"If you don't know where you're going, any bus will do"

I began my adulting lessons by shipping out to Navy bootcamp in Orlando, Florida four days after my 18th birthday. After bootcamp, I was off to Data Processing "A" School in San Diego before getting orders to my first ship, USS Midway (CV-41), homeported in Yokosuka, Japan. In my two years aboard, I was very fortunate to visit many exciting and exotic places including Mombasa, Kenya (twice); Hong Kong (twice); Perth, Australia; and many more. Our ship and escorts were the first ships on Gonzo Station after the hostages were taken at the US Embassy in Iran on November 4, 1979. After the Midway, I was assigned to the USS Yosemite (AD-19) homeported in Mayport, Florida. The Yo-Yo was just returning from a Med Cruise when I arrived so there weren't any exciting ports to visit onboard then. I ultimately made it to USCINCLANT in Norfolk, Virginia where, after three years of shore duty, I made the difficult decision to leave the Navy and start my life over essentially (since I earlier had every intention of being a career sailor).

Since my formative years in the Navy, I have enjoyed a long and varied career as a defense contractor doing everything from software engineering, systems engineering, enterprise architecture, and project management across the Intelligence, Warfighter, and Business Mission Areas. I have worked on programs directly supporting the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps. It has been quite a ride and I am very thankful for the opportunities, experiences, and wonderful friends and colleagues I have made along the way.

My wife and I now live in Northern Virginia and are slowly but surely make our way toward retirement - if only I could pick the right six numbers for a lottery drawing then we would retire even sooner!

Before coming to Northern Virgnia, we lived in Hawaii. I was there for 17 fantastic years and miss it everyday.  While there I earned my undergraduate degree and graduate degree from Hawaii Pacific University (BSCS'91/MBA'97) where I later became a computer science faculty member. I really enjoyed teaching and approached each class as if I was preparing my students to become my future colleagues so I tried as best I could to provide meaningful material and lessons so I would not have to teach them how to do something when they came to work with me later.

Both of our kids are now adulting on their own and have married wonderful spouses themselves within the past year. Perhaps we are getting ready to transition from work parents to retired grandparents after all!

Pictures:

• Hale Anuanu
• Hale Anuanu Landscaping
• Moving Out from Hale Anuanu
• New House in Bristow, Virginia