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The Road to ITS: Diane Strong

July 9, 2008 at 9:57 am | In Features, People

She was a Staff Sergeant in the Air Force Reserves and the crew chief of a cargo and air refueler KC-10 aircraft. She helped ensure that F-16s got to their destination - a 15 hour non-stop flight to Saudi Arabia - for their Gulf War mission. She watched from just 15 feet away as the F-16s were refueled mid-air every 20 minutes while traveling 500 mph. She’s traveled to Saudi Arabia, Italy, Spain, Hawaii, England, Japan and Wake Island.

She has also served at Carolina for 28 years. She is Diane Strong.

Diane Strong was bred, if not born, in Chatham County.

“I know with my accent, people find it hard to believe, but I was actually born in New Kensington, Pennsylvania. When I was two, we moved to Durham and then three years later to Chatham County and I’ve been there ever since and love it,” said Strong.

In 1980, Strong went to work as a temp at Carolina straight from high school.

“I was the only one of three siblings to finish high school,” explains Strong. “We just weren’t raised to expect that we would go to college. My brothers are now successful businessmen, but college wasn’t in the cards for us back then.”

Strong moved from temp to clerk to office manager, starting at Physicians and Associates, eventually moving to the Property Office and Facilities Services. Then, in 1993, she joined what later became ITS as a Human Resources Specialist.

“And I’ve been here ever since,” said Strong.

In 1990, Strong joined the Air Force Reserves.

“Basic training was hell. Fifty women started the training, only 27 graduated,” said Strong. “I was 29 years old, most of the others were just 18 or 19, but I made it through.”

After five months of training, Strong was called up in November 1990 to serve in the Gulf War. Stationed at March Air Force Base in California, she served as crew chief, responsible for ensuring that her aircraft was mechanically sound for take-off and landing.

“I’ll never forget visiting Saudi Arabia. I had never been outside the United States and it really opened my eyes,” explains Strong.

It may have been her first time abroad, but not her last. Extensive travels and experiences across the world followed.

“In Saudi, we rode on a bus with curtains so that we couldn’t be seen. Being an American there was dangerous,” said Strong. “I have wonderful memories of Wake Island. We went fishing and caught a bunch of fish that we were about to cook and eat when we discovered that they were poisonous.”

Strong said she made lifelong friends and loved every minute of her six years in the Reserves.

In 1996, she became pregnant with her son.

“The Colonel asked me to stay on, but I decided not to reenlist,” explained Strong.
Strong lives in Chatham County in a house built by her parents and surrounded by five acres, a menagerie of cats and dogs and most importantly, her 12 year-old son, Holden.

“I guess I’m a country girl,” laughed Strong. “After a hectic day at work, I love sitting on my front porch and listening to the quiet.”

Strong and her son share a love of fishing and with a lake just down the road; they often spend time together with rod in hand.

“I’ve had two major accomplishments in my life: the Air Force Reserves and my son,” said Strong. “Right now, Holden is my focus and my heart. Later there’ll be time for me to do other things, but right now I’m right where I should be, doing just what I should be doing.”