RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas –
His master sergeant father stood on the steps in the shadow of the iconic Taj Majal in December, 1967 for his retirement ceremony. Now all these years later, the colonel did the same thing.
Col. Timothy Swinney retired from the Air Force after 33 years of service, which includes active duty enlisted and officer, fighter jet and cargo aircraft pilot, squadron commander, military training instructor, Texas National Guard and reservist.
Surrounded by his mother, brothers and children on a crisp, bright morning, the presiding officer of the ceremony, Maj. Gen. Jack Ramsaur, Air Education and Training Command, presented Colonel Swinney with his retirement citation in the same place Master Sgt. Raymond Swinney, 405S Field Training Detachment did 43 years earlier.
"My immediate family has been in the Air Force since it existed," Colonel Swinney said.
That is no exaggeration. Colonel Swinney said his father was in the Army Air Force when it became a separate military branch in 1947 and he transitioned to the Air Force.
Military service is something of a family tradition for the Swinneys. His brother joined the Air Force through the delayed enlistment program in August 1969 and separated as a staff sergeant in 1986. His son, Tech. Sgt. Kyle Swinney, spent six years in the Army before joining the Air Force Reserve, where he works as a recruiter for the 433rd Recruiting Squadron.
"It's a very proud day," said Ebiline Swinney, Colonel Swinney's mother about the second retirement she's witnessed at Randolph.
Colonel Swinney's career spanned more than just time and his accomplishments have been notable. He was Airman of the Year in 1979 at Bergstrom Air Force Base, Texas and Company Grade Officer of the Year in 1994 at Kelly Air Force Base, Texas.
He received his commission in July 1983 as a distinguished graduate of the Academy of Military Science, McGhee-Tyson Air National Guard Base, Tenn.
Colonel Swinney wore the campaign hat of a military training instructor at Lackland Air Force Base, teaching trainees to salute officers and how to be strong Airmen. Later, he was commander of the 433rd Training Squadron, a reservist MTI squadron that works seamlessly with their active-duty counterparts, and the one receiving the salutes.
Change and versatility didn't end with his retirement.
Although Colonel Swinney is retiring from his military career, his doesn't plan to retire from the working world. "I'm going to take a month off to enjoy life and then back into the business world, which I did years ago," he said.
He said he wants to travel and study for a while before heading back to work in the insurance industry where he worked for 15 years while he was a traditional reservist, serving a weekend a month, 15 days of annual tour and other duties.
"I'm glad I could have ended my career here at Randolph," the colonel said with grin as he stood gathered with his family in the increasing sunlight.