Edward Allen:  

Life I was born in Southwest Minneapolis, the third of four kids. We went to school at Christ the King Elementary, a regimen that prepared me well for the Plebe Summer at the Naval Academy and the training program at Atlantic Southeast Airlines. I grew up hanging out with mostly the wrong crowd, the Doeges, Collins, Achseners, etc, but made a few good friends along the way. I delivered newspapers for the Minneapolis Tribune (the morning paper) starting at age 9 and saved my money to buy the things I wanted. I was influenced a great deal by my father, who took me hunting and fishing with his Marine pilot buddies, The Rams Club, and built my first model airplane at the age of 5. In high school, I was always the guy caught in the middle between the jocks and the freaks. I swam for the varsity swim team, ran track and cross-country. I can credit Mr. Hoisington with pulling me out of the boy’s room while smoking with my buddies and asking me to run on his cross-country team. I wish to this day that I could tell him that his leadership resulted in countless miles and 10 marathons, including Boston. Somewhere along the way, my Dad convinced me that I had to get good grades if I were ever to achieve my goal of becoming a professional pilot. I worked hard, took all the tough classes, and eventually put on my best (only) corduroy suit, got a fresh haircut and took the bus downtown to try to convince Congressman Don Frazier that he should send me to the Naval Academy. It worked. He gave me one of his alternate appointments and by some stroke of luck, his primary guy decided to go to a regular college where he could drink beer and chase girls. Four years later, I graduated with honors from USNA with a BS in Aerospace Engineering. After two years of flight school, I pinned on my Dad's wings, which I wore for the remainder of my Navy Career. That same day, I was told that my new aircraft would be the EA-6B Prowler, a four seat, twin-engine jet designed specifically to suppress enemy air defense systems. That took me to the Pacific Northwest, and NAS Whidbey Island, WA, where I spent the majority of the next 18 years. There, I made great friendships and learned to love salmon and halibut fishing, crabbing, shrimping and bow...Expand for more