the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, which General Bishop commanded, performed at Minot Air Force Base, N.D., where Sergeant Dunn was stationed.

"I was quite nervous about seeing him as a lot of time had passed and this time was on a different footing -- he was an officer and I was enlisted," said Sergeant Dunn, deployed from Minot AFB. "It turned out my worries were unfounded and he was the same guy I knew before."

So, what's it like being reunited in Iraq?

"I think it's very apropos since we have both devoted so much of our life to military service and this is where we get to apply that collective knowledge," responded Sergeant Dunn, who is on his fourth deployment in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. "I was apprehensive after 10 years to see if the pressures of leadership had changed him; I was glad to see how natural and sincere he was while he addressed everyone as the wing commander.
 
"I am truly proud to serve under him," he added, "especially in this environment."

Recently at Ali Base, General Bishop, who is deployed here from Headquarters Air Force at the Pentagon, presented Sergeant Dunn with the Society of American Military Engineers Goddard Medal for the active-duty component, an annual Air Force-level civil engineering award.

"Being deployed, I could not attend the banquet," the sergeant said. "General Bishop presenting it over here was a great alternative and, of course, meant a lot personally!"

Not surprisingly, being deployed together in support of OIF has led to a "flurry of e-mails bouncing around between our parents," said Sergeant Dunn.

"I know our folks are also happy about us serving together and I'm sure it will make this year's Christmas newsletter," he continued. "We are still their 'little boys.'"

Set to redeploy in July, the childhood buddies have come a long way since their sandbox days. No doubt, there's another reunion or two in store for them.

"You never know who you're going to run into or work with," said General Bishop. "And it's like you've been connected the whole time."