Thomas Dawe:
CLASS OF 1985
Vassar High SchoolClass of 1985
Vassar, MI
Frederick Community CollegeClass of 1996
Frederick, MD
Central Michigan UniversityClass of 1990
Mt. pleasant, MI
Charles S. Mott Community CollegeClass of 1990
Flint, MI
Millington High SchoolClass of 1985
Millington, MI
Thomas's Story
Life
12th grade was a rocky time. I managed to graduate from Millington, a change of fate that really was the best thing that could have happened to me. After a year of trying college life, I opted for the Army and served for 11 years in Satellite Communications. Got married, had a kid, and got out of the military. My next job was as a satellite technician for the Dish Network in Cheyenne, Wyoming. After 3 years of that as a stepping stone, I've moved to Hawely, PA and move spacecrafts about as a satellite technician for Loral Skynet. Promoted quickly to Flight Director. I miss everyone. You can contact me at "Dark and Moody Forums" - Google it.
School
For 12.5 years, I was a moderately decent student at Vassar High School. In my senior year, I was expelled for selling caffiene pills to students. I mean, heck... students need to stay awake too, right? Anyway... I managed to graduate on time by jumping over to Millington. Wish I had it all to do over again... but then again, if I did, I'd probably be an accountant by now. Yeck.
College
My college life is rather spread out. After high school, I attended Central Michigan University for a semester ... and it was then when I fully realized I wasn't quite ready for responsibility and lacked some serious discipline. I moved back home and went to Mott Community College for a semester, and did better... still, not nearly as good as I could have.
So I joined the army. After taking my tests for placement, they said pretty much I could be in any job in the army that I wanted, provided it was open. They had no openings in computer sciences, so I opted for Satellite Communications.
While in the army, I attended Frederick Community College while stationed at Ft. Detrick, MD; and the University of Chicago while I was at Landstuhl, Germany.
Several years after the army, I finally decided to officialize my training by following up and obtaining my missing credits in order to secure a Bachellor's of Science in Information Technology by attending the University of Phoenix Online. It was more expensive, but it was in a medium that I was very comfortable with and very accomodating to my strange work schedule. Graduated in August of 2006 with honors.
Workplace
After my Army career, I went to work for Dish Network at their Cheyenne, WY uplink center. I was quickly promoted from Senior Technician, to Lead Technician, to Supervisor. 3 years later, I started getting more homesick and wanted to move closer to my friends and family. Alas, Michigan isn't all that big on the satellite field.
Currently, I'm working at Hawley, Pennsy...Expand for more
lvania with Loral Skynet. I was originally hired here early in 2001. Not too long after being hired, I was promoted from Satellite Controller (communication technician) to Satellite Flight Director.
April 30th, 2008, my job is going to be terminated. All of the operations is being moved up to Canada after Loral Skynet merged with Telesat just last year. No one is happy about it, but what can you do? I'll let you know where I end up later.
Military
September 1986, I went to Basic Training in the Army at Ft. Jackson, SC. That winter after Basic Training, I moved to Ft. Gordon, GA for AIT in the Satellite Communication branch (originally 26Y, then changed to 29Y, then 31S - not sure what it is called now).
After 9 months of training, my first duty station was Ft. Detrick, MD in 1987 working on two heavy AN/FSC-78 terminals. I was there for a year and a half before being sent to Yongsan, Korea in 1989, but not before going back to Ft. Gordon, GA to learn about the AN/GSC-49 mobile terminal and AN/USC-28 Spread Spectrum Multiple Access (SSMA) hardware.
I was in Korea with my new wife non-command sponsored, so you know life was tough. I was really counting pennies. We even shared a place with another young couple, it was the only way we could afford it. Rent came out to around $1500 a month. Don't ask me how I managed that at a PFC salary back then. Luckily, this was after Regan had started paying the military a little better.
In the summer of 1990, I reenlisted to go back to Ft. Detrick, MD. While there, I was promoted from Specialist to Corporal because I took a leadership position with the SSMA network control of the Western Atlantic theater. While here, I re-upped again.
Around 1994, I had orders to head to Landsthul, Germany by way of more training at Ft. Gordon, GA. This time it was for the 1C class, satellite network controllers. I was a sergeant by this time. After upgrading my Secret clearance to Top Secret, I eventually made my way to Landstuhl and worked there at the LOC (Landstuhl Operation Control) for the Eastern Pacific theater and a NATO bird that operated quite a few special missions. This was all during the Gulf Wars, so I got special kudos for that.
In 1998, time was up with my enlistment, and I was seeing a particularly disturbing trend within the Army mentality. They weren't so interested in the technicality of the job anymore... they focused more on dog-and-pony shows. So I didn't reenlist. 11 years in the army ... 9 years to retirement... but it wasn't worth it.
Maybe I'll deliver mail some day to finish up my Federal employment time.
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