Homer Rushing:  

Life I was born and raised in Evansville, Indiana and attended Fairlawn Elementary School and Bosse High School. Upon graduation I enlisted in the U.S. Navy and spent 11 lovely weeks at the Recruit Training Center, Great Lakes, Ill. during the summer of 1970. Afterwards, I was sent to Naval Training Center, Pensacola , Fla. to receive 6 months of training as a Cryptologic Technician. This job required me to hold the highest Top Secret security clearance that one could hold in the Navy. As we ued to joke...I could tell you what I did, but then I'd have to kill you. Upon completion of my training I was stationed at Naval Security Group Activity, Guam (where America’s day begins). I desired to go to Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron -1 (VQ-1), Guam and eventually got my wish by performing an exchange of duty request. While I was stationed on Guam, I visited Thailand and Australia and a WWII Japanese soldier was found hidden out in the island’’s jungles. The Navy then transferred me to Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron-2, (VQ-2) Rota, Spain. This turned out to be an event that would change the course of my life. I lived in one of the most beautiful little towns in all of Spain called Chipiona. While stationed in Spain I undertook the task of teaching myself Spanish. I absolutely fell in love with Spain and arranged to be discharged there locally and remain there for a while after my military service was complete. On the 18 of June 1976, only 5 days before my discharge from the Navy, I met the young lady who was eventually to become my wife, Concepcion Jimenez Odero. While I was stationed in Spain, I visited France, Germany, Italy, Greece, Portugal, Monaco, Andorra, Morocco, Gibraltar and Puerto Rico. I also traveled to the Jim Russell International Racing Driver’s School at Norwich, England. I had been very active in go-kart racing in Spain and this school gave me 18 days training in handling Formula Ford racers and finally put me in my first official Formula Ford race. Whatta hoot! Well, since I was living in Spain, I’’d have to find myself a job there. I managed to land a job as a firefighter at the U.S. Air Force base at Moron de la Frontera, about an hour’s drive from Seville, Spain. There were 45 people working at the fire station and 38 of them were Spaniards. The 7 Americans had to speak Spanish as everything there was done in that language. During the 2 years that I was at the fire station my Spanish language abilities improved exponentially. Most of the fires I fought there were grass and mattress fires but I wished to fight something big sometime. I didn’t want to see anyone get hurt though. I did get my wish and I was involved in combating a humungous fuel pipeline fire out in a farmer’s field. It was also during this time that I married my wife on the 1st of October '77 and my daughter Maria was born on Thanksgiving Day '78. The Spanish cost of living continued upward while my firefighter’s salary did not, so in February of 1979 I returned to the U.S. After some months in the U.S., I re-enlisted in the U.S. Navy. I changed my job in the Navy and I was sent, along with my family, to the Naval Training Center in Vallejo, Ca. to receive nearly 2 years training as a Data Systems Technician (i.e. a computer systems repairman). While in training I begged, sweet-talked and cajoled anyone that I thought might help me obtain orders back to Rota, Spain. When my orders arrived I had been assigned...Expand for more