By: Sinclair Johnson-Knight
At the age of 17, Dana Long had no plans after high school. She knew that she needed to start a career, and had considered joining the Navy, but her mother had other plans. “In my senior year, she signed me up for the Air Force behind my father’s back,” Dana started cheerfully. At the time, going to college right after high school was not an option.
Having grown up in a military family, Dana attributes her strong personality and work ethic to her upbringing. “My parents taught me to always do my best, to not let others’ problems become my own, and to lead by example,” she explained.
When asked if she experienced adversity while serving, Dana reflected that when she did, her gender or race was never the first thing that came to mind. However, she went on to share some challenges she encountered as a female doing things others were not.
For example, Dana married and started a family during her second duty assignment, while balancing a full college load. She worked at the base gym part-time as an aerobics instructor to pay for her tuition and textbooks. She explained that she was driven to succeed by the doubts of others, including her male colleagues. “I started questioning myself a lot,” she shared. “But then I just decided I had to do it afraid.”
“I was respected in the military until I wanted to be different.”
Dana strove to integrate her whole life, despite pressure to do otherwise. “With only 75 percent of my tuition covered and limited childcare, I had no choice but to take our small daughter to my college and aerobics classes.”
Despite these difficulties, Dana went on to graduate from Community College of the Air Force and Columbia College in 1993. She went on to complete her Master’s degree from Webster University 1995. “My husband and daughter were my greatest cheerleaders during that time,” Dana shared proudly. “They kept me grounded in spite of the intense pressure I was under to conform.” Her family helped her to remember that she was worthy of the opportunity, and she eventually stopped comparing her to others. “My tenacity earned me that success,” she reflected.
When Dana decided to transition from the military to the civilian workforce, she was selected to work at the Department of the Army. “The skills that I had learned and maintained while in the Air Force were essential and easily transferred over to civilian jobs,” Dana stated. “Abilities such as loyalty, honesty, getting the job done, and delivering bad news fast were all necessary in order to succeed.” Dana also credits much of her growth to her second line supervisor, Mr. Emile Baladi. “He saw me as a valued team member, worthy of his trust, and took pure delight in teaching me,” she explained.
However, Dana struggled with confidence when transitioning to the civilian world. “Going into civilian land was scary, because you knew people were watching closely,” she explained. “I left the comfort of the military to go into civil service where you could be easily released.”
“It was like walking a tightrope without a net.”
It was also difficult for Dana to find groups such as the Command Presence Foundation to help guide her through her transition to the civilian world. However, she was able to lean on her military community even after she retired. In the military, Dana accumulated a list of connections spanning back to her high school days that she called her “Christmas List.” This list gradually accumulated well over 600 people, and was a great comfort to her when she lost her husband in 2003, and then retired in 2005.
“Every year, I would send everyone on that list a Christmas or holiday card, which in turn gifted me with many phone calls when my husband passed away, giving me more strength and hope,” she expressed.
She also gained strength from her spirituality. “I found my faith, which brought everything home, and helped me to be a better wife, mother, and friend,” she explained.
“This spiritual growth helped me to understand who I was, what was out there, and that I was able to make the military’s mission my own.”
Despite finding comfort in her faith and self-confidence, Dana struggled to find people she could share the experience with. Most of her friends were still on active duty, and were confused by her decision to leave. “I found that my command presence changed over time as I hit these major life milestones, and if I hadn’t had certain people in my life, I certainly would not be where I am today,” Dana continued.
“I’ve had a lot of ups and downs during my transition period, from comparing myself to others to finding inspiration through others,” she continued. “I struggled with my confidence, as well as finding groups to support me through my journey. At times, it felt like people were just waiting for me to fail. But at the same time, when I looked to others, it was an inspiration to do more.”
Throughout her admirable and fascinating career, Dana has worked for the Air Force Office of Special Investigations (during 9/11), Department of Justice, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Defense, Department of Housing and Urban Development (during the housing crisis in 2008), and the Department of Homeland Security (to include the United States Coast Guard and Secret Service). She is an active member in her community working with seniors and children. She also works with Next Generation Wealth Building, an organization that shares wealth building knowledge.
Dana finally decided to retire from the Department of Homeland Security in February of 2020, saying, “I didn’t know if I wanted to call it retirement or transition. Let’s call it Freedom.”