(Ronnie)
Plans after CVCS: work
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After graduating from CV, I spent a few months trying to figure out what to
do with my life. In November, I enlisted in the US Air Force and for the
next year I attended communications-electronics maintenance technical school.
I was then assigned to a small communications relay station in France, about
150 miles south of Paris. After three years in France, I moved to southern
Spain, near Seville, for another three year tour. While in Spain, I met my
future wife, Valerie. Val was living in Torremolinos on the Costa Del Sol
where I spent much of my free time. Our plans were interupted when duty
called and I was off to Bien Hoa, Vietnam for a year. After Nam, I was able
to get an assignment to another small relay site just south of London,
England, about 35 miles from Val's home. We were married and a year later
had a son, Christian. After four years in England it was time to come back
to the States. I had been overseas for eleven years so I was in for some
real culture shock. We were stationed in Tampa, Florida to a specialized
mobil comm unit. I spent three years there, most of it on the road. Then it
was back to Spain. We lived near Madrid for just over four years, then I
went on a fifteen month remote tour to the island of Menorca in the
Mediterranean. Val and Chris stayed in Madrid for this tour so they weren't
far away. We then returned of Florida, Satellite Beach on the east coast
this time. We were there for a short year before we headed to the Pacific.
I was assigned to Honolulu, Hawaii as Chief of Radio Maintenance Division for
the Pacific area. We were there for six years and I visited many exciting
places, including Australia, Guam, Korea, Japan, and the Philippines. After
many years of night courses, I was finally able to complete my Bachelor of
Science degree in Business Management from Hawaii Pacific University. I only
had two years left to go in the Air Force, so I wangled an assignment back
with my old unit in Tampa, Florida. As I said before, this unit was on the
road quite a bit so I soon found myself in Saudi Arabia for Operation Desert
Storm. In December of 1992, I retired from the Air Force as a Chief Master
Sergeant with just over 30 years of service.
After the USAF, I spent a year trying to figure out what to do with my life, as if golf, beer, and travel wasn't enough. I signed on with the US Postal Service and became a letter carrier at Sun City Center which keeps me busy and brings in a few extra bucks. Val became an American citizen while we were in Hawaii and went to work for the military as a civil servant. She is now a Contract Officer for HQ Special Operations Command at MacDill AFB here in Tampa. Our son, Chris, got out of the Air Force after almost ten years to put down roots in Charleston, SC. I guess he got tired of moving around his entire life. He is settled down and doing well with his family, including our grandaughter, Marisa, who is almost four. We have been here in the Tampa area for almost twelve years now and still love to travel. We get back to Europe at least every couple of years to visit old friends and family. If any of you finds yourself in the Tampa area, please feel free to stop by and visit. |
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