Don Clayton:  

Hello, Now that the reunion is scheduled, I've re-read my original post and decided that it's too smart-assed even by my standards... Given this, and the fact that I loved reading Joe Appel's story, here's mine. As I managed to graduate PHS with the emotional maturity of a hyperactive 13 year old, I did a quick summation of my options and joined the Air Force. Before the class of '81 graduated, I was standing on an air strip in the Syrian border of Turkey thinking to myself "this should be interesting..." It was. I ended up staying just over five years in the USAF serving there, Hawaii, and northern Italy. Afterwards, I returned home (my folks had moved to Florida by then, as my father had family there) and went back to school with a completely different attitude. While there, I met a recruiter for the Foreign Service; the people who staff US embassies overseas. As I was a computer guy in the USAF, had the security clearance, and wanted to go overseas again, I applied. In January of 1988 I was sworn in and have been doing this ever since. My tours have been excellent, each and every one. I've served in Vienna, Turkey (again), Washington...Expand for more