“Performing as a division officer, basically you have a mission and you have resources to work with. If you take that to academia or industry, it’s the same scenario, just a different type of job.”

 

John del Bando is a graduate of OSU’s Naval ROTC program, where he attended in the 1970s. He went on to serve in the Navy for four years, finishing his term of service in 1979. After touring around the Pacific with the Navy and spending 35 years in the private sector, he finally made his way back to OSU as a buyer, working in procurement for the College of Forestry and the College of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences. 

After graduating from OSU in 1975, del Bando was commissioned as a Naval officer on the USS Dubuque. The ship carried Marines, landing craft and equipment around the Pacific and served as a landing platform dock (LPD) for military helicopters. In an early hint at his future career, del Bando started out as the material maintenance manager, which involves procurement of parts and supplies. But his favorite role was serving as the ship’s navigator, which he described as “the best job on the ship.”  

“There was no electronic navigation at the time,” he explained. “We were in the middle of the ocean and we had the stars and the sun to take fixes, et cetera. You basically had to the shoot the stars and with the help of my men who were quarter masters, we would determine the lines of position. And as those lines intersected, that’s where we were in the middle of the ocean. That was the cool part.” 

The USS Dubuque made two overseas deployments during del Bando’s time of service. During those West Pacific tours, the ship transported Marines between Okinawa, Japan and Subic Bay, Philippines, which served as the USS Dubuque’s home port during deployment. The time spent in the Philippines gave del Bando a chance to revisit a part of his own personal history.
 
“I was born in the southern Philippines, so when I had extended leave, I had opportunity to go back to where I was born and had good experiences there,” he said. During these deployments, the ship also traveled to South Korea and Hong Kong.
 
“It was great, you know … young 20s. It was a great adventure and I made lifelong friends,” del Bando said. 

After his term of service ended in 1979, del Bando continued his education, earning an MBA from Cal State Long Beach and then moved on to a 35-year career in aerospace contracts with Northrup Grumman. But as he approached retirement, the congestion and frantic pace of Southern California got him thinking about his student days at OSU.
 
“Upon retiring in 2017, I just remembered how nice it is up here,” he said. “I got the job at Oregon State. I do purchasing for Forestry and CEOAS – two of the most important things going on. It’s just been tremendous to have that opportunity.”
 
He hasn’t forgotten his roots in the NROTC program either. Just this past October, del Bando helped organize the NROTC Alumni Reunion, which was held during Homecoming weekend. It was a chance to catch up with classmates, some of whom he hadn’t seen in nearly 50 years. The primary role he had in the event made perfect sense – procuring customized gifts for the attendees. It might not have been his largest procurement contract but helping plan an event for 100+ attendees is no small feat. And it was chance to use those same management, leadership and coordination skills to serve his community. 

“Just kind of working with people is the biggest thing - working with people to get the job done.