GFAFB claims oldest Airman

  • Published
  • By 2nd Lt. Anastasia Wasem
  • 319th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
GRAND FORKS AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. --  The chief of the medical staff at Grand Forks Air Force Base is the oldest active-duty Airman in the Air Force.

According to the Air Force Personnel Center, at the young age of 68, Lt. Col. Daniel N. Kulund, 319th Medical Group, is the oldest active-duty Airman.

"I didn't feel old until I found that out," said Colonel Kulund upon receiving the news.

Anyone that knows Colonel Kulund knows that he has an interesting story to tell. He claims that his walls tell the story. Almost every inch of wall in his office is filled with a picture, plaque or newspaper article spanning his 42 years as a surgeon and an officer.

In 1967, while attending the George Washington University School of Medicine, Colonel Kulund was about to be drafted. As an aspiring medical student, he already had an internship lined up at Rhode Island Hospital and Brown University, Providence R.I., that the Air Force allowed him to take in return for two years of service later. In 1973, he commissioned as a major and was assigned to Langley AFB, Va. Colonel Kulund is an orthopedic surgeon by trade.

After two years of service, he separated from the Air Force and worked eight years as an assistant professor of orthopedics at the University of Virginia and 10 years in private practice. Eighteen years later, as empty nest syndrome set in, Colonel Kulund decided to join the Air Force again. In 1993 he was sworn in as a lieutenant colonel.

Even at his age, Colonel Kulund is still an example of youth. Since being stationed at Grand Forks AFB in 2007, he has continued his passion for physical training that he says he developed in high school. Every time he leaves his office he does an exercise to wake himself up and keep in shape.

Colonel Kulund has also developed what he calls a "fighting stick." The fighting stick is an idea that has gained Air Force wide attention as a tool to help Airmen be able to handle the weight and length of an M-16 rifle. The stick is a 40 inch long, 10 pound hollow plastic pipe filled with sand. The fighting stick, along with 15 exercises and defensive fighting drills that Colonel Kulund also developed, has become a staple exercise program at Grand Forks AFB.

"Being old is a state of mind," Colonel Kulund said. "If you get the urge to make a snowball, you're still young."

Colonel Kulund plans to retire after his 70th birthday with 20 years of service.