Mark Bitterlich:
CLASS OF 1971
Conestoga High SchoolClass of 1971
Berwyn, PA
Valley Forge Junior High SchoolClass of 1968
Wayne, PA
Mark's Story
Life
After making a lot of bad decisions as a teenager, I topped it off by leaving Connestoga High School in 1970 for the Marines at the innocent age of 17. All questions about what the world was really like were answered in Vietnam and over the next 20 years in the Marine Corps. I was lucky enough to become involved in the field of Electronic Warfare, which fueled the geek side of my personality! That and other Electronic Engineering disciplines became a profession after retirement from the USMC. Got married in 74 to Kris Igler from King of Prussia, divorced just short of 20 years later after Desert Storm. No kids, I was gone more than I was home. Retired from the Marines in 90 and was hired as a contractor to go back to the Marines and act as an advisor. Switched to DOD Engineering and continued to provide engineering support to the Govt. and deploy with the Marine Electronic Warfare community to points over-seas, when the balloon goes up. Still have my 68 Camaro, and fly a 1985 Russian Yak-50 (one of 45 left) for small air-shows. Still going to school when possible. In 2003, while over in Saudi Arabia for the first Iraqi Freedom war, I wrote to an old girlfriend I dated in High School from Radnor and found out that she was divorced as well. We've been going out ever since (2009 and still going strong!). Thanks to Classmates.com for allowing that miracle to happen! Anyway.... I miss the friends that I left in Pennsylvania a lot and think of you all often.
School
Can't remember this gents name... but he was the track coach and taught American History.... anyway, he was a good leader and tried to help me in school. I came back years later and took him flying in a two seat military aerobatic trainer (T-34B). His name started with an "R".... darned if I can remember! The worst teacher I think I EVER had was that idiot who taught math waving a piece of chalk around in his fingers. What a bonehead! (Finally did remember his name! Mr. Ramsey!)
College
All of my college has been off-campus so not much to report here!
Workplace
My 20 years in the military were really an apprenticeship to what I do now as a Field Engineer to the Marine Corps Aviation Electronic Warfare Program using the Grumman EA-6B Prowler. My job is to act as a Govt. advisor on this aircraft and to offer engineering upgrade suggestions, along with analyizing and reporting on upgrades designed and incorporated by others. These systems range from engine performance display, communications, navigation, RADAR, EW receivers, tran...Expand for more
smitters, data transfer systems, SATCOM, SATDAT, IFF, TACAN, GPS, INS, Optical Sensors, Lasers, etc. As an added delight, my job description also requires me to give formal advanced electronics training to senior Marines and Aviators. The job is like the proverbial saying for pilots... hours of boredom interupted by moments of stark terror. The latter come when deployed with the Marines in combat zones and now not even allowed to carry a gun! Desert Storm was interesting to say the least. Give me a call if you are ever crazy enough to want to visit either South East OR South West Asia. Here's a clue... DON'T GO! The same applies to the Middle East.
On the plus side I travel everywhere.
On the downside, I travel everywhere and don't get paid (much) for it. :-)
School has been a catch as catch can prospect with a lot of night classes etc. Joining the USMC at age 17 was great for an attitude check, but horrible for getting into college!
This job is really one that represents a closed society. It's military related through and through and that represents a world that is totally different from one that I expect the non-military person can ever imagine. Trust me, it's got all the same back-stabbing and in-fighting as any large corporation would have,... but also one with extremely high marks in loyalty and friendship amoung peers.
The Marines do take care of their own.
They just don't always tell you exactly what kind of "care" that is going to be!"
Military
Joined the Marines at age 17. Went to Parris Island for 14 weeks, followed by Stony Bay and then Camp Geiger. Did ITR and BST, followed by coming to Cherry Point NC. 24 weeks of advanced electronics schooling at Memphis, followed by another 12 at Whidbey Island WA for advanced training on the A-6A as a Fire Control Tech. Came back to Cherry Point and worked in Maint. Control VMA(AW)-332 and then went over to VMCJ-2 to work on EA-6A's. This then became VMAQ-2, and I ended up staying with this squadron until retirement. Many MANY deployments to just about every place on the planet with heavy emphasis on the far east. After retirement was hired as a Contracted Consultant and specialized on the ALQ-99 system for NWSC Crane. 8 months later was hired to serve as a General Field Engineer by Kay & Associates where-upon I went straight to Desert Storm for 10 months. Then was hired directly by the Department of Defense to act as a direct Govt. expert on the airborne electronic warfare systems contained in the EA-6B Prowler.
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