Ron's Page

Welcome to my life -  a personal journey of exploration and growth.

(See end chapters for a complete work history)

I was born in 1954 in the town of Tacoma Washington.  My parents were poor by most monetary standards, but rich in love, and gave me the support I needed growing up.  Life in Washington was full of family cookouts, exploring the North West woodlands and playing outside until dark.  My younger brother and I would often venture out to try new things or just hang out with the many cousins and extended family members in the area.

Unfortunately, I had to leave Washington when I was about ten.  My dad could not find work so he moved the family to California to make a better life.  Once there, I lived with five other cousins for about a year until things turned around for our family.  Southern California in the early sixties was a magical place.  I went from damp woodlands to Disneyland and Sunny Beaches in one short month.  It was great.

Dad snagged a good job as an Electronic Technician for the California Air National Guard so we moved into our first real home in So-Cal.  I did not know it but he was steering me towards a Military career even then.  He encouraged me to join the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) in Van Nuys when I was fifteen years old.

By the time High School rolled around I was enjoying life and millions of girls on the beach in bikinis and halter tops.  California taught me how to surf a little, sail in the ocean, and fly in the sky.  I was a natural aviation enthusiast and even had a part time job washing and waxing aircraft for $20 a plane - back then that was a fair chunk of change for a young adult.

High school life was a blur with a few moments of clarity sprinkled in.  I was popular (sort of) and even had a few friends who really cared.  I excelled at sports and classes that involved manual dexterity, electric shop for example.  Math and History, not so much.  Western Civilizations almost killed me.  If it were not for the beautiful Miss Vicky N. sitting one row in front of me I may have given up on that class.  I eventually would date Vicky a few times after graduation, but we both eventually moved on.
 

Polytechnic High taught me how to fall in love, play varsity football, and survive being dumped on the side of the road by a mean girl.  Oh, and I also learned how to cultivate lifelong friends and play chess.  Such is school life in So-Cal.
 

In 1972 I could not wait to get out of my parents’ house (do you remember being eighteen?).  Even though the Viet Nam war was still raging - I volunteered to join the Air National Guard and entered Basic Training (boot camp) with regular Air Force trainees in San Antonio Texas.  I found out that Military life was disciplined - but I was happy to be paid regularly.  My desire to defend our country did not mature until a little later in life.  After Basic, I was sent to Biloxi Mississippi to learn how to fix microwave communications gear – nine months of humidity, grits, and Disco.
 

Life in the Air National Guard (ANG) was not like the regular military.  Back in So-Cal we pretty much just got together one weekend a month practicing on our equipment.  So, I had to find other employment.  I tried a few odd jobs including driving trucks on movie lots for 20th Century Fox but then I started working for Blue Chip Stamps (a stamp redemption company).  It was a real job with a real salary and things started looking up for me.  I finally had my first Apartment, a car to get around, and some spending money.  1972 & 73 taught me how to wash my own dishes, not date certain friends, navigate LA freeways without dying, and dream for a better life.
 

Eventually I tired of the Stamp job, and decided to join the real Air Force.  I enlisted in 1974 and went back to San Antonio for another Basic Training session (7 weeks).  After Basic, I was sent to Clovis New Mexico.  This was one of those small towns that rolled up it streets by 9pm, and nothing was open on Sunday.  Not a lot of fun for a young single man.  I did get a chance to work around Aardvark aircraft (Google the FB-111A) and hone my electronic skills.  I had a part time job fueling up airplanes at the Clovis municipal airport.  This was also the time I passed ground school and earned my Training Certificate Pilot License and very much enjoyed flying myself solo on cross-country training flights.  The New Mexico / Texas Pan Handle area is not the ideal place to fly (crosswinds) or live for that matter, I don’t two-step very well on country-night at the club.
 

After my time watching the amazing Aardvark, I moved to Luke AFB in Arizona.  That is where my life really changed.  I met “Her” the love of my life!  Most evenings for a single Airman was pretty boring.  It did not take long to explore all the Base had to offer and play more basketball than I cared to.  Dormitory life was just terrible.  So, I would spend long hours in the chow-hall eating supper and reading any mail I received.  In the chow-hall there was a very attractive woman who I would occasionally catch looking at me.  Well, I looked back at her… and the rest (as they say) is history.  Beth and I were married in June of 1977 in the church at Luke AFB.  A small but very satisfying ceremony with family and friends in attendance.  For me the adjustment to married life was easy – it helps to have a fantastic life partner.  Note: I will now refer to the two of us as just me to simplify this mini auto-biography.
 

It was not long after being married that I got the news I was to be assigned to a remote communications site on a mountain top in the country of Turkey - near the city of Istanbul.  It was a vital assignment – our technicians and power production staff (7 total personnel) maintained a microwave communications link that made it possible for most of our US military in the East of the country to have access to a trunked phone line.  Basically, it was my job to monitor these channels and ensure people could call their loved ones back home.  We were physically located on a Turkish Surface to Air missile site.  A typical work shift would last about 14 hours and we had little time off.
 

I lived in a three-bedroom apartment on the third floor because of the ever present danger of anti-American terrorist bombings.  All seven of our people lived in separate apartments so that no one attack could kill us all.  On the days I did have some time off I would often take the train and ferry to shop in Istanbul. I enjoyed that a lot and sent many gifts to loved ones back home.  Turkey taught me how to drink Ouzo responsibly, learn how to develop and enlarge film prints, and play chess… not to mention learning to count to ten in a new language.
 

Before leaving Turkey after a year away from family (short-tour) I was advised I would be retrained into the Air Traffic Control Radar Repair field due to severe manning shortages experienced by the Air Force stateside.  This would result in me being required to maintain proficiency and progress in my career with two job titles.  Later this would prove to be a blessing because it meant my choices of overseas and stateside assignments basically doubled.  My new training (like the last one) would occur at Keesler AFB in Mississippi.  The big difference between the two training assignments to Keesler was that this time I could take my wife.  Part way through my second technical school (10 months) I found out I was going to be a Father – it was a special moment in my life!  Keesler not only taught me how to repair advanced Radar systems and Computers, but I also learned how to survive Hurricane Frederick – my stay proved to be very educational.
 

After leaving Mississippi I put my new training into action at Randolph AFB in Texas.  The Base did not have adequate medical facilities so my daughter was born in an Army hospital in San Antonio.  Shortly after her birth I was informed I would once again be separated from family for a year – this time I was sent to a Tactical Communications and Radar outfit in Korea.  Needless to say, the wife was not pleased.
 

Korea was fun and the country was beautiful.  Korea taught me how to count to ten in another language and how to sky dive.  By the time my year tour was over I had made 8 jumps out of a UH-1 Huey helicopter and driven a large part of the country supporting military exercises.  I felt like I was in the Army (see Photos below).  Part way through that year I flew home for two weeks and helped my wife deliver our second child – my son - then it was back to Korea to finish out the year.  When I did come home my son was 7 months old.  Finally reunited with the family again I realized I had missed out on important milestones in their lives – many military people go through this I kept telling myself.
 

The next big deal was when I was sent to a small Air Station in the middle of Germany.  I was to stay there for over four years.  Basically our kids were raised in a German home during their early formative years.  We even used our daughter as an interpreter while shopping.  Germany also presented challenges like when our entire Squadron was sent to Saudi Arabia to provide Saudi Airspace radar monitoring during the Iran Iraq war.  While in the Kingdom, US military personnel were the guests of the King and I was never asked to pay for a meal or hotel room.  Our unit went there twice during those four years and it was a real eye opener.  While in the Kingdom It was the first time I had been up close to real camels (they stink by the way) or witnessed Saudi women (dressed in Burkas) forced to ride in rear compartments of public busses while the men sat in the front of the bus (just one of many examples).  I knew my Western trained wife would never put up with the indignities that occurred on a daily basis in the Kingdom.
 

Back in Germany I learned how to Hang-Glide and had the opportunity to visit the still occupied and separated East Germany including East Berlin.  While in the Russian zone we were routinely followed by intelligence forces to ensure we would behave.  One of my many assigned Additional Duties was the Squadron Munitions Custodian.  I was responsible for over 110 thousand rounds of ammo and many M-16 Riffles and Grenade Launchers.  It was my job to get the guns to whatever secret location our unit was assigned to during the many military exercises.  I knew the back-roads of small German towns pretty well by the time my tour was over.  Another positive note about Germany was how close European countries are to each other – we could just hop on a train and be in Paris or Amsterdam in a few hours.
 

Another big event in my life was when the Berlin Wall came down, and East and West Germany unified.  Basically the Cold-War I participated in was over.  The Military thought so too and they drastically cut military manpower.  The Air Force was not spared this reduction and I said good bye to many skilled people that someone decided were not needed anymore – very sad.  I was spared that problem but it meant that there were still too many Radar Technicians to go around and new assignments were hard to get.  That is how I got stuck in North Dakota for eleven years.
 

Grand Forks AFB in North Dakota was at the time a Strategic Airforce Command (SAC) installation.  The Base had long-range bombers like the B-52 and the newer B-1 Lancer aircraft and over 150 missile silos with Minute-Man Nukes in those holes.  On almost every Base you will find a Communications Squadron and I was assigned to it.  Over the years my duties at Grand Forks included running the Radar shop and its critical Radar Approach Control (RAPCON) equipment. Running the Quality Assurance office where I was asked to inspect the repair of communications gear down inside the Missile Silos, and provide recommendations to Emergency Operations teams during simulated and real-world emergencies.  Grand Forks taught me not to wash my car in sub-zero temperatures, how to build and fly Radio Control model aircraft, and how to best recover from a flooded basement using portable power from my motorhome.  I even got the chance to speak Canadian in Manitoba – eh.
 

I retired from "the greatest Air Force the world has ever seen" in June of 1998 because my wife found a great job in Phoenix where all of her family were living.  So, I sold the house and the snow-blower and followed her West.  Retirement is not so bad if you have saved enough money along the way.  Alas, I was too young to just sit around for too long so I pursued a myriad of jobs.  I told myself I would give a company 2 years to impress me or I would move on.  After working an Equipment Rental Manager job, Digital Copy Repairman job, Warehouse Clerk, Delivery Man, TSA Screening Officer job, Aircraft Dispatcher job, Lowes Retail Clerk job and one or two I may have forgotten I finally did completely retire at the ripe old age of 60.  The wife thought I had a few good years left so I informed her that I agreed and I planned to spend them relaxing at home.  42 years of hard work was enough for me and I had the aches and pains of that hard work to remind me every day.
 

Now after a total Hip replacement and a skin cancer scare (not to mention the bad knees and failing eyesight) I am trying to focus on keeping the wife happy and playing with the grand kids.  There are hundreds, maybe thousands of important events in my life I could not mention here, but trust me when I say I have enjoyed a good life so far.  Some of the many hobbies I have acquired over the years are building flight simulators, robotics, HAM Radio operator, home computer builder and repairman, Amateur Astronomer, Movie buff, Urban-Prepper, Gun enthusiast, sports participant except for Golf… it’s not a sport.  And welder of aluminum project (not an easy thing to do).

Thanks for following this spotty life history, I hope you know me a little better for the reading. 

-- WORK HISTORY --

Before I start this brief history, I would offer this comment.  I believe kids are raised in two basic ways that impact their professional futures.  The first way is by example of business minded parents who want to someday hand down the family business to their offspring, or have pursued a profession that required higher education, i.e., a Doctor, Lawyer, etc.  Strict financial goals are a trademark of this example.

The other (and I believe more common) example is hard working parents who are mostly concerned that their children are emotionally sound and grow up happy, with a lesser emphasis of possession of things and money.  My parents for good or ill, fit into this latter category.  And so begins my story.

During High School, I had a few odd jobs, even babysitting.  They did not pay much so after I graduated I enlisted into the California Air National Guard (ANG).  Week-End Warriors (as they were called) usually went to Basic Training and then to a Military Technical School for a specific trade.  Some schools are longer than others.

My first school at Keesler AFB in Mississippi was over nine months.  I was trained as a Wideband (microwave) Radio Repairman.  During those nine months I was considered a Federal Employee and was treated like any other Air Force student - there was no distinction.  When I returned home I reverted back to a State Employee and we only got paid for one weekend a month (16 hours a month).  Needless to say that was not much.  So while I was in the ANG I still needed to find civilian employment to make a living.

My girlfriend's Grandmother had a connection at a movie studio and hooked me up with a Driver job at 20th Century Fox.  I would deliver scripts to Directors all over Hollywood.  I washed the Studio Vehicle Fleet including Ambulances, Police Cars, and other vehicles routinely used to make movies.  I also delivered equipment to movie sets and occasionally found myself up close to a few movie stars.  When the movie studio made "The Poseidon Adventure" I was there.  Those were the highlights.  Most of the time as a driver, you just sat around waiting until they needed you.  There were approximately 15 drivers, so I sat around at least half my day.  As a newly trained electronics technician I found being a driver profoundly boring so I quit.

I also worked for a company called Blue Chip Stamps.  The idea was a person would buy food at a participating grocery store and receive "X" amount of Blue Chip Stamps.  They looked like postage stamps except they were blue.  When a shopper filled up our stamp book (or two) that person could trade those stamps in for items like Toasters, Radios, small TV, etc.  Well someone had to mail the customer those redemption items - that was my job.  I would receive an order, pick the item of the warehouse shelf, package it, attach postage and send it out UPS.  At one point in time we were the third largest shipper of TVs in the US.  We were always busy.  The job was ok, but every once in a while, the ANG would ask me to travel (deploy) to various US locations for the purpose of testing our equipment or be part of a military exercise.

Employers (at that time) had to comply with military requests, so Blue Chip had no choice but to grant me leave for military reasons.  Needless to say they did not like it much.  There came a time when my employer suggested I choose between working for them or being a military man.  I chose the military and quit my Stamp job.  Within a week I had made the transfer from the California Air National Guard to full time Air Force.  It was a good decision.  The military was now my life but my girlfriend and I broke up. 

Over the next 26 years I traveled the world, trained many times on a myriad of equipment and eventually ended up managing a large branch with nearly 50 professionals in 7 major areas of Communications support.  Everything from Approach Control Radar, Weather Radar, Base Intrusion systems, Land Mobile Radios, HF and VHF radios, Cryptology shop, and Missile Field Communications.  It was a busy but rewarding time.  My wife Beth got a great job in Phoenix so I put in my retirement papers and followed her West to our new home.

Technically retired at this point I tried to sit around for a year and a half but we still had kids in the house and needed a little more money.  So I got a full time job fixing analogue and digital copiers for a company called IKON Office Solutions.  Basically I drove my own vehicle full of spare parts and responded to an average of six repair jobs a day all around the city of Phoenix.  I averaged about 175 miles a day on my truck.  The work was fun, and the pay was good but I came across a job opportunity at Luke AFB where my wife was employed so I quit the copier business and tried to carpool with my wife every day (44 miles round trip) a big difference in fuel costs.

Luke AFB Outdoor Recreation Equipment Rental Manager was my new title.  I managed a work center with five employees.  Our entire job was to ensure military personnel could rent a boat for the weekend or a camping trailer, rent a bicycle or whatever they needed to relax.  We even taught Boat Safety courses. Another of our duties was managing the Vehicle Resale Lot for Luke.  During my time there one of my employees and I developed one of the first Internet Web Pages detailing items for rent and their prices.  We were also responsible for offering tours to Mexico and parts of Arizona so the military personnel could enjoy a weekend away somewhere.  It was a real effort by the Air Force to take care of their people in uniform.  I had to quit that job because one day while in my Rental office I witnessed the World Trade Center being bombed and I could not stand the fact that our country had been attacked.

It took me over six months to get hired by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) as a Federal Screening Officer.  I was assigned to terminal three at Phoenix International Airport.  Even though I was back driving the freeway every day I did not mind because the work I was doing was important and satisfying.  It was a hard job being responsible for viewing X-Ray machines, patting people down, and checking luggage for bombs.  I worried every day that I might have missed something, and when my shift was over and nothing blew up I felt pretty good about things in general.  There were some truly dedicated and highly skilled people I worked with and was proud to call them friends.  That lasted for over two years but one day my wife became ill.

I decided to request part-time work to help with her illness.  Upper level management at Phoenix basically ignored my part-time request (for over 6 weeks) so I told them I wanted to resign.  Then (and only then) they offered me part-time working schedule - but I had been jerked around long enough and resigned anyway.  I was a good Screener and my supervisor and friends were sad to see me go - but such is life.  My wife got better after about a year thank God.

After the TSA I found a job back on Luke AFB near my wife again.  I worked for the Arizona Institute for the Blind (Focus Works).  Hired to help out in the warehouse my supervisor and I were responsible for stocking and delivering many kinds of office supplies to Luke AFB and the surrounding Federal offices in Phoenix.  Most of my day would be consumed by receiving office supplies like reams of office paper on pallets and ensuring orders were delivered around the military installation.  I would occasionally make office runs to our Phoenix headquarters and even deliver supplies to local colleges.  I had a good time driving fork lifts, Gator All-Terrain vehicles, and gazing at the F-16 Falcon aircraft a few feet away as they taxied off for training missions.  Being a student pilot and always interested in anything that flew I eventually quit the warehouse job for something better.

Oxford Aviation Training Academy (Goodyear Arizona) pumped out about 300 potential airline pilots a year - most of whom would go on to fly jets for British Airways.  Oxford taught them the basics of flight and aircraft systems.  The students would usually take at least one flight a day at Oxford and sometimes several depending on their progress in the curriculum.  I was hired to schedule the flights, jockeying aircraft to meet their needs, and ensuring they had the keys to the aircraft and any other support they needed like local weather conditions or safety of flight information.

Another one of my major duties was to go to the Flight Simulator building and configure the two simulators we had to match the kind of aircraft the student was training on.  The simulators were fun, and at night when I got done changing the sim into a different type aircraft I could not resist firing it up and taking off for a simulated flight around town (all in the name of ensuring good working equipment of course).  Each time we would graduate a new class it was fun to watch their excitement and receive their thanks for making it all possible.  It was a fun job.  Unfortunately, the World economy crashed and the Airline business was particularly hard hit.  People just didn't have the extra cash to vacation travel.  As a result Oxford started laying off people and I was the seventh one to be let go - a casualty of the times I guess.

During those tough economic times I had retirement pay coming in but I still felt the need to seek employment.  Well no one was hiring electronic technicians as the entire country was losing technical jobs.  Eventually I was hired by a Lowe's Home Improvement store as part of an experiment to provide better customer service and increase sales.  Five people were hired the same time I was and we were called the "We Team".  Working only Friday, Saturday, and Sunday the concept was the "We Team" would greet customers as they entered the store and walk them around to quickly and expertly find the items they were shopping for.

It was a gamble, and for a time the job was interesting but one of the regular employees in the Hardware department had a mother who was deathly ill and this employee asked for and received an open-ended leave of absence to care for his mom (much to Lowe's credit as a company).  Well the employee never came back and Management by that time had learned of my expertise in the Electrical and Mechanical field so they asked me if I wanted to work full time in the Hardware/Tools department.  I always enjoyed helping customers with their odd requests and felt I made good recommendations, so I accepted the new position of Customer Sales Associate III.  Besides refilling the shelves with new stock, I also became their best worker at repairing or re-keying locks for home use.  Not to mention a pretty good tool salesman.

Eventually (several years later) the Electrical department suddenly lost two of their employees and I was asked to move over to the Lighting/Electrical department.  While the work was not challenging my new supervisor was impossible to work for so ended my time at Lowe's and resigned for the last time.

That was the final paying job I had.  It was finally time for me to stop working and start relaxing.  I hope you enjoyed this walk down memory lane and my professional career.

NOTE:  At the bottom you will find a list of Educational accomplishments and  Awards and Medals 

SAMPLE (EXAMPLE OF) - Professional Experiences and Performance Comments :
 

Note: The professional experiences listed below are excerpts of US Air Force Enlisted Performance Reports and detail work performance and assigned duties and responsibilities.  Within these pages, the "Rater" is considered the employee's immediate Supervisor, the 1st, 2nd, etc. Endorser is usually the "Supervisors" Supervisor, i.e., a 3rd Endorser is usually equivalent to a Company Vice President or President.
 

1 Jun 96 - 31 May 98
DUTY TITLE: Superintendent, Base Command Control Computer Communications Systems Maintenance
 

KEY DUTIES, TASKS, AND RESPONSIBILITIES: Leads 48 personnel in 7 maintenance work centers. Manages and directs $16.3M worth of communications systems maintenance, facilities, and resources for 319th Air Refueling Wing's 48 KC-135R tankers and 321st Missile Group's Minuteman III ICBM operations.  Plans and organizes maintenance activities for Air Traffic Control and Landing Systems, Land Mobile Radios, mobile communications, navigational aids, weather systems, secure communications, small computers, and television/electronic intrusion detection systems.  Reviews quality assurance managerial and technical evaluations and reports, and makes recommendations for remedial actions.  Evaluates training summary reports and trends. Guides work center leaders on procedures, leadership techniques, and professional development.
 

ADDITIONAL DUTIES: Base Disaster Control Group (DCG) team member.
 

RATER'S COMMENTS: Outstanding manager; excels at motivating subordinates and ensuring timely mission accomplishments.  Initiated in-depth, branch level, self-inspection checklist from maintenance support trend analysis report.  Initiated efforts to establish managerial report cross-feed using Local Area Network; aides all work centers.  Successful problem solver; trained communications control center personnel on software used to establish accurate recall rosters, coordinated upgrade of LAN capabilities for Land Mobile Radio and Radar offices.  Contributor to "Excellent" rating received on Air Mobility Command Nuclear Surety Inspection.  Consolidated communications squadron Disaster Control Group (DCG) equipment enabling rapid inventory and made suggested improvements to equipment located in Wing mobile command post; improved DCG communications.  Provided expert technical assistance to production work centers; saved man-hours and procurement costs.  Designed and constructed complex step-attenuator for radio direction finding for interference problems.  Fabricated external Global Positioning System antenna used by base Land Mobile Radio office.  Selected to head squadron Air Force Assistance Fund drive; successful effort exceeded all monetary goals.  Prime promoter of unit Top IV and sports activities; efforts greatly enhance unit morale. Promote!
 

1st INDORSER'S COMMENTS: One of our absolute best--none more reliable, Ron's the one I depend on for our toughest jobs.  Hand-picked for base quality self-assessment team to guide and organize meetings, interviews, and surveys.  Led exceptional effort and produced an outstanding report of results for HQ Air Mobility Command.  Led Base Installation Security System team to earn Professional Performer Award during 20 Air Force Inspector General Nuclear Surety Inspection.  Hand-picked to represent the base during the 1996 Military Affiliated Radio Service conference.  Produced Air Traffic Control service reliability for a record 95% on-time tanker take-off rate. Promote!
 

2nd INDORSER'S COMMENTS: Ron's an outstanding performer--consistent mission successes demonstrate his exceptional leadership.  Cited by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Director for establishing emergency communications.  Kept Grand Forks Emergency Management Office going to handle Red River flood relief for 50,000.  Led creation of video system, allowing real-time damage assessment and prioritization of rescue efforts.  Delivered airfield communications uptimes, exceeding 99 percent for over 2,600 safe Tanker missions! Promote! 

SUMMARY of CIVILIAN EMPLOYMENT:

Lowes HIW Inc:  Jan 2011 to Jun 2014 (42 Months)
Job Title: Customer Service Associate III
Duties: Originally hired as first “We Team” member in store 2820.  Moved to Hardware and Tools department as a retail sales associate.  Later worked in the Electrical department.  Responsible for customer assistance, inventory management, and repairing/rekeying customer locks and other hardware equipment.  Made tool and hardware recommendations to professional contractors and other customers.  Also provided manning assistance in most other departments such as lumber, plumbing, and paint as needed.    
 

Oxford Aviation Academy:  3 Sep 2008 to 8 Dec 2009 (16 Months)
1658 S. Litchfield Road, Bldg 104, suite 2, Goodyear, Arizona 85338, USA
Job Title: Flight Operations Assistant
Duties: (a private company training Airline pilots) - Responsible for assisting students with flight schedules, administrative upkeep of aircraft records, data entry and retrieval with Microsoft Office programs and proprietary scheduling software (Flight-Pro).  Worked with senior managers and instructor pilots to help ensure training schedules were maintained.  Performed routine maintenance on Flight Simulators, and provided administrative assistance requested by students.
 

Focusworks:  12 Feb 2007 to 22 Aug2008 (18 Months)
Parent Company - Arizona Industries for the Blind (AIB) Arizona State Job at Luke AFB, AZ   Job Title: Warehouse/Delivery Person
Duties: Primarily responsible for materials-handling and inventory/receiving of shipped products.  Used custom point-of-sale software to adjust stock levels and produce needed reports.  Secondary duties included delivery of high priority request for office products around the Metro-Phoenix area.  Job requirements required superior customer service skills for external and internal customers and attention to detail for inventory integrity.
 

Transportation Security Administration:  Sky Harbor International Airport – T3
14 Nov 2004 – 7 Feb 2007 (2 Years 3 Months)
Duties: Security Officer, Phoenix AZ. - Responsible for operating X-Ray and Metal Detector equipment for security screening of people and property.  Additionally, operated sensitive explosive chemical detectors and hand held scanning equipment.  Performed routine maintenance of said equipment, assisted associates with computer based training.  Performed screening of customer required documents utilizing strong customer service skills.  Completion of threat security training on a daily basis.
 

Luke Outdoor Recreation:  Luke AFB (Equipment Rental Manager)
5 Mar 2001 to 31 Mar 2003 (2 Years)
Title: Supervisor Recreation Assistant (Equipment Rental Manager)
Duties: Responsible for all functions of Equipment Rental Lobby, Recreational Vehicle Storage, and Vehicle Resale area.  Managed budgets, personnel schedules, ordering of equipment, maintained back-stock, performed cashier duties, produced reports, developed and managed web pages, developed and maintained office Local Area Network system, provided customer service and customer training.  Operated and repaired computer systems running Windows, FrontPage, Access, Excel, Word, and many other software platforms/programs.
 

IKON Office Solutions:  1910 W. University Dr., Tempe AZ 85281-3262
Start 11 Oct 1999 – End 28 Feb 2001 (16 Months)
Duties: Responsible for quickly responding to and repairing on-site electronic photo copier and FAX machine equipment failures in assigned territories, installations of new equipment and modifications, special emphasis on customer service regarding high dollar accounts.  Maintained stock of repair parts and supplies, tools and test equipment, conducted supply inventories, prepared computer based customer bill-of-ladings and parts request automated documents, determined daily work schedules setting priorities, provided training and assistance to lower qualified technicians.  Participated in process improvement meetings.
 

(MILITARY)
Superintendent, Systems Maintenance:  US Air Force – Grand Forks ND
Managed 48 people in 7 maintenance areas.  Responsible for $16.3 million worth of equipment and resources.  Authored recommendations to quality assurance / technical evaluations.  Designed and managed Inter-agency web site.  Responsible for subordinate professional development.  Jun.1994 to Jun 1998
 

Quality Assurance Manager:  U.S. Air Force -  Grand Forks ND
Supported all levels of management, scheduling and ensuring timely completion of managerial, technical, and personnel evaluations for 110 technicians.  Prepared deficiency analysis reports, developed and implemented detailed electronic and procedural training programs. Advisor to senior leaders; performed contingency planning and emergency-actions duties.  Jul 1991 to May 1994.
 

EARLY CIVILIAN JOBS:
AAA Tool and Die Repair - Los Angeles California
Blue Chip Stamps - Los Angeles California
20th Century Fox – Los Angeles California

MILITARY POSTINGS:
Soto-Cano Air Base in Honduras
Hessisch-Oldendorf Air Force Station Germany (four years)
Al-Jubail Saudi Arabia (twice)
Osan Air Force Base Korea
Luke Air Force Base Arizona

Travis Air Force Base California (twice)
Randolph Air Force Base San Antonio Texas
Lackland Air Force Base Texas (twice)
Keesler Air Force Base (three times)
Cannon Air Force Base New Mexico
Grand Forks Air Force Base North Dakota (eleven years)
 

EDUCATION SUMMARY:
 

FORMAL EDUCATION:
Associate Degree, Electronics Systems Technologies, Community College of the Air Force, Grand Forks Air Force Base, North Dakota. 3.16 GPA.
HS Diploma, General Studies, John H. Francis Polytechnic High School, Sun Valley, CA
 

AIR FORCE SPECIALIZED TRAINING:
USAF, Radio Relay Equipment Repairman, Jan 1973 to Jul 1973, 7 months, advanced electronics theory, computer logic, solid state devices, microwave transmitters and receivers theory, test equipment.

USAF, Air Traffic Control Radar Repairman (Honor Graduate), Apr 1979 to Dec 1979, 9 months, Radar system troubleshooting, microwave transmitters and receivers theory, video processing equipment, displays, television maintenance, digital computer signal processing, wave-guide assemblies, parabolic antenna theory, signal generators, scopes, and advanced test equipment techniques.
 

OTHER FORMAL AIR FORCE TRAINING:
USAF, Electronic Combat Trainer’s Course, 40 hrs, Jul 1988
USAF, ICBM Communications Evaluator Course, Jul 1992.

USAF, On The Job Managers Orientation Course, 60 Hrs, Nov 1995
USAF, Non-Commissioned Officer Command Academy, Apr to May 1989, 5 weeks, leadership/management II, managerial communications II, military studies II
USAF, Level 1 – Hazardous Material Course, Apr 1994.
USAF, Process Action Team Training, May 1994.
USAF, Facilitator Training, Aug 1994.
USAF, Training the Trainer Class, Aug 1994.
 

OTHER Training and Information:
RICOH technical schools for repair of Digital Photo Copiers and FAX machines (2001)
Transportation Security Administration (TSA) - Screening Officer training – 90 hours – December, 2004
 

Self Taught – Repair of Desktop Computers including all hardware and software components.  Special emphases of electronic sub-systems and networking components and fabrication of network cables.  Very familiar with all MS-Office applications and many Utility, Anti-Virus, and Photo / Graphics application software.
 

Self Taught – Robotics motor and sensor equipment, logic-processing modules, Sonar sensors and power supply sub-components.
 

Self Taught – Design and fabrication of large scale radio control aircraft, special emphasis on airborne video and photographic equipment.
 

Self Taught - HAM Radio license, fluent in design and fabrication of radio and video antennas.

AWARDS and MEDALS:
Dept of Air Force, Make a Difference Award, Jan 1993
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Director Citation, established emergency communications during Grand Forks, ND flood, Nov 1997
Dept of Air Force, Professional Performer Award, 20th AF IG-NSI, Oct 1997
Dept of Air Force, Air Force Meritorious Service Medal
Dept of Air Force, Air Force Commendation Medal
Dept of Air Force, Joint Service Achievement Medal
Dept of Air Force, Air Force Achievement Medal (4 total)
Dept of Air Force, Air Force Outstanding Unit Award (2 total)
Dept of Air Force, Air Force Good Conduct Medal (5 total)
Dept of Air Force, National Defense Service Medal (2 total)
Dept of Air Force, Air Force Overseas Short Tour Ribbon (2 total)
Dept of Air Force, Air Force Overseas Long Tour Ribbon
Dept of Air Force, Air Force Longevity Service Award Ribbon (4 total)
Dept of Air Force, NCO Professional Military Education Graduation Ribbon (2 total)
Dept of Air Force, Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon (2 total)
Dept of Air Force, Air Force Training Ribbon