JOINT BASE MYER-HENDERSON HALL, Va. – It was a rainy Friday morning on April 28, with sounds of The U.S. Army Band “Pershing’s Own” practicing in the background, as Col. David Bowling sat down to reflect on his time as the commander of Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall.
“I really loved being a part of the team here at the joint base.”
Bowling took command May 6, 2021, during a global pandemic.
Coincidentally, that public health emergency ended May 11, 2023, just two weeks before he turned over command of the joint base.
Bowling said it’s the team, not a single person, that keeps the joint base running and the mission intact.
“I am very fortunate to have the opportunity to serve in this position, because it has provided me a profound understanding of the importance of our Department of the Army civilian workforce and the contributions that team makes daily.”
There are a lot of big tasks on an installation commander’s plate.
The joint base supports more than 160,000 people, providing critical services from housing and barracks to childcare and installation infrastructure for service members, veterans, families and Department of Defense civilians.
Bowling, who comes from a Special Forces background, said what surprised him the most about his time as joint base commander was the complexity of the operating environment.
“Never before have I served in a position that required as much awareness and participation at the tactical, operational and strategic level,” Bowling said. “Sometimes you are involved in the resourcing and construction of a new barracks project, and then sometimes you’re involved in conversations with folks from the Pentagon in response to language that was written in the National Defense Authorization Act.”
Bowling went on to say that understanding the mission of Installation Management Command, senior command and having the Army brigade commander perspective can be complex, and finding balance is challenging.
Even though there are many challenges being the commander, there are some perks as well, and working with the team is a highlight for Bowling.
“There is nothing more exciting than watching the team in action,” he said. “Watching them come up with creative solutions to quickly solve problems and help the people we serve on the joint base – whether that is helping a family through the Exceptional Family Member Program process or trying to get a pay increase for our direct care workers at the child care center – anytime we can do something that results in helping someone out and take care of them, that was always pretty joyful.”
When asked what accomplishment he is most proud of during his time as the joint base commander, he said it’s not a “thing” that was most rewarding for him but rather being a part of a team that solved what sometimes seemed like impossible problems.
Bowling’s next assignment, although only a short distance away, will allow him to marry up his two great loves: Special Operations and the Army.
“I will be going to the Pentagon to work on the Army staff, and I am looking forward to it,” he said. “It is going to afford me the opportunity to continue to understand and participate in some of the priorities of the Special Operations community while being able to operate as an Army officer on the Army staff.”
When Bowling makes the move to the Pentagon, there is something he will take with him that was reinforced on the joint base – the continued importance of effective communication.
“Our ability to communicate effectively directly correlates to mission success,” Bowling said. “When I go to my next job and for the rest of my career, I am going to ensure is that I am part of a process that ensures effective communication. To the extent we can do that, we will win; we will accomplish the mission.”
Before leaving, Bowling had some parting words for the joint base team.
“The Army Chief of Staff’s motto is ‘People First, Winning Matters, Army Strong.’ I would just offer that same thing to our teammates here,” Bowling said. “There is nothing more important than the people with whom we work. It has been my experience, and I firmly believe that if we take care of each other, then everything else is going to take care of itself.”
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