JOHN Armstrong:  

I don't know where to start. After graduation. I surfed, partied and hung out with friends. I think it was a month or two later my dad told me it was time to get a job. A friend (Robert Long) told me about a job working for the U.S. Forest Service. I applied and got the job in early July 1980. I started as a seasonal wildland firefighter on the Los Padres N.F. near Cachuma Lake, outside of Santa Barbara. I worked there for eight seasons, until I was picked up full time in the fall of 1988 on the Angeles N.F. with the Texas Canyon Hotshots. The crew is based outside of the city limits of Santa Clarita, Ca. or the Magic Mountain area. I've been with the Texas Canyon Hotshots for about 28 years. I worked my way through the ranks, starting as a Hotshot Squad boss, Hotshot Captain, and in 2002 I became the Superintendent of the crew. All good things must come to an end; I will be retiring at th...Expand for more