Photo By Diana Nesukh | David Dentino is the Deputy Director of Civil Engineers and the Deputy Chief of Staff...... read more read more
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To the Air Force, Robert Lee Dentino was an accomplished pilot. To his son, David Dentino, he was a role model, teacher and a father.
Starting as a bomber navigator, Robert earned his wings during the Vietnam War and served for 25 years before retiring as a lieutenant colonel in 1986. He displayed the strength and patience it takes to be in the Air Force wholeheartedly. In one particular instance, he was on alert duty in a bomber during the Cuban Missile Crisis. He had to sit on the tarmac with his aircraft engine running in case the crisis escalated, and he had to take action. “My dad taught me that you don’t have to be loud and in somebody’s face to be successful,” said David Dentino.
Patience was what made Robert a great teacher. Dentino vividly remembers learning to operate a car and an airplane from his father. The first was driving a stick shift at a young age at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii, which is now Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii. “We drove all over the base and he just quietly encouraged me,” Dentino said.
A core principle Dentino was taught by his father is not to wait for the “right time” to do something. After Robert rented a Cessna airplane at Wheeler Army Air Station, Hawaii, Dentino remembers taking over the controls with his father by his side, teaching him how to fly. “He never acted nervous, but I was scared to death,” Dentino said. His father was always a calming presence and never pushed his advice onto Dentino. Instead, he would patiently wait for his son to ask for help if needed.
While his upbringing was full of fond memories with his father, Dentino also recognizes unique challenges that ultimately shaped the outlook of his life. One of those challenges was growing up in a military family that moved around a lot. The toughest move came when he was between his sophomore and junior years of high school but it was also what prompted Dentino to begin swimming again and eventually led to swimming for the University of Texas. Dentino credits the hardships and his father’s example for making him more resilient.
That resilience has followed Dentino throughout his life. Today, he is a member of the senior executive service and serves as the Deputy Director of Civil Engineers and the Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics, Engineering, and Force Protection based at the Pentagon.
| Date Taken: | 01.31.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 01.31.2023 11:52 |
| Story ID: | 437527 |
| Location: | DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, US |
| Web Views: | 349 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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