Thread: What kind of work does everyone do?

I spent three years in the U.S. Army Security Agency in the early '70s and then went into the Air Force as a Missile Warning and Space Surveillance Radar repairman. When I got out of the Air Force I went to Ascension Island in the South Atlantic for a while and worked on an On-axis Missile Precision Target Tracking Radar situated at the terminal end of the Eastern Test Range. I then went through a Navy School for an Anti-Submarine program called SURTASS but I hated going to sea. I moved to Whidbey Island, Washington, (in Puget Sound) and worked at NAS Whidbey Island on an Electronic Warfare training device known as "Dolly". I was trying to complete some sort of college degree while making all these moves and had to do so again. I ended up this time in Ft. Worth Texas and later Shreveport, Louisiana working on a B-52H Weapons System Trainer, (combined flight, offense, and defense trainers). I then got a job as a Flight Director for an Air Force TARS system, (Tethered Aerostat Radar System), which sent radar low flying aircraft tracking data from the lower Rio Grande Valley area to NORAD, Customs, and Joint Task Force 6. For the past eight years I have been back working on Level C and Level D Full Flight Simulators. I presently do this kind of work just South of the Dallas/Ft. Worth airport.

I head a basic research department at a large biotech company. We are developing ways to administer drugs to people more effectively through the use of chemicals that transport drugs through skin and other body surfaces without needles. As a side line, we've developed methods that greatly reduce the amount of animal testing needed during development of new drugs (in silico and cell culture methods).

As insurance, I generate a small secondary income from selling software I wrote for real time data acquisition and data processing in an orphan medical instrument.

I've had several careers in my life, but those are the high points of the current one. I was a geek looong before it was cool -- I spent my high school graduation money to buy the most expensive slide rule I could afford.

Durf

I also did a tour in the navy as a radarman back in the 70s but have spent most of my life in federal law enforcement with the justice dept and Homeland security but have now been retired for the last year and a half. Now I'm, just keeping busy doing the things i want to do.

Just a little ol' field engineer for a company that makes municipal water plants. Almost always on the road, either starting up new water plants or fixing existing ones. It's the controls programming that gets fun.

John (Crowley)
I was looking at your impressive list of locations. I used to work as an intermediate level aviation electronics technician at Point Mugu, which at the time was in charge of the Pacific missile test range. I saw some very interesting things while I was there, both as part of my job as well as things I saw while working as part of the base auxiliary security force. I wondered if you had stopped in the area on any of your various "travels"
I don't know about now, but when I left it was one of the best kept secrets in the Navy. Great place to be stationed, and a lot of folks right out in town didn't seem to know it existed. Weird, considering you can see it from the CA 1 Pacific Coast Highway.
John P

Originally Posted by JohnP

John (Crowley)
I was looking at your impressive list of locations. I used to work as an intermediate level aviation electronics technician at Point Mugu, which at the time was in charge of the Pacific missile test range. I saw some very interesting things while I was there, both as part of my job as well as things I saw while working as part of the base auxiliary security force. I wondered if you had stopped in the area on any of your various "travels"
I don't know about now, but when I left it was one of the best kept secrets in the Navy. Great place to be stationed, and a lot of folks right out in town didn't seem to know it existed. Weird, considering you can see it from the CA 1 Pacific Coast Highway.
John P

I was the Chaplain for the President Reagan Funeral and many of us stayed at Point Mugu and flew out of there on AF 1. I agree, I had never heard of it until then.

jmsbcknr

Retired (30 years all road and loved it better than the office) CHP and still work for major chain store in produce. Before CHP I was Produce Mgr. and Store Asst. Mgr. for Safeway. 1963, 6 months USMC active and then 5 1/2 years reserves USMCR instructor Sacto. CA.

jmsbcknr
That must truly have been an honor, to be the chaplain for a fallen president. For what its worth, I was a member of the base Honor guard for Point Mugu for most of the time I was there, and for a good part of it I was their only bugler. Several times (late 1990's) we went on"alert" because they thought Pres. Reagan would pass, but the man was tough; I had already left Point Mugu, and its honor guard, been to Iraq, and stationed in San Diego for 2 years before he finally did. My GF and I made the trip up to Simi Valley to pay our respects, at least.
Its truly a small world.
John P

You are absolutely right. Never know who you will meet on this site.

jmsbcknr

Glad to see many ex-Navy men. I was in 8 years 80 -88,. Started as an Aircrew Survival Equipmentman, became Navy Diver working for Explosive Ordnance Disposal (Bomb Squad), Dolphin and Sealion Trainer for research and development then finished up up as a Water Survival Instructor. Stationed in: Lakehurst, NJ, Keflavik, Iceland, San Diego Amphib Base, NAS Lemoore, CA.

After being a boat captain and a waiter while making some lifestyle adjustments, went to college and got my degree in Computer Animation and now work for the Golf Channel as an animator/broadcast designer.

Dr. Phong