Vice commander retires after 30 years in service

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Shane Dunaway
  • 4th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
SEYMOUR JOHNSON AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. --  Col. Charles Duke III, 4th Fighter Wing vice commander, is retiring after a 30 year journey, which will end close to where it all began. 

Colonel Duke, a Fayetteville, N.C., native, attended college at East Carolina University, where he was awarded an Air Force ROTC scholarship after his first semester. 

"My mom and dad had five kids, so when you go home and tell your dad you've been offered a scholarship to go into Air Force ROTC, you're in whether you wanted to be or not," Colonel Duke said. "When I look back at it, it was a great decision." 

During college, he became well acquainted with Seymour Johnson Air Force Base and the Goldsboro, N.C., area. 

"I was coming through here every other weekend and knew there was an Air Force base here," Colonel Duke said. "I often said it would be nice to be stationed at Seymour Johnson AFB near family and friends." 

After graduating from ECU with a bachelor's degree in business administration and receiving his commission into the Air Force, Colonel Duke was assigned to Mather AFB, Calif., for undergraduate navigator training. 

Once he finished training, he moved on to Cannon AFB, N.M., as a weapons system officer for the F-111D. He served in that capacity for two and a half years, when he was selected to attend pilot training school at Reese AFB, Texas. 

From there, his career took him to various parts of the United States and Europe, including two assignments to Seymour Johnson AFB. 

"It was a dream come true to be able to come back to my home state and fly the F-15E," Colonel Duke said. "My first time here was from 1994 to 1998. It was fun because I was given the opportunity to be a squadron commander with the 335th Fighter Squadron, the Chiefs." 

Having served 30 years in the Air Force, Colonel Duke has had the opportunity to fly many aircraft and see technology progress not only through the air, but outside the field of battle. 

"I hate to say it, but I'm old enough that I remember when I used to do my OPRs and EPRs on the typewriter," Colonel Duke said. 

Over the course of his career, Colonel Duke has had the unwavering support and love of his wife, Sherry, and his three children, Courtney, Chad and Connor.

"I told the wife that if she followed me around for 29-plus years that I would retire anywhere in the country she wanted," Colonel Duke said. "I knew we would probably retire in North Carolina. It didn't have to be in the Goldsboro or Wayne County area, but the downtown folks who support the military so well make you feel so welcome and part of the community, that it was an easy choice."