Born in Amarillo, Texas, Dudley received his commission as a second lieutenant in 1967 when he graduated from Texas A&M University. After completing pilot training he was assigned to Laredo Air Force Base as a T-37 instructor, where he served four years before receiving orders for duty in South Vietnam. Dudley began overseas service in the summer of 1972 as an A-37 pilot with the Eighth Special Operations Squadron at Bein Hoa Air Force Base, fifteen miles northeast of Saigon. He flew sorties against enemy transportation targets, and also supported "Search and Rescue" missions. In September of 1972 he was transferred to Thailand to work in Scheduling and Operations. Dudley returned to America in June of 1973. He served at Sheppard Air Force Base at Wichita Falls as a T-38 instructor for four years, and then retired from active duty. He served in the reserves from 1977 to 1989, when he retired as a lieutenant colonel. He works at Barksdale Air Force Base as the Airspace and Range Manager.