Retired brigadier general nears second retirement after 46 years

  • Published
  • By Air Force Tech. Sgt. Robert Barnett
  • JBER Public Affairs
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska --  In 1969, Richard Nixon became president of the United States. Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin became the first humans to set foot on the moon.
And the U.S. continued a draft lottery during the Vietnam War when men of draft age had to register with the Selective Service System in case they were needed.

David Glines, today a retired Army National Guard brigadier general about to retire from another civilian career, chose to follow in his father's military footsteps and enlisted in the Army.

It was a slightly different path than his father, Air Force Col. Carroll Glines, had taken who had recently retired as Alaskan Command's Chief of Public Affairs.

"At the time, and after attending two years of college, I was not enrolled in (school) and I just decided to enlist rather than get drafted," said David Glines, today an administrative analyst for the 673d Comptroller Squadron at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. "I wanted to see where it would take me."

He chose a career as a helicopter mechanic and graduated from Army Initial Entry Training at Fort Benning, Georgia, and Army Aviation School at Fort Rucker, Alabama.

After completing the enlisted schools, another opportunity arose for him.

"At the time, they needed infantry officers, so I applied and went there," he said.

In February of 1970, David graduated from Infantry Officers Candidate School at Fort Benning, Georgia.

"I'd gotten myself engaged to be married," he said. "I just looked at life and it was an opportunity. They were in need of platoon leaders for Vietnam. I wanted to do something more than I was doing at the time."

After commissioning and graduating from the Basic Airborne Course, Glines was able to choose his first assignment. He chose to return to Alaska.

"They were just things I felt I wanted to do," he said. "They were conscious decisions. I loved Alaska and wanted to stay in Alaska. It just made sense. I came back here with the intent to get out eventually."

Glines spent the next few years his assignments were as a cavalry platoon leader and assistant personnel offficer at Fort Richardson, and as a custodian of non-appropriated funds.

He also was stationed at Camp Casey, Korea, as an armor platoon leader for the 1st Battalion, 72nd Armor Regiment, 1st Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division.

"I was very young in my career then," he said. "It was a good learning process and an excellent foundation to build any career path. Leading, being responsible and accountable are life-long lessons.

"Much of what I've learned today started in those four-plus years of active duty. In a lot of ways, I wish I could relive it - but life goes on."
After returning home to Alaska in 1973, he separated from active duty.

"I was able to get a career with the General Electric Company," he said. "And I also joined the Army National Guard as well.

"The National Guard is a diverse organization with a state, as well as a federal mission. It's a complex service, funded through different sources with a variety of missions.

"It was professional but a little more laid-back," he said. "The Vietnam War was winding down and many former active duty Soldiers joined the Guard. I met a wide variety of people."

Over the next 25 years, Glines continued to conduct both careers.

From 1974 to 1984, he served in various officer positions before taking command of the 5th Battalion, 297th Infantry.

His next command position came in 1993 with the 2nd Battalion (Scout), 297th Infantry, that included serving in Bethel, Alaska and later as the commander of the 207th Infantry Group (Scout).

"There were a lot of hard days, but no bad days," he said. "I enjoyed working with the troops. I had positions of leadership I hope benefited them as it did me.

"It was a great assignment with great people. I enjoyed being out there with them.  It was an outstanding assignment and experience teaching the Soldiers, and in turn they taught me their lifestyle and the local culture. They even made me an honorary Eskimo scout."

In 2001, Glines retired from the military as an ARNG brigadier general.

In 2002, he took a job with Federal Express in Anchorage, where he would work in customer service and hazardous goods management for the next five years.

Finally, in 2007, the retired general started working for the Department of the Army again - in resource management at Fort Richardson.

Several years ago, he attended a U.S. Army Alaska ceremony when he ran into an old friend - Marc Coulombe, today  his civilian supervisor, who had once served under Glines in the ARNG.

Coulombe offered Glines the resource management position, he said "He's been a tremendous asset, as you can imagine," said Coulombe, 673d CPTS support agreement manager.

In 2010, under the Joint Basing Initiative, Glines made the move to the Department of the Air Force.

"I came here because the opportunity happened to present itself," he said. "It was an opportunity to serve again. I love being around Soldiers and Airmen. It's an opportunity to work directly with and serve the command again."

Glines said there are some advantages to not holding a leadership position. 

"In fact, it's quite a liberating experience. I don't have to carry a Blackberry; I'm not on a tether in that regard."
Now he has his eye on another retirement.

"I'm happy; there comes a point in time when it's time to go," he said. "I just need to go off and do what retirees should be doing.

"My wife of 45 years and I want to do a little more traveling; I'm just about ready. We'll see."