Bob Schaefer:
CLASS OF 1960
Owens Valley High SchoolClass of 1960
Independence, CA
Bob's Story
This probably won't be as interesting as a trip up to north fork of Oak creek on the old school bus with Mr. Laird driving. Here goes: Graduated in June 1960 and since I was lA on the draft list I enlisted into the U.S. Army for three years, went to Ft Ord for basic training, learned how to dry shave with a waste basket over my head for not shaving before morning roll call. Qualified as an Expert Marksman with the M1 rifle, was awarded a trophy for placing on a list of the top three high scores for the company, probably due to my years of deer hunting in the O.V. Assigned to the U.S. Army Security Agency and sent to Ft. Devens Mass for high speed Morse code intercept training. Meanwhile the FBI was in Independence doing a background check for my Top Secret security clearance. Passed the security clearance background check somehow and was sent to Herzogenaurach, Germany for duty. This was an experience, interestingly when in the chow line I learned what SOS stood for and when the mess hall Sgt. yelled out "sea food" I received a big serving of fish sticks. There was a lot of tension on our base and the world for that matter, the Cold War was heating up and we were within tank distance from Berlin so we figured we would never get out alive, this was before the Berlin Wall and the Cuban Blockade.
The situation in Europe went down hill quickly and we were placed on "alert" with all personnel being required to be available for duty. My Morse code intercept abilities had really increased to the point I was made a "Trick Chief" and assigned to intercept and copy the Czechoslovakian FBI, they used high speed "electronic keyers" and could really get with the program. I won't go any further on that subject. The Berlin Wall was built, we were cautioned to watch for "locals" who tried to find out what we did "over there" where all the antennas were located. When I went into the service Eisenhower was President, then Kennedy who extended my tour of duty in Europe. Discharged in June of 1963 as a SP5 Intercept specialist drawing second level proficiency (P2) pay. Got back to the States as a sergeant E5 but too young to vote or drink alcohol. Fast forward to 1973 I was hired by the City of Los Angeles DWP as a communications electrician who helped maintain the DC Pacific Intertie ...Expand for more
power line communications system from Oregon to So. Calif. Promoted to Senior communications electrician, retired 1998, moved to McCall Idaho, Contacted by NASA asking if I would consider being a Technical Consultant for their ARISS program and set up a Comm link to the International Space Station from McCall, Idaho so Astronaut Barbara Morgan could talk directly to her students and have a short question and answer period during the time slot the ISS was in line with Australia, I set this up through a "Gettner" bridge and fed the full duplex audio into the school PA system so students, teachers and parents could hear the whole two way conversation. Turned out well and apparently NASA was impressed and asked me to be a permanent member of the International ARISS committee. After 9-1-1 happened, I decided that maybe there was something I could still do for my country, I wanted to get every FCC license that was issued associated with telecommunications but was missing the GMDSS operator and GMDSS maintainer licenses, I enrolled in a Coast Guard approved U.S. Merchant Marine school over in Bodega Bay in California and completed their school and was commissioned as a U.S. Merchant Marine Radio Officer. I now had five commercial FCC licenses, six counting my Amateur Extra Class license and was content with all of that. Soon the phone rang and Norwegian Cruise Lines had a brand new passenger ship in Hawaii that couldn't be moved because the Radio Officer had quit. I was hired over the phone and flown to Honolulu where I boarded the "Pride of Hawaii" which had 4000 people on board. I was 63 years old by this time, this was a demanding job, I was the only communications officer on board and they couldn't move the ship unless I was present on the bridge. I eventually gave notice and asked to be replaced, I said "I would rather be in Idaho splitting wood" All of this backstory wasn't meant to promote me but to show that a kid from a small town who didn't go to college can succeed in life with determination and hard work. Don't ever give up because if I can do it so can you.
During the Cuban missile crisis in 1962 while I was in Germany doing my MOS of 058.10 our country went to "DEFCON 2" the first time this level of Defense Readiness has ever been used by our Government.
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