Deputy base engineer retires after 33 years federal service

  • Published
  • By Capt. Will Powell
  • 7th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
DYESS AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  1975 was a good year. Gas cost less than 60 cents per gallon, the average price of a new home was around $39,000, and the U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War officially ended. It also marked the year when one Dyess civilian began his federal career that would eventually span more than three decades. 

But after 33 years of faithful service, Dyess prepares to bid farewell to Michael Schultz, 7th Civil Engineer Squadron deputy commander, who is scheduled to retire at 3:30 p.m. Aug. 1 at the Hangar Center. 

Mr. Schultz spent more than 20 years of his federal career at Dyess, and he first arrived in 1979 when the base looked much more "institutional," he said. The base has since made a night-and-day transformation. 

During the past three decades here, Mr. Schultz has witnessed and assisted with many structural and aesthetic improvements to most of the buildings, the construction of more than $200 million worth of new facilities with the help of Texas Congressional Delegation, and let much of Dyess' undeveloped land "return to nature" by limiting base mowing. 

"(Dyess is) actually quite different, and I think much better," said Mr. Schultz, referring to the progress the base has made from when he first remembered it. 

Ron Miller, 7th Contracting Squadron infrastructure flight chief, agreed and attributed many of Dyess' quality of life improvements to Mr. Schultz. 

"The infrastructure is some of the best in the Air Force, and this is due to the expert design and the foresight of Mr. Schultz who looked forward and made decisions that will affect Dyess for years to come," said Mr. Miller, who has known Mr. Schultz for 23 years. 

Mr. Schultz said one of his greatest honors during his career here was being a team member involved with the B-1B bomber achieving initial operational capability in 1985, and successfully managing the $83 million in new facilities to support the bed down of the new jet from 1983 to 1986. 

"Many folks spend an entire Air Force career never experiencing a major new weapon bed down, and I feel fortunate to have been directly involved with seeing it to fruition," he said. 

Mr. Schultz also said his fondest memory of his career was watching Dyess' first B-1, known as the "Star of Abilene," fly over the base for the first time prior to landing on June 29, 1985. He watched from the flightline with his family. 

"My sons were only 3 and 6 at the time, and are now grown men," he said. "It impressed them probably even more than me. I still have my VIP pass from that day." 

Few Dyess civilians have spent as much time working here as Mr. Schultz, and his expertise and continuity has been vital to Dyess' success, said Lt. Col. Chris Womack, 7th Mission Support Group deputy commander and former 7th CES commander. 

"Mike Schultz has been a great asset for the 7th Civil Engineer Squadron, Dyess Air Force Base, and the city of Abilene," said the colonel. "His knowledge of past events and current issues greatly enhanced our ability to execute new construction and maintain the installation. It was awesome to have him as my deputy for the past two years. It takes a special person to remain with an organization for the amount of time he has, and still work as hard as he does. We will miss him immensely."