Richard Blanset:  

All thru high school I had a great time. I hated homework and as I remember did very little but I could still do very well with tests. My GPA ended up being exactly 2.500: how 'bout that? My favorite subjects were Science, Shop, and Band. Didn't like wood or metal shop all that well but excelled in electronics. I LOVED electronics. In fact I became one of the Electronics Shop "Foreman" at the end of my Sophomore year and all thru Junior year. The teacher¿s last name I believe was Vance (I never did have a very good long term memory) and I was given opportunities to work on TV's, radios, tape recorders, and lots of small special projects. My love of electricity came with a Lionel train set... I was so intrigued to know how it worked. Band was my favorite of all subjects -mostly for the many social activities. While I did have a natural "timing" talent I was not very physically coordinated to be a percussionist. The music director Mr. George Gullett gave me the chance to play French Horn which I feel I could have been superior at if I'd have only concentrated on it. Anyway, the marching practices provided me both a sense of belonging and discipline. I enjoyed the bleacher-time at football games yelling, laughing, freezing, and then going with many to Farrell's Ice Cream Parlor and eating an entire "Pig Trough" just to get all the sirens and accolades which also included a colored ribbon. Many of us collected these like trophies. I also liked the free trips to Disneyland, too. But most of all was the San Diego Springtime Marching Competition trip. Many times thru the year I had to "sidelined" because of a "bum knee" and end up with a peg-leg (wearing a leg brace) for a few weeks as the swelling subsides. In September 1975 after high school I enlisted 6-years active duty in the Navy... bum-knee and all. This is where I learned there was more world than just Rowland Heights, CA. The Navy gave me several advanced electro-mechanical training until November 1977. In San Diego I grew a reputation on the USS Dixon (AS-37) repair ship for troubleshooting and fixing some pretty complex problems on submarine navigation and communications equipment. In 1980 I was assigned to a US Naval Communication Site on the Greek island of Crete for 18-months and was WOW'ed with the rich culture experiences. (I also got married there to a girl from Missouri stationed there, too.) I spent the last 6-months of my enlistment on the Submarine rescue ship USS Sunbird (ASR-15) as we towed an experimental submarine vessel to Scotland and back. I made 1st-Class Petty officer by then and left to be a civilian... for a short time anyway. In March 1982 I started a career in computerized cash registers. I was working all around Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut and wondering if being a civilian computer technician was where "it was at". In 1983 my daughter Jennifer was born and ended back in California - Ontario - (just in time for the '84 Olympics) still working as a computer tech. In December 1984 I made the decision to re-enlist in the Navy as a "life-er" when my wife was pregnant with our son, Christopher. I spent three years in San Diego where I excelled (again) this time as an electronic teacher and system engineer. I built training aides and system mock-ups. I also became a community organizer ...Expand for more