Allan Howard:  

Aloha classmates! 1978: Graduated, messed around coaching baseball for the summer, then became a hobo and worked series of manual labor jobs... Spring 79: Started at U of O. Fall 79: Left U of O to become ski bum in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Summer 1980: Entered U of Colorado, Boulder. 1981: Went to edge of Blackfoot Reservation, Cut Bank Montana, and worked on the oil rigs. Left with a fat wad of cash and a '62 Ford and drove through the American west, climbing in the Tetons and rafting the Grand Canyon until I made it back to Boulder in Fall of 82. Sold the car and spent the money on tuition and 2 Allman Brothers tickets and went back to school. 82-88: Worked and scrounged my way through school on (roughly) the every-other-year plan, finished spring 88 in Organismic Biology. Jobs were mostly seasonal, be it with the Forest Service (fighting fires and cruising timber), restaurant jobs in Boulder or Steamboat Springs, construction, whatever...One time I was able to work as the Assistant Climatologist at an Arctic and Alpine research station along the continental divide...loved it. Summer 88: While living in Boulder and working for the US Forest Service, came out off a bender and realized I had enlisted in the Navy effective Jan 89. Spent the fall in Yellowstone on the big fire of '88. 89: Went into the Navy, got sent to a battleship (USS Missouri) out of Long Beach California. Saw Korea, Mexico, and a lot of beaches. 90: Had a little trouble on the battleship, got sent to the Philippines. Had the time of my life until I got sent on a cruiser for the first Gulf War. March 91: Cruiser struck a mine, got sent back to the Philippines in time for the catastrophic eruption of Mt. Pinatubo. Sent back to the Gulf later that summer to ride a different cruiser, made three port calls in Australia, played rugby in Freemantle. Loved Hobart. Found out my girlfriend was pregnant. 92: Back to the Philippines, had a girl, got married to a gorgeous tropical girl. Caught the last plane out in November 92 as US Forces pulled out permanently. Reenlisted. 93: Went to forecasting school in Mississippi (that place blows). Had second daughter. Orders to southern Spain. Sobered up, worked my tail off and kept my head low, qualified as forecaster for Mediterranean, Balkans, and Baltic. Played a lot of softball, travelled to Portugal and Italy, got the weight lifting bug, had a son in 95. Reenlisted again in 96. Dec 96: Sent to a carrier, USS Abraham Lincoln out of Everett. REALLY worked my tail off there...saw the usual: Hong Kong, Singapore, Victoria BC, Australia and of course the Persian ...Expand for more