1. First job, Spain, 1959, shining shoes at local cantina (Yes, I have film to prove it).
2. Began studying guitar in 1962 from a classical guitarist.
3. Took lessons in tap dancing and acrobatics for a short while in 4th grade.
4. I landed my first light plane before I was out of junior high school.
5. I studied Evelyn Wood's Reading Dynamics in 8th grade and again when I was in the Air Force. I was in a few TV commercials in 1969. My mother even got to do a radio commercial for it. I got my reading skills up to 20,000 words per minute, with 80% comprehension. Stopped doing this because I was reading fiction too quickly and I prefer to savor a good story over a few days. However, the training was invaluable. Took the class again when I was in the Air Force as I get it free for the rest of my life.
6. Over the years I have studied several forms of Martial Arts, including: various forms of Karate, Aikido, combat handguns, sharpshooting, and foil fencing. Initially however, I studied Isshinryu (one heart/one mind) Karate (empty hand), an Okinawan style under 10th Dan (Degree) black belt (red in color, actually), Sensei Steve Armstrong (a Marine Drill Instructor who studied in Okinawa under the style's master and creator, Tatsuo Shimibuku). I always believed the phrase, "Martial Arts" meant an all encompassing thing, not just fighting skills. Or I should say, "Fighting Skills" can include full warfare, or espionage, or simply making it in the world. Though, I must now say, O Sensei had the right idea.

   I also later studied briefly under Yao Mun Nomad style founder, Ed Lewis (who originally studied along with me under Sensei Armstrong).

   My current favorite M.A. form and Life-belief is Aikido. My original Sensei for Aikido was a tiny Japanese woman who learned Aikido from a man, who learned it from the founder, Morihei Ueshiba, known as "O Sensei".

   My current dojo is Kitsap Aikido where I am a board member of that non-profit organization.

   I used to compete (Kata and Kumete) in the Pacific Northwest (Bremerton, Tacoma, Seattle International Open, etc.) Karate Tournements back in the late 1960's. Although I never received more than a blue belt in Isshinryu, I have studied Martial Arts all my life. I stopped accepting belt ranks (shortly after I received my blue belt), for personal reasons related to a backlash against the American Belt Ranking System and competitive Martial Arts pursuits.

7. Received my 3 letters in sports from Tacoma's Lincoln High School Rifle Team (my first firearms training begain back in eighth grade on a private rifle team highly recommended by the Tacoma Police department).
8. Practiced LSAR (Search and Rescue) techniques while a Flight Commander in the Civil Air Patrol while in Junior High shool which include among other things, cliff climbing, first aid, serious first aid, base support, communications, flight support, and other general LSAR (Land Search and Rescue) techniques.
9. Received my NAUI (National Association of Underwater Instructors) certification in 1971 for SCUBA. And as we all know, SCUBA (now so well known, the acronym status is usually dropped and just written: Scuba) means: Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus. I learned from one of the guys (Bert Thomas) that helped develop it along with Jaques Yves Cousteau. Bert died some years ago, trying to save the life of a student. He was a great big jolly old guy and was an old time hard hat (deep sea) diver. I received 71 hours of instruction from him and his instructors, nearly twice of what most people get taught nowadays.
10. First parachute jump was in 1973, when I was seventeen. Since retired, after a minor, but painful accident where I had to argue wholeheartedly with my parachute that was in a "ciggarette roll" compression type twist.
11. Became a certified Parachute Rigger/Rubbergear Specialist/Survival Equipment Technician in the Air Force. I had a Secret level clearance for working on Nuculear weapons systems, with an HRP/PRP rating. I left the service as a Buck Sergeant (E4) by which time I had received several awards, certificates, Good Conduct Medal and a retention offer that I regretfully declined due to a desire to acquire a college degree and become a writer.
12. Received an "early out" from the Air Force to attend college. I eventually received a Bachelor of Arts and Letters from Western Washington University in Bellingham, Washington in Psychology with a minor in Creative Writing (Screenplays, Plays, and Fiction).
13. Worked off and on as Ronin in personal protection services (bodyguard) and was happily accepted into the OSI back in 1979, by the base's OSI Commander, though I ended up turning them down in the end. What bodyguard work has to do with the OSI, though, I don't know; they don't carry firearms.
14. The year I fulfilled my military contract, I sold all my firearms (I had dabbled a bit in "weapons speculation" (now retired), and bought a computer with the money from my collection. The rest is history.
15. I was a Cable TV Public Access Producer at Viacom Cable, in Seattle, WA. This lead into filming horses (as my wife was a horse trainer/riding instructor) for sale and at shows, as well as producing a 25th Anniversary documentary on the 1960's TV show, "Lost in Space".
16. I have had many experiences in many other areas, but modesty and prudence (and jurisprudence) and a paper I signed when I left the Military, all keep me from going into much detail. Don't worry, though, I plan to write a nonfiction book about it all someday covering the many parts of my life that would be of interest to information, archival and police agencies around the world.

My Home Page

Main Journaled.com Page

[ Top ]