I thought that you would like to
know that I made it back from
Ukraine. The hardest part of this
trip was dealing with the
airlines, going and coming. Our
base of operation was in Rzeszow
Poland just a few miles from
Ukraine. I was supporting a
National Intelligence Community
data collection campaign.
We moved into Ukraine, set up our
command post in a school, and did
our work. The area of Ukraine that
we were in was dealing mostly with
people leaving (getting out) not
getting bombed.
Attached are a few pictures. First
picture going through the gate to
get into Ukraine (7042), second
picture welcome to Ukraine sign,
third picture of my team members
in Ukraine, forth picture inside
the school where we set up our
command post, but my favorite
picture is of the mom, daughter
and their dog making it to safety
just coming through the border
(#7041) into Poland.
This was my 9th war and Beth said
my last one, time to retire and go
fishing maybe in 2 or 3 years.
Hope to see you all in Aug at the
reunion. Ed
- - - - - - - -
I was born in
Albuquerque, New Mexico due to my
Father being in the Air Force. We
moved to Louisiana, Texas, Maine,
Guam (1st grade) and Alabama
(2nd-5th grade) before ending up
in Rome. I started school in Rome
in 6th grade at Stokes School and
went to then Laurel Street School.
After graduation from RFA I
entered the Air Force where I was
a B-52 radar repairman and
provided support to the Cold War,
the Vietnam War and the October
1973 Yom Kippur War. I married
Beth Ann Smith in July 1974. I
left the Air Force in Sep 1974 and
went to MVCC and then to SUNY at
Buffalo where I received a BSEE in
Microwave Communication Systems
both paid for by the GI Bill. I
then started at then Rome Air
Development Center (Rome Lab now
the Air Force Research Lab) in
June 1979 as a project engineer
developing new technologies for
space-based reconnaissance
systems. In 1983 I received a MSEE
from Syracuse University. I was
promoted to Branch Chief in 1988
in charge of the Design Analysis
Branch, System Reliability
Division where I lead a team to
develop more reliable airborne
surveillance and electronic
warfare systems. During this time
I provided support to NATO, and to
the wars in Bosnia and Desert
Storm. I also performed work in
Russia, Korea, Hungary, Australia,
Egypt and several other countries.
In 2001 I took a “Career
Broadening Assignment” at the
National Reconnaissance Office,
Chantilly, Virginia where I was in
charge of preforming world-wide
National Intelligence Community
duties supporting the wars in the
Middle East and South America. In
2004 I was asked to lead a large
joint service and intelligence
agency team to rapidly conceive,
develop, field test, mature and
then transition new covert
reconnaissance techniques to
locate, track, and then rescue
three American personnel that were
downed while flying a joint United
States-Colombian clandestine
counternarcotics mission over
Colombia (if you would like more
info on this then read their book
“Out of Captivity Surviving 1,967
Days in the Colombian Jungle” by
Marc Gonsalves, Keith Stansell and
Tom Howes). In 2008 I returned to
Rome Lab where in 2010 I became
the Division Chief for the
Advanced Computing Division. I
retired from the Government in
2011 with 36 years of service.
Over my Government career I spent
time in 26 countries (requiring 13
passports), I wrote 57 technical
papers and one book, and developed
two patents. I received numerous
decorations and awards including
the Outstanding Civilian Career
Medal, the Meritorious Civilian
Service Medal (the civilian
equivalent to the Bronze Star),
the NRO Innovation and Achievement
Award, and many others. I also
received some very unique and cool
training; e.g., I am M-9 and M16A2
Weapons Qualified; Anti-Terrorism
Driver Training that included IED
detection and avoidance and high
speed M998 off road driving; SERE
Code of Conduct training
(Survival, Evasion, Resistance and
Escape); Desert and Jungle Warfare
Survival Training; and Aircraft
Flight Crew Qualified on the
UH-60, UH-1 and C-130 aircraft.
In 2011 my wife and I co-founded
Black Owl Consulting, Inc.
in-order to provide a “Skunk Works
Like Approach” to supporting our
DoD and Intelligence Community
customers in “leading the
discovery, development, and
integration of affordable
warfighting technologies for our
nations’ air, ground and space
forces.”
Our family: we have two kids and
to grand kids.
Pets: we have two horses and two
cats.
Hobbies: horseback riding in NY
and out west, I am a master scuba
diver (I have dove on 59 World
War-2 wreaks and numerous shark
dives), I am a Black Belt in
Karate, skydiver and compete at
the national level in long range
rifle target shooting.
2004:
Working with the US Army SOFs
in South America and we had a
major aircraft fire while
flying a special mission
(lucky to be alive)
2001-2002:
Working a special mission in the
desert above an enemy encampment
Beth, I and
friends doing a helicopter tour
of Kauai, Hawaii (2012), and
Bob Denton and I did the Sydney
Harbor Bridge Climb, Australia
(2009)
Beth and I on
a scuba diving trip to Belize
with Delta Divers (2010) and me
skydiving (2013)
Beth and I
horseback riding in Arizona
(2013) and having a few beers in
St. Maarten
