Civil Air Patrol's SMSgt Bob Funk is a legendary Army Air Corps & Air Force lawman

December 2018 Interview by CMSgt Noel Furniss, Air Force Central Command Security Forces (retired) & Civil Air Patrol Rocky Mountain Region Command NCO

The career of law enforcement and intelligence mission specialist Master Sergeant Funk, United States Army Air Corps and United States Air Force (retired), spanned several decades, two wars, and several continents.

Robert (Bob) Bard Funk aka “Funky Bob” was born in Long Beach, California on November 20, 1929 to Agnes Barrett Funk (Oklahoma) and Robert H. Funk, (Ohio). Bob’s father was awarded two Purple Hearts in World War I for combat actions in France. Bob’s paternal cousin, United States Army First Sergeant Leonard Alfred Funk, Jr., was awarded the Medal of Honor for combat actions in WWII. Bob attended California Polytechnic High School, Long Beach, CA during World War II but dropped out in November 1947 to join the Army Air Corps. He has always loved airplanes and anything that involved aircraft. At 13, he and his buddy snuck into Long Beach Army Air Base and were caught by the Military Police playing on a P38 Lightning and a Douglas Dauntless aircraft. Agnes had to pick up the two hooligans at the base brig.

Bob attended boot camp at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas. He had a Regular Army (RA) serial number and graduated from Basic Primary Class 6, flight 2482, in January 1948. His first assignment was at Chanute Air Force Base, Illinois, awaiting a “pipeline assignment.” Bob got his assignment and much to his enjoyment he would be working with front line aircraft. The assignment landed him with the Air Transport Command at Olmsted Air Force Base, Middletown, Pennsylvania.?On-the-Job training prepared Bob as a Load Master on transport aircraft. Bob was working nonstop on Operation Vittles, loading cargo for the Berlin Airlift. His paychecks were burning a hole in his pocket and he soon was riding all over the county on his 1937 Indian Scout motorcycle. Eventually, he need a bigger bike. He had been nicknamed “Motorcycle Bob”.?Bob now was racing around on his 1940 Flat Head Harley tormenting Pennsylvanians.?Bob’s next assignment was in Wyoming at F.E. Warren Air Force Base for formal technical school to become an administrative apprentice, 405 MOS (Military Occupational Specialty), since much of the young Air Force was still using Army terminology). After graduating from Technical School in 1948, he was transferred to Great Falls, Montana.

At Great Falls Air Force Base, Bob was assigned as an Administrator 405 to the newly formed Air Force Office of Special Investigations (OSI) with the 1701st Air Transport Command, which was famous for flying cargo “over the hump” before and during WWII. He now had a Top Secret clearance and was promoted to Corporal, responsible for working with classified reports and security and criminal investigations covering the entire state. During his tenure there, cross-trained into the highly prestigious MOS of 702-70, OSI Administrative Supervisor. At the time of his transfer in 1953, Bob had been promoted to Staff Sergeant and dual-hatted as the Desk Sergeant with Law Enforcement and Special Investigations.

The Air Force transferred Bob from the Regular Army to the Regular Air Force with an AF serial number.?1953 was a big year for Bob. Based on his exemplary performance above and beyond his peers, he was selected to be a special investigator and law enforcement agent at the 1005th Special Investigations Group in Washington, DC next to the US Capital in Building E (easy). Bob attended and graduated from the new six-year-old Special Investigations unit in 1954, class 54C.?He was now a gun-weilding top cop Special Agent armed with his beloved Smith & Wesson Combat Masterpiece 38 Special. Being a fully qualified Special Agent, Bob found himself at the 4th District OSI Detachment at Bowling Air Force Base, Washington, DC conducting backgrounds investigations in the district's roughest areas. He was only 24 years old at this time and one of the youngest agents, which landed him the worst assignments. Bob was commended by Major George R. Smith (serial number 11745a and legendary law man within the Air Force) and given a choice follow-on assignment.

In 1954, Bob was sent to Wiesbaden by ship courtesy of the USNS Upshur and was assigned to Rhein-Main Air Base as the supervisor administrative agent in charge.?An urgent need for an operational agent (aka spy) arose at the former Gestapo headquarters in Wiesbaden Germany where Bob was sent. Bob was a field agent conducting investigations on military personnel which including those marrying German nationals.?Special attention at that time was given to the National Socialist German Workers’ Party members (formerly known as Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or Nazi) sympathizers and former National Socialist German Workers’ Party members and Gestapo spies, along with category 144’s which Bob would not elaborate on. Perfecting his conversational German (language) helped Bob develop informants with villagers and the newly formed German government. Bob developed and worked double agents on the new communist threat. Bob’s area of operations included the northern part of Germany which was called the British zone. He had a fond memory of working with the US Navy on river boats on the Rhine River and remembered they had the best chow hall in Germany.?On one operation, he worked side by side with the Queen of Libya on a counter intelligence mission at the Rhine River area. On another operation, he was an Air Force cop guarding President Eisenhower in Germany where the Secret Service was not present. As a seasoned agent, Bob’s main investigations in Germany included murders, suicides, robberies, smuggling and war crimes. Proud of his law enforcement background and for four years in Germany, Bob wore the American Criminal Police Badge #055. Master Sergeant Funk, with a gleam in his eye, said he was “the law while in Germany.”?

Bob remembers giving his rations to German children, who, in his own words, were starving to death. Using his own name to gain former National Socialist German Workers’ Party member’s confidence, he told them he was related to the former National Socialist German Workers’ Party member, Hitler’s Finance Minister, Walther Funk, which opened the doors to tight-lipped former National Socialist German Workers’ Party members. Bob stressed that the job was crucial as the Korean War was active along with communism and National Socialist German Workers’ Party member sympathizers, and the Air Force stressed extra vigilance in his intelligence gathering.?Bob’s trademark as a cop was to work just as hard to find guilt as for innocence with all his cases.

In 1957 Bob was transferred back to the states with the 15th District OSI in Montana as a Special Agent. His area of operation now included the states of Montana and North Dakota with special consideration and effort on the northern tier Minute Man missiles. Continually working Counter intelligence missions and hand-in-hand with the FBI and Air Force Police (today's Air Force Security Forces), Bob stressed attention to the details. At this time, Bob was still a technical sergeant with 11 years time in grade. Rank didn’t come easy to enlisted OSI agents, however, driving his government issue 1956 Chevy around for his investigations was fun until 1962.?

Bob was reassigned to District 81, Elmendorf AFB, Alaska. He flew around in Air Force C123s and Cessna 180s to and from his investigations.?Because of the harsh environment, Bob needed to attend an air crew survival class and still remembers never being so cold in his life. His main assignments involved personal investigations and criminal work. Before he left Alaska, he was on the law enforcement detail with the Air Police guarding President Johnson during his visit. Bob was promoted to Master Sergeant in Alaska after the big earthquake, where hangers collapsed and the base was destroyed.?Bob still remembers the huge promotion party in a partially collapse hanger and, according to the new master sergeant, “next to being a Corporal, this was the best rank ever.”

Bob was then assigned to Fort Schilling, Minnesota.?The Vietnam War was in full swing and Investigations and counter intelligence were his main objectives. He was the ranking NCO and special agent in charge. One day, he felt sick and the next thing he remembered was being on an Air Force plane on the way to Travis Air Force Base, California.?After a visit to the hospital, he was medically discharge after 21 years of active duty service.?He was scared that they might demote him, but that was not the case. Bob was retired as a Master Sergeant which he shows with pride when he still puts on his uniform.

After retiring from the regular Air Force, Bob worked the next 25 years as a marine operations agent on vessel operations in Long Beach, Wilmington, and San Pedro, California harbors. Bob semi-retired from Trans America Steam Ship Line in 1993.?Not being able to sit still, Bob then worked 12 more years as a heavy equipment operator and ski instructor at a ski resorts in Southern California.?

Bob joined the Civil Air Patrol in July of 1991 and rose to the rank of Major. In 2011, Bob traded his gold oak leaves for his stripes and became a CAP Master Sergeant.?“I always felt funny wearing the Officer’s grade and really wanted to put my chevrons back on,” said Funk with tears in his eyes.?“I worked so hard for my stripes in the Army Air Corps and Air Force and felt it only right to wear my grade proudly on my sleeves”, while pointing at his chevrons and Good Conduct Medals that only enlisted can earn. ?

Civil Air Patrol Major, and later MSgt, Funk has earned his Level III in CAP along with a Master Professional Development rating in Administration, along with a Technician rating in Finance.?Bob says, “I can hardly get around, but I love putting on the uniform, coming to the local squadron meetings (Bruce R. Black Composite Squadron, 6750, in Big Bear Lake, California) working in the admin and finance offices and talking with the cadets. ?

On December 13, 2018, MSgt Funk was promoted to SMSgt under the National Commander, General Mark E. Smith’s “Senior Member Noncommissioned Officer Recruiting Drive of 31 July 2018” with endorsements from the California Wing Command Chief, CMSgt Noel Furniss, and the California Wing Commander, Colonel Alan Ferguson.?Further endorsements came from the Pacific Region Commander; Colonel Jon Stokes and the National Command Chief, CMSgt Bob Dandridge.?National Command Chief Dandridge had sent Funk a personal note thanking him for his service.?Along with Chief Dandridge’s note was the Chief’s Command Coin, presented to Funk during the promotion ceremony.

December 19, 2018 was a very special day for Funk.?Attending the 6750 Squadron meeting in "dress blues," the over-capacity crowd of CAP Airmen in 'blues' and families saw Bob get “pinned” to senior master sergeant by CMSgt Furniss and the California Group 3 Commander, Lt Col Dave Goude.?Newly pinned SMSgt Funk, visibly shaking and with tears rolling down his cheeks said, “I am so thankful for this, I can’t believe it, my Army Air Corps buddies still alive need to see this!”?The word “proud” does not give credence to the look on Bob’s face and the glow in his eyes while looking at the crowd, which was, beaming with their approval of Bob and his life’s accomplishments. ?

Afterwards, SMSgt Funk then retreated to a small room and returned wearing his Army Air Corps uniform with his ol' Master Sergeant stripes, showing the Cadets his enlisted Air Crew wings and the WWII Occupation Medal with the Berlin Airlift device.?All hands were on deck listening to Bob’s German occupation stories and how he loved the US Navy’s chow on the river boats!?Some of his comments were in German while speaking to a transplanted German Citizen and a cadet’s father in the audience. ?

Bob would not elucidate as to his given moniker of “Funky Bob.” The reader can only imagine!

He is married to the former Mary Belle Evans from Spokane, Washington and has four children from a previous marriage and four step children. ?

California Wing cannot be more boastful of SMSgt Funk, and his accomplishments, who truly epitomizes our core values of Integrity, Volunteerism, Excellence, and Respect!