...an Army brat who joined the Air Force and retired on a Navy ship!

Graduated Memphis State and ROTC flight instruction program in 1969; entered pilot training at Vance AFB, Oklahoma. Flew T-41, T-37, and T-38. Pinned silver wings on 1970; assigned to Little Rock AFB, Arkansas to fly C-130 Hercules on global airlift missions. Trained pilots in tactical airlift operations and low altitude parachute extractions. Flying career spanned era from Vietnam to end of Cold War. Memories include flying Berlin Corridor over the "Wall" to Tempelhof in West Berlin; hauling fuel bladders to radar sites along Alaska North Slope; embassy runs to battle-scarred Santiago after military coup; landing at 14,000 feet at La Paz airport; overnight stays in Lima, rebels strafing hotels; airlifting Vietnamese refugees to Guam; engines running offload of ammunition in San Salvador during insurgent attack, smoke from burning fuel storage tanks drifting overhead; directing rescue of crew from container ship ablaze off Galapagos Islands; flying mail and supplies to "sites" throughout Turkey. Command Pilot with 3,600 hours in C-130E/H models.

Surveyed candidate air defense radar sites atop remote mountains of Iran in 1976. Led 40-man multinational team. Directed rescue of team stranded atop 10,000-foot mountain after CH-47 crashed. Post 1979 revolution, transitioned to E-3A System Program Office.

Established Command & Control Systems Integration Office in 1982 at Headquarters Military Airlift Command. Authored program directive to develop C2 system. In 1985, Air Component Command, Republic of Korea/U.S. Combined Forces Command, helped develop initial war plans for U.S. and Korean forces.

Late 1980s, managed MAC C2 System Upgrade Program, rated "Outstanding" by Air Force Inspector General. Developed process to accelerate delivery of C2 systems at reduced costs. Aviation Week & Space Technology recognized product line process that Air Force Scientific Advisory Board declared was "initiated by visionary Air Force people." Retired from Air Force in 1993 aboard USS Constitution in Boston Harbor and began new career as Air Force contractor.

Developed policy at Pentagon in 2000 to integrate emerging Department of Defense C2 systems. Due to ongoing renovations, when American Airlines Flight 77 slashed into Pentagon on 9/11, I was in Rosslyn on other side of Arlington Cemetery. Transitioned to modeling and simulation of weapon systems; brainstormed future M&S with Congressional M&S Caucus.

Winter 2007, driving past Air Force Memorial and Pentagon, Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial illuminated across Potomac River, full moon above Rosslyn skyline, I considered -- with final retirement on the near horizon -- life is measured by moments remembered!