I was born in San Antonio, TX, in the late 1930s to a stay-at-home mom and a strict disciplinarian father. I began working at the age of twelve, dropped out of school at sixteen, and enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard, the fifth branch of the armed services (military), at the age of seventeen. I spent the first few years of enlistment attending training schools and being transferred from unit to unit. I survived a disastrous marriage of six years, producing two children and multiple separations, divorces, and remarriages. I finally met the woman who would become the necessary anchor to provide the stability I needed to focus my life in a meaningful way. I continued going to college, ultimately receiving an Electrical Engineering Degree. I scaled the enlisted ranks to Chief Petty Officer and was appointed a Chief Warrant Officer (CWO). After spending five years as a CWO, I attended an Officer Candidate course for CWOs and graduated as a regular commissioned officer in the rank of Lieutenant Junior Grade (LTJG). I spent ten years as a regular line officer, advancing to Lieutenant-Commander rank, before retiring in 1984. Upon retirement from the Coast Guard, I worked for several aerospace companies for five years as a Program Manager and then joined a major lighting manufacturer as a District Lighting Engineer. I retired from active work in 1995, and my wife and I spent the next thirty years touring the country. Read more about this authorRead less about this author