David Casteel:  

e. While in high school I packed groceries at a local Big Bear market in Detroit, MI and also took telephone orders and packed them for pickup at a Chinese carry-out kitchen. In college, I worked 2 summers at the Wilson's Dairy in Detroit (one year in the cold room throwing milk crates on the line for the deliverymen and one in the ice cream plant packing popsicles) and another 2 summers for a surveying firm in northern Detroit. Upon graduation with my B.S.Ch.E. I immediately entered the USAF as a 2Lt and spent 20 years in the Air Force--15 as a commissioned officer (highest grade O-3) and the last 5 as an enlisted man (highest grade E-6) and retired as a Captain O-3 in 1980. The only civilian job I have had since leaving the military was with Texas Instruments in Dallas, TX and after 24 years with them I retired in Jan 2005. For most of that time I was a COBOL programmer. I am now working part time as a contract employee at TI, also doing COBOL programming. Military I was commissioned a 2Lt in the US Air Force on 2 Feb 1960, just 2 days before graduating from Wayne State University with a B.S.Ch.E; on 21 Feb 1960, I reported in to my first duty station, Mt. Hebo AFS, OR for duty as a fledgling Ground Electronics Officer. Although as a Chem.E. I should have been sent for a 51-week training course at Keesler AFB, MS to prepare me for an electronics assignment, some SNAFU at Hq, USAF bypassed that step and sent me immediately to an operational site, much to the chagrin of my Captain boss. Not only was I untrained, I was a year early and an overage (no position for me to fill) because the slot of Radar Maintenance Officer was already occupied by another (trained) officer. Despite that rocky beginning, I did learn the ropes and (I believe) became an effective maintenance supervisor. I did receive formal training on various aspects of the AN/FPS-24 FD radar while at Mt. Hebo, and also was sent to learn about maintenance of the AN/FSQ-7 SAGE computer in 1962; following my return from IBM Kingston (NY) I was immediately transferred to Adair AFS, OR for duty as a shift duty Computer Maintenance Officer. In 1964 I was transferred to Cartwright AS, Labrador (Canada), again as Radar Maintenance Officer. I was there a year, during which I built a complete concert electronic organ from kits in my free time. Following that remote tour, I was sent to the 10th ADS at Vandenberg AFB, CA as a Payload Electronics Officer--my duties involved exercising control over and supervising maintenance of the payload of a Thor booster for use against enemy satellites (1965-1967); the operational base for this was Johnston Island in the Pacific Ocean, and I spent 3 100-day tours there. Then USAF decided to send me to AFIT training at University of Southern California to earn a M.S.I.E. and I graduated in 1969. I was immediately sent to serve with the ARMISH-MAAG in Teheran, Iran as the Radar Advisor to the Imperial Iranian Air Force (the Shah was still in power then). When my 18 months there were over (1971), I was sent to the 728th TCSq at Shaw AFB, SC (radar maintenance again) and subsequently (1972) reassigned to head the office of Radar/Communications Siting and Evaluation at Hq, 507th TCGp, also at Shaw--a position I filled for 3 years. In 1975, having failed of promotion to permanent Major, I suffered a RIF and was separated in Mar 1975. I resigned my Regular commission and shortly thereafter enlisted E-4 at Scott AFB, IL as a new Computer Programmer; I was subsequently sent for a short COBOL training course at Keesler, and spent about 2 years doing programming in COBOL and a proprietary 4GL called INQUEST that had been developed at Scott (and was subsequently adopted by USAF for general use AF wide). With 15 years TIG and TIS, I was almost immediately promoted to E-5, of course. My Top Secret clearance was reactivated while at Scott, and that resulted in my being sent in 1977 to perform programming on classified systems for Hq, USAFE and also NATO. After 3 years at Ramstein AB, Germany, during which time I was promoted to E-6, I retired in April 1980 as a Captain O-3. All in all, it was a rewarding and interesting career and I don't regret a minute of it. Although many of my assignments were at places most people would not want to be, I found things at all of them to enjoy and was happy most of the time. Following final retirement I have spent much of my post-employed time continuing my singing and other activities and doing a lot of traveling. I've been to all 50 US States, all but the most northern 2 of the Canadian Provinces, almost all of western Europe, some of eastern Europe, Turkey and Iran in the Middle East, China and Taiwan in the Far East, Australia and New Zealand in the southern Pacific, several places in the Caribbean, and Kenya in Africa. A rolling stone gathers no moss.