Sun sets on former vice commander's career after nearly three decades

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Terri Barriere
  • 49th Fighter Wing Public Affairs office
HOLLOMAN AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. --  After nearly 26 years of service, Col. David Moore, former vice wing commander, hung up his flight suit in a retirement ceremony here July 6. 

As an English major, the colonel's goals when he first came in were to learn how to fly, sky dive and write a book. As luck would have it, the only thing he said he was qualified to do was be a pilot. 

After entering the service as a pilot, Colonel Moore set new goals for himself - all of which he achieved. Among those goals were becoming a graduate of fighter weapons school, becoming a squadron commander, flying in combat and working at the Pentagon. Becoming a vice wing commander was just the icing on the cake. 

"Being the vice commander at Holloman was a dream come true," he said. 

A dream the colonel was able to make a reality with the help of a person he names as one of his three best bosses - Brig. Gen. David Goldfein, the 49th Fighter Wing commander. 

He made leadership look so easy, yet we all know it's not, the colonel said. It was leaders like that, which made it easy for the colonel to stay in so long. 

"It's not that I planned to stay around that long, I was just having a good time," said the colonel. "The Air Force felt like home ... I was making a difference." 

But after nearly three decades of "a good time" the colonel finally decided it was time to retire. 

"I decided to retire because I have achieved everything in the Air Force I possibly could and more," he said. "It's time to move on to the civilian world and the next chapter in my life." 

The colonel plans to take the summer off to read, think, walk on the beach and decide what he will do next. 

"I will plan the course I want to take next thoughtfully and deliberately," he said. "It has been an honor to serve with the men and women at Holloman Air Force Base. Now, as the F-117s fly into the sunset, I am choosing this time to do the same."