My Park Story: From Air Force Security Police Officer to Finding Home in the National Park Service

By Dena Lowe
I grew up in the suburbs of southern sunny Rancho Peñasquitos, San Diego, California. This tiny town was two valleys outside the Naval Air Station (NAS) Miramar, now called Marine Corps Air Station. I was an explorer through and through; the “tomboy” of the neighborhood.

Dena Lowe, U.S. Air Force Basic Training Headshot

Photo Courtesy of USAF

I joined the Air Force (USAF) winter of 1986. I attended Security Police (now called Security Forces) Tech School at Lackland Air Force Base (AFB) in Texas and was fortunate enough to be selected as a flight sergeant. The training was rigorous, yet I passed at the top of the class along with the 56 in my flight, resulting in me being the first of three female security police officers sent overseas to Germany to assist during the Cold War.

I learned very quickly that most men in the military didn’t like women in the security section of our squadron, making my career challenging. Growing up my parents would tell me, “Never let anyone, especially a man, tell you that you cannot do something; but, if you cannot do it, you own up to it.” With their words in mind, I always persisted. I became a security police officer trainer, a perpetrator, sharpshooter, marksman in every weapon handed to me, and K-9 certified in the Office of Security Investigations (OSI). I did all I could to be the best security police officer in the USAF, all while raising my daughter as a single mother.

It wasn’t long after I left Germany, the day the Berlin Wall came down in 1989, that I was sent to Hill AFB in Utah. Shortly after, my captain asked me to be a Fire Team leader for the upcoming Gulf conflict (the Gulf War of 1990-1991). I remember feeling humbled and grateful that all the skills I had worked so hard to acquire were being recognized, but at the same time knew it would be difficult to leave my daughter.

I led the Fire Team in the Gulf War for a year before I decided to end my military career, realizing that my daughter was more important and needed me more. I quickly moved on and started a construction company while raising Arabian horses in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado and Wyoming: building track homes, custom homes, log homes, and working on the preservation of 1800s-styled barns and homes along the way. This allowed me to gain experience working as a contractor for National Park Service.

Dena Lowe and other White House gardeners pose in front of the popemobile during Pope Benedict XVI's visit in 2008.

NPS Photo

After a few years, I moved to the East Coast, where some friends from high school were still in the Air Force, hoping to find a fresh start. I joined the National Park Service in February 2007 as a seasonal WG-5 for the White House, working at the greenhouse and later moving into a permanent WG-5 position working inside the fence for President Bush and Obama. I was the only female gardener at the time- no, not the first, but it had been a while since there was one and I was honored. Realizing I found home in the National Park Service, I continued to grow in my newfound career. I moved on to work for the National Mall and Memorial Parks (2011) as their Facility Management Software System (FMSS) Specialist to become a subject matter expert and support other parks in the National Capital Region.

Dena Lowe (left) posing with other Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts Veterans in front of park headquarters, 2024.

NPS Photo / Anna Tripp

Today, I am proud to be at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts (since 2021), working alongside Dave Ammen (Facility Manager) and the rest of the incredible maintenance team, some of which are also military veterans. I enjoy supporting the projects at our park, including Filene Center projects, mowing and hazardous tree contracts, and the fire suppression system, just to name a few. All in all, my journey was not linear, but at the end of the day I am an explorer through and through.

I just really love the National Park Service. I want visitors and employees to be able come to a park and feel free- free to see our country’s most prized possessions: the land, the monuments, the memorials, the battlefields, and even the heat of the Mojave Desert.

—Dena Lowe

Interested in getting involved at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts? View our current employment & volunteer opportunities!