A brief introduction …

30 September 2008 by Don.

Now, 45 years after leaving Mount St. Joe, I have finally stepped off my career path into a job that most people only dream about.  As I left high school, I was not one to look far into the future and my plans only extended as far as college and an Aerospace Engineering degree.

On graduation from the University of Maryland, I accepted a commission in the Air Force and headed to pilot training.  A year and a half later, I was flying the O-2A in Vietnam.   There I was awarded the Air Medal (with thirteen Oak Leaf Clusters) and the Distinguished Flying Cross (with Oak Leaf Cluster) as a Forward Air Controller.
With my combat tour over, I became a T-38 Instructor Pilot teaching in the advanced phase of Undergraduate Pilot training before accepting an assignment as the weapons compatibility engineer for the F-111 for which I was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal.

With almost 11 years in the Air Force, I changed to civilian clothes and moved with my wife, Kathy, to the Arnold Engineering Development Center as a Test Engineer in the Four-foot Transonic-Wind Tunnel.

The desire for expanded career opportunities took us to Denver and Martin Marietta as a Systems Engineer.  In the 10 years there, among other projects, I was responsible for the configuration management for the development of NASA’s Manned Maneuvering Unit that now hangs in the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.

Though Denver was beautiful, the desire to be closer to my family roots brought Kathy and I back to the east coast with TASC (The Analytic Sciences Corporation, later purchased by Northrop Grumman).  With offices close to the Washington beltway and doors securely locked, I worked for 18 years as a Systems Engineer on challenging but frustrating government contracts.  For several years, my offices were close to the Air and Space museum - yes it’s a small world.

That brief history brings me to a point two years ago when, with my wife’s encouragement, I decided to retire from Northrop Grumman.  With freedom to do whatever I wanted, I looked at all the places I’ve traveled, and the things I like to do, and then listened to an invitation from my travel agent to capitalize on years of vacation experience.

I’m now an Accredited Cruise Counsellor selling cruise vacations on all the major cruise lines and European river cruises. For me, it’s a dream job.

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