Contractor retires after 44 years

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Charlie Miller
  • 47th Flying Training Wing public affairs
LAUGHLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  Bob Bishop, program manager of the Engine Regional Repair Center, quietly retired Jan. 15 after 44 years of service.

"This is my second retirement from the Air Force," said Bishop. "I'm going quietly. The first time we had a nice ceremony."

Bishop retired as a colonel in 1992 after commanding the Maintenance Group and the Mission Support Group here.

"I was the director of maintenance at the Air Education and Training Command headquarters at Randolph Air Force Base when I retired from the Air Force. I returned to Laughlin in 1997 to be the program manager at the ERRC," said Bishop.

During his tenure here as a contractor, Bishop, and the civilians he supervised, produced about 8,400 high-quality engines.

"My success was due to the efforts of the dedicated and highly qualified people who worked for me as well as the support from headquarters AETC and their Laughlin counterparts," he said.

"Through the years I have learned that there is no substitute for integrity. That will still be true when I'm long gone," Bishop said.

The 120 member ERRC crew did throw a retirement breakfast for Bishop who said it was just about the level of intensity he could handle.

According to Bishop, maintenance operations have changed dramatically over the years and continue to change almost daily.

"Overall, the maintenance process is a lot more efficient now because of the new technology introduced into our equipment. We can now be more accurate and have a faster turn time on engines," said Bishop.

Bishop, who lives in the Lake Amistad area, plans to stay active with the Del Rio Rotary Club and the Air Force Association. He said he was excited about being fully retired and plans on spending time with his wife of 42 years and their two young grandchildren, much of it on the lake, fishing.