John Guzman:  

My schools include Barringer High School, but you already know that. After graduating I went into the Army for 3-years where I became an electronics tech, something I have used to earn my living most of my life. My first Army hitch had me stationed at Fort Riley, Kansas and West Berlin, Germany. When I left the Army I still wasn't old enough to drink or vote, such was life in 1965. Civilian occupations included ITT Federal Labs in Nutley, New Jersey and Pan American World Airways at JFK Airport in New York before starting college in 1971 in Costa Rica and finishing off at Andrews U in Michigan (earth science major with a minor in religion); thank you GI Bill. I had stayed with the Army reserves during that time as a military policeman before returning to active duty after college. Tours then included West Berlin and Germany, totaling 10-yrs in Europe and as a military advisor in Central America during our quiet wars in that region (2-1/2-yrs). My tours in Berlin were exciting as I patrolled the infamous Berlin Wall almost on a daily basis from a UH-1H Huey helicopter as well as the occasional buzz by an "unfriendly" aircraft as we flew the air corridors connecting West Berlin with West Germany. My last tour in Germany was at Wiesbaden Army Air Base where my unit, 1st Military Intelligence Battalion had missions in electronic warfare along the east-west border using OV-1D & RV-1D Mohawk aircraft. Yes, I participated during the first Iraq Gulf War but God has been nice to me. Where most of my unit went into the "sand box" I went to the Greek island of Crete with a US Air Force recon unit where I lodged in a hotel. I also spent 2-1/2-yrs as a military advisor in Central America, to include Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras. If you hadn't heard about our involvement in that part of the world it was because the government wanted it that way. To say the least, those were really exciting assignments. I authored a book about our involvement in El Salvador based on my experiences. If you're interested it's titled, "Reflections Behind the Retina," and it is in the Library of Congress. Vets, government operatives and some in the media have told me I didn't go far enough in the exposure. I've also heard from folks connected with the Pentagon and State Department that the book was not received in a favorable light by them. Though the Pentagon tried to silence all active service members it did not prevent a couple of retired genera...Expand for more