Liberty Wing legend: Wing's first computer guy logs off

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Veronica Aceveda
  • 512th AW Public Affairs
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  For many Airmen in the 512th Airlift Wing, the approaching sound of clanging keys means the cavalry is on its way to fix their computer problem.

Those keys are attached to the "computer guy" Alan Dutton, the wing's system administrator for the past 18 years.

Mr. Dutton is slated to retire in a ceremony March 31 at the Air Mobility Command Museum, following a 20-year military career and 26-year civil service career.

A native of Middletown, Del., Mr. Dutton joined the active-duty Air Force when he was 18-years-old, having already served four years in a Civil Air Patrol unit.

"I always knew I wanted to be part of the military," he said. "And, I was ready; I was looking for a career."

He enlisted as a communications center operator in 1973, a time when the United State's involvement in the Vietnam War was officially ending -- a time when the public's opinion of the military was not that favorable he said.

Even though the Air Force was in the process of transitioning to wearing blues, the new recruit was issued tan uniforms at basic training in addition to the olive colored fatigues. Technically trained in Texas, the young Airman's first assignment was in his home state of Delaware at Dover Air Force Base.

Working inside the base's Communications Operations Center, located back then in Bldg. 501, his main duty dealt with handling message traffic for the base.

At that time, messages from all around the world were delivered into the base "Comm Center."

"We would process the incoming messages and distribute them to their designated destination," said Mr. Dutton who wore "skeeter-wings" at the time, which was a nickname for the rank of Airman.

Since computers were not used in the Air Force at that time, comm operators, like Airman Dutton, used the latest in data communication technology, which was digital subscriber terminal equipment. Referred to as DSTE, it was a teletype messaging system.

In his work center and others on base, Airmen used rotary-style phones and could smoke cigarettes sitting right at their desks, said Mr. Dutton.

"I've seen a lot of changes," said the young Airman who used to live in the Bldg. 260 series dormitories. "My room was on the first floor, where the library is now."

He couldn't recall whether or not a base exchange was available; but, he does remember the commissary was located where the 436th Mission Support Group commander's building stands now in Bldg. 519.

Another big difference between now and then is there were three separate clubs on base -- Airman, NCO and Officers Clubs.

Mr. Dutton's single days in the dorms came to an end in 1975, when he married Linda, a fellow Delaware native who had a four-year-old daughter.

That same year, the newlyweds were assigned to Sembach Air Base, Germany, where Mr. Dutton reached the grade of E-4, known as a "buck sergeant." He said he performed the same types of Comm Center duties as he did back at Dover AFB.

His son was born overseas, and his daughter was born while on leave in Missouri, following their three-year tour in Germany.

After a two-year stint at Vandenberg AFB, Calif., where then Staff Sgt. Dutton worked in the Comm Center again, the family returned to the "First State" in July 1981, when Dutton's enlistment was up.
"By the time I had left active duty, there still weren't any computers - at least not in my work areas," said Mr. Dutton, who wanted to continue serving his country.

He signed-up as a traditional reservist with the 512th Military Airlift Wing in 1982. As a reservist, he was assigned to the same Comm Center he first started out in. This time around he said he spent more time as a "jack of all trades" and "additional duties guru."

In the civilian sector, Mr. Dutton worked inside Dover Downs, before it became a casino. There was only a horse track and race track he said. While his office was located there, he said he spent most of his time traveling the state installing burglar and fire alarms.

Considering better money and more benefits, Mr. Dutton became an Air Reserve Technician in 1985, a position he held for about nine years. Only a few of the Airmen he supervised are still in the wing today. They include Senior Master Sgt. Jeff Franklin, Master Sgt. Kim Snyder and Tech. Sgt. Carol Mason.

It was during that time when Mr. Dutton remembers being handed his first computer.

"I didn't have a clue," he said. "I thought 'uh-ok', here's this big box, now what? I didn't know how to start it up or anything. I also thought 'give me back my typewriter.'"

Contrary to popular belief, Mr. Dutton said in the beginning, computers didn't make life any easier, especially since not too many people knew how to use them.

"They were first looked upon as big door stops because of their size," he added.

The first word processor he said he used took an 8-inch disc; the Z-100s and Z-150s soon followed.

"There was one computer person on active duty," said then Master Sgt. Dutton who was the only ART for the Comm Flight. "Between that guy and my squadron commander Maj. Albert Severn, they got me up to speed on working with computers."

He continued working in this capacity until about 1993-1994, when the 512th Communications Flight relocated to Langley AFB, Va., where the unit eventually evolved into the 622nd Communications Flight, which is currently a geographically separated unit of the 512th AW.

Since there was no longer a communications flight in the Liberty Wing and he was no longer a part of the ART program, Sergeant Dutton spent his last year in the military drilling at McGuire AFB, N.J. While he spent his weekends in the "Garden State," he began working as a Department of Defense civilian, as a system administrator for the 512th AW.

Master Sgt. Dutton retired from the Air Force Reserve in 1995 before it became the Air Force's ninth major command. His son had just graduated from Smyrna High School, where his daughter would eventually graduate from as well.

Over the next few years, computer technology continued to develop, and Mr. Dutton said he was a graduate of the "school of hard knocks."

"Sure, I attended some training classes," he said. "But, for the most part, it was trial and error. We just figured it out and made it happen."

That was the case for something many today would say they could not live without.

He said some of the older guys might remember something called "Happy Mail."

Dover AFB's first network operating system with e-mail was Banyan Vines. Its e-mail program featured a little yellow circle with a smiley face.

Mr. Dutton remembered this was one of the avenues that brought Team Dover closer together as senior leaders from the 512th and 436th AWs could better communicate with each other.

With such fast developing technology, many would've bailed years ago; but, the wing's first computer guy adapted each and every time, learning about each new gadget, system and program. From hardware and software to cables and cords, Mr. Dutton managed it.

In 1995, Margaret Whitman was the 512th Mission Support Group commander's secretary, and she said she remembers Al pulling her through the MS Dos days.

"I remember there was this new program I had to start using for orders," she said. "By myself, I spent all day and a lot of tears for just one order. I would've been lost without him."

Master Sgt. Joseph Campaniello, assigned to the 512th Security Forces Squadron in 1998, remembers how Mr. Dutton was their only computer contact.

"At that time, we had maybe four computers for the whole squadron -- one printer, and I think a scanner, he said. "And, Al was the guy we called for all of them."

From managing the server and network to computer repair and client support, Mr. Dutton has come a long way since the days of a computerless Air Force.

One of the biggest changes Mr. Dutton recently pulled the wing through was the base's migration to Air Force Network Operations, a service-wide cyber operations transformation, which established a centralized user directory and e-mail service for all AF network users.

Following that accomplishment in 2010, Mr. Dutton said it's been fun, but it's time to go.

When he retires for the second time March 31, the question is whether or not he'll hang up his keys for good.

Mr. Dutton replied, "I'm not hanging them up for good; but, since I'm not going to need access to various offices and comm closets on base, they're definitely going to get a whole lot lighter."