Moody Afb Ga

Reservist Reenlists After 19-Year Break

VALDOSTA, Ga. -- Nineteen years after separating from the active duty Air Force, Scott Long enlisted into the Reserves. Now he's Staff Sgt. Long, with the 476th Maintenance Squadron as a fuel systems craftsman.

Sergeant Long's son, U.S. Army 2nd Lt. Brandon Long, 1-169 Aviation Support Battalion liaison officer, presided over the ceremony July 28.

"When I decided to reenlist, I was looking into the future," said Sergeant Long, who is now 51. "I always regretted getting out, even though it was the right decision at the time."

"What makes Sergeant Long a special case is that he has a 19-year break in service," said Tech. Sgt. Jeffrey Walker, Eastern Recruiting Squadron line recruiter. "He will bring back knowledge and heritage to the newer generation of Airmen."

Lieutenant Long was happy to have the chance to preside over his father's reenlistment ceremony.

"It's a special event, and a rare opportunity to do a reenlistment ceremony as a young officer, especially for my father," he said. "I'm really happy for him. He has been talking about reenlisting for a long time, and he is happy to have the chance to serve his country again."

The lieutenant, who is currently waiting to leave for pilot training, was commissioned in May 2011 during a ceremony where his father pinned his rank on.

"It has been a dream of mine to serve in the military ever since I was young," Lieutenant Long said. "I really wanted to join the Air Force, but my college only had an Army ROTC program. I got a slot for pilot training in the Army, and I have always wanted to fly so it didn't matter which service.

"My father's service definitely influenced my decision to join the military," he added. "It's a family legacy. His father was a Marine in World War II and my other grandfather was in the Navy."

At more than 50 years old and 19 years after leaving active duty, Sergeant Long faced challenges when reenlisting.

"The biggest challenge in reenlisting after all this time was making sure I was physically fit," he said. "You also have to make sure you are still medically qualified."

Only a few months after his son's commissioning and 19 years after leaving active duty, Sergeant Long chose to once again put on a uniform and serve in the Air Force.

"I am just proud to have the opportunity to serve my country again, and contribute more than just my tax dollars.

MWDTSA Updates, photos and events: A Memorial to Mike "Shorty ...

A way to keep up with the most recent events of the Military Working Dog Team Support Association. (Please remember all posts and photos are copyrighted and permission should be obtained prior using, unless specifically noted as released.) Photos of dogs and handlers do not indicate, in any manner, specific support of MWDTSA. Support by the military of MWDTSA or any other organization is not allowed under rules of conduct. ie. They love us, but they just can't say so ; ) Staff Sgt. Charles Mike Long, 30, had served a combat tour as a dog handler in Iraq as well as serving in Korea, Kosovo and Turkey. He died in a motorcycle accident Sept. 3, 2007, in Georgia. He was a K-9 handler with the 822nd SFS and then transferred to the 824th SFS stationed at Moody Air Force Base in Valdosta, Georgia. At Lackland Air Force Base he was the team leader of Specialized Search Dog Team #2. He spearheaded the research of the Vietnam War’s sentry dog Nemo and raised funds for the Nemo memorial at Lackland Air Force Base. From a personal perspective, I loved Mike's "joie de vivre" He wasn't a man of great height, but I refused to call him Shorty, his nickname. He kept everyone in stitches with his antics and I'm sure he was a bit rowdy, but I loved him. A mutual friend talked about the time that Mike and some of the other handlers were doing a fundraiser to get funds for the Nemo War Dog Memorial in San Antonio's Lackland AFB. They did a car wash and Mike donned a Speedo and apparently had women slamming on the breaks to stop and have their cars washed. The police finally came and told him he'd have to change because he was causing a traffic problem. That was Mike. I was able to attend his memorial at Moody AFB and was stunned by the over flowing crowd present. Everyone loved him. On my way back home I stopped at a no -name gas station in the middle of no where and for one of a handful of times used my credit card at the pump. The receipt came back "Thanks for visiting Shorty's." I left in tears. Miss you everyday Mike.

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