Robert Fletcher:  

Retired, life is good, all the rest is what it is. Loving life, volunteering, writing, travelling - every day is awesome. Retired after nearly 40 years of Federal & Military service. Retired Army National Guard - as Chief Warrant Officer and a mid-level civilian intelligence employee. My Colonel commander presented me with the Meritorious Service Medal awarded on retirement. The 42nd Combat Aviation Brigade (CAB) gave me some awesome accolades, and as I shook hands with all the HHC soldiers, I knew I'd miss them. Soldiers make you what you are. Duty, truth, service, honesty, are all the qualities that every soldier and officer should strive to follow. I enjoyed my time as the Intelligence technician in the Brigade S2, Intelligence. DHS Regional Director presented me with a certificate, signed by the DHS Assistant Secretary for Intelligence, additionally a commendatory medal from DHS I&A and flag flown over DHS HQ. I was a DHS Intelligence Reports Officer (RO) for the Northeast US and previously in DC as a Senior RO at end of my service. Having left it all behind now I can say it's been a great ride, both government and military - offered numerous full time positions and part time as well. It pays to be a “former” specialised intelligence professional. (I’m “read out” of all clearances so I can say it) I’ve had a good life with more twists and turns then I thought possible. My first job in Alief was at All Seasons Plant Nursery on Cook Road Alief TX (1976), shoveling manure and dirt!; And then shift manager at Jack-in-the Box on Bellaire Road Alief TX (1976-77) - cooking your burgers Friday nights. Since leaving Alief, TX in 1977: Joined the Navy, NROTC scholarship fell through from colorblindness. Entered the US Navy as enlisted in Nov 1977 with Boot Camp in San Diego CA; (1977-8) - not as hard as at home, but we kept spiffy clean bathrooms, we cleaned with a toothbrush; At Machinist Mate A School, Great Lakes IL (1978) - way too easy, clean the generator and wipe up oil, Saw the Playboy Club in Chicago on liberty and lots of Waukegan IL clubs... As a Navy Machinist Mate I progressed through CTF-63 (Naples, Italy) with temporary duty on 5 ships in the Mediterranean sea, hitting nearly every port there. AD-ON-Site-Component CTF63, Naples Italy (1978-80) - A unit that assisted the deploying US Navy destroyer tender repair units that were persistently undermanned. Back-to-back Mediterranean cruises to Naples, Gaeta, Genoa, Taormina, Trieste, Palermo, Venice, Ancona, Bari, Taranto, Messina in Italy; Marseille & Toulon France; Athens Greece; Antalya, Istanbul in Turkey; Alexandria, Egypt; Tunis, Tunisia; Haifa & Ashdod, Israel; Tangier, Morocco; Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, Valencia, Spain; and Monte Carlo to name a few ports we visited (on the fine ships: USS Puget Sound AD38, USS Piedmont AD17, USS Shenandoah AD26, USS Vulcan AR5, USS Sierra AD18) We had some fun liberty and saw the sights, castles, beaches, ports, and palaces! Following 1980-83 Was on 6th fleet flagship, the USS Puget Sound AD38 again, I joined her in Norfolk VA, afterwards going to Guantanamo Bay Cuba, GITMO and Caribbean cruise, then Jamaica and overseas again to Beirut/Gaeta, Italy (1980-3). In Gaeta - my apartment and girlfriend was only 10 minutes from the beach. Travelled the Med again, many more ports with sights, beer and wine, and many horrible drinks! In 1983 went to another Navy ship overseas, the USS Orion AS18 in La Maddalena, Sardinia, (1983-5), a submarine repair ship working on all kinds of US subs and even the HMS Conqueror (she sank the Belgrano in the Falklands) Sardinia has totally great beaches, and we only had to travel to a few ports a year and ever so much beach time, took up diving. Then assigned to the NAVSUPPACT Security Police (1985-8) in Naples, Italy (again); I went from patrolman to section leader, later Pass & ID supervisor, an on call accident investigator, and involved in drug suppression operations. Our USO was bombed 14 April 1988. Attended University of LaVerne Overseas Campus at NATO Bagnoli, Italy and was part of the NATO Archeological society, giving tours in Pompeii and writing articles. In 1988, I entered the Naval Investigative Service (NIS) as a Federal Intelligence professional, the NIS later became the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) like the TV show except we were better, I served in NISRA Naples Italy, NCISFO Naples, Italy, as an Intelligence Operations Specialist, assisting criminal investigations. Participated in everything from Narcotics suppression operations, homicide investigations, unattended deaths, smuggling operations, and ended up in Foreign Counterintelligence (FCI). My Training Officer, Special Agent K once told me "Never misuse your weapon, your credentials and your badge, your government car, your government funds, or never-ever go out with a source and you will do ok". I listened and avoided many headaches, I hated turning in my issued Ruger, 357 pistol when I transferred to DC. At NCISHQ Washington DC, I was an Intelligence analyst, NCIS Headquarters 0022, Navy Anti-Terrorism Alert Center, Washington DC (1995-6), [Now the MTAC]; I went there as an analyst. - My boss called me in and told me that "you had been in the field too long and that I was not to intimidate the other analysts, since they had never done anything". I laughed, ha me intimidating, scaring the analysts?, My boss was a good supervisor and friend. While in DC I rejoined the military, in the US Army National Guard, as an infantry sergeant in C Company, 3rd battalion of the 116th regiment in the 29th Infantry Division (29ID). I was a true nut; a US Army National Guard Infantry sergeant (SGT), 29ID VARNG Leesburg, VA (1996-2002); This was my part-time job. I requested the infantry and became a blue roper (Infantry qualified) in after Infantry 'reclass' training which was great fun. Dig a hole and live in it for a couple weeks, loved them MREs, got two hot meals. The unit went to Slovanski-Brod, Bosnia, I turned down going to Ranger school (was I really that gung ho?). Went Ready Reserve in the IRR. Then I moved to London, in a NCIS competitive position attached to the US Navy, Commander US Navy Europe as the Senior Intelligence Analyst for my branch, in London UK, I travelled extensively representing the admiral COMUSNAVEUR throughout Europe and Africa. I became the N22AT, Combatting Terrorism Branch Chief, London UK (1996-2003). Great job, many late nights. Had a special government phone, Always on call. I reported in right after Princess Diana's death, I saw her in DC and was wowed when I saw her at the woman's museum. I know exactly where I was on 9/11 and the price we paid. Travelled a lot more in Europe, Africa, Near East...and took a red eye flight to DC from London every other month to go to different agencies meetings.. I left NCIS and went to the Department of Justice (DOJ) in the Western District of ...Expand for more