72nd ABW/SC director moving on

Published Sept. 20, 2013
By Mike W. Ray
Tinker Public Affairs

TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- James "Mike" Doolin will step down in November after three years and four months as director of the Communications Directorate and deputy chief information officer of the 72nd Air Base Wing.

His last day at Tinker will be Nov. 2. However, even though he has 37 years of military and civilian federal service, he won't actually retire. Rather than taking up fishing at a lake, or a rocking chair on a veranda, Mr. Doolin will assume a job as branch chief of Cyberplans at the U.S. Transportation Command headquarters at Scott AFB, Ill.
"I am an Air Force Reserve officer; I still enjoy being in uniform," he said. "And I was asked" to take the USTRANSCOM job. "There's a need."

Before transferring to Tinker, Mr. Doolin spent four years at USTRANSCOM: initially as deputy chief of the Architecture and Technical Integration Division, and later as chief of the Chief Information Officer Support and Distribution Portfolio Management Division.
Another factor in his decision to join USTRANSCOM full-time is that he and his wife have two sons and a grandson in Illinois.

Mr. Doolin obviously has developed quite a reputation. He was approached last fall about taking a post in the Pentagon, but declined the offer.

Eventually he'd like to teach at a community college. "I'd consider teaching almost any kind of class," he said, but he'd prefer night classes whose students are young adults who work during the day. "They want to be in class, because they want to learn," he explained. "Maybe I could guide some young folks who are receptive to what I have to offer as a mentor."

When asked about his accomplishments, he deflected the question and said simply, "I have had the honor and privilege of leading people. I was fortunate that the Air Force presented opportunities for me in that regard."

In fact, Mr. Doolin considers himself "the poster child for opportunities." In his first job as a civil servant, "I started as a temporary laborer, weed-whacking and landscaping at Pearl Harbor," he recalled. Hard work and education "have been the key" to his advancements, he contends.

"Mike Doolin hit Tinker AFB running and hasn't stopped," said Brenda Hill, deputy director of the 72nd ABW Communications Directorate. "To me and to the SC family he is many things: a leader, always ensuring each member knows that his or her contributions are valued; a mentor, encouraging each to stay the course and improve every chance you get; and finally a friend, he'd do anything he could for any of us. I thank him for sharing all that he has brought to Team Tinker."

During his career Mr. Doolin has experienced "a lot of transitions," from stationary, rotary dial telephones to mobile 'smartphones', for example. The pace of change today is exponential, he noted. "The challenge is to keep up with progress."

He said he was drawn to IT and communications because, "I wanted to serve my country and I wanted to do something that would be a springboard, a smart career move."

Friends and recruiters "told me I had an aptitude for communications," and electronics "just resonated with me."

So he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps, and was graduated from Ground Radio Repair School in California. Later he attended the Radio Frequency Management School at Keesler AFB, Miss., and he earned a bachelor's degree in electronics engineering technology at Wayland Baptist University.

Subsequently he earned a master's degree in administration from Central Michigan University, graduated from the Defense Leadership and Management Program, and received a Master of Strategic Studies degree at the Air War College at Maxwell AFB, Ala.

Mr. Doolin's military career has included four years active duty in the Marine Corps, 16 years in the Hawaii Air National Guard, and 14 years in the Air Force Reserve. More than three decades later he still bears the look of a Marine, in his haircut and his physique.
From his office in Bldg. 3705, a window looks out on the sprawling east side of Bldg. 3001. From that vantage point, "I can see what our people in the Communications Directorate support." The United States military is "a place where, regardless of your background or where you came from, if you're dedicated to serving your country, the sky's the limit," he said.

"I'm blessed and extremely proud to have served with the women and men of the 72nd Communications Directorate," Mr. Doolin said. "I've been fortunate to have worked with very smart, caring individuals who always support the mission of Team Tinker regardless of the challenge at hand. They've made my Tinker and Oklahoma experience one that I'll smile fondly upon and never forget. Oklahoma will always be one of the few places I'll proudly call home, and it's because of the spirit of the people who live and prosper here."