Robert ‘Bob’ Long grew up in a small Midwestern town in Missouri, one of five children.  After graduating high school he entered the Air Force in April 1984.  During his Air Force service, he deployed and fought in the first Gulf War.  Bob completed his career with the Air Force at Luke AFB, Arizona and left the Air Force to attend the Army’s Warrant Officer Basic Course, at Redstone Arsenal in the spring of 1995.  This is when he noted that Huntsville was a special place to work, live and raise a family.  This growing community with great schools and friendly outgoing people kept drawing him back to the area during his Army career.

In the spring of 2001 he returned to Huntsville for advanced technical training and from October 2001 through December 2003, he deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq no less than four times in support of both Operation Enduring and Iraqi Freedom.  For his extraordinary effort during these wars Bob was awarded the Bronze Star.

He was then assigned to Redstone Arsenal for his last tour in the Army; in April 2005 he retired from the Army after more than 21 years of military service to his country.  Bob currently works as a Senior Functional Analyst for SAIC and works part-time as a Realtor for Rise Real Estate – Parkway Plaza.

He is married to a Huntsville native and Buckhorn graduate the former Ms. Rita Whisenant.  They have five children Tommy, Anthony, Leslie, Caitlin, and Emma.

Bob holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Resource Management from Park College, Missouri, and a Master of Science degree in Management from Troy State University, Alabama.

He has a strong sense of community involvement; and is in his 4^th year coaching girl’s little league softball for the Mount Carmel Recreation League.  He also served as the Vice President of the Mount Carmel Elementary School Parent Teacher Association during the 2006-2007 school year.