Hal Tait:  

THANK YOU VISITING MY SITE !!! HOW ABOUT DROPPING ME A LINE SOMETIME? Yes, I am talking to all of you who have visited my site and not left a message other than two very dear ladies. I know Mrs Westover and Mrs Jeffrey would be all over you all for not writing. THIS WAS UPDATED ON 30 MAR 2024. My Life: Came to Wilburton my Senior year from The Hague, Netherlands. I had attended The International High School of Den Hague. The school has since moved from the Scheveningen area to the Wassenaar, suburbs north of The Hague. Graduated from college at Central State (OCU now), commissioned an officer in Army. It was supposed to be 3 years and ended up doing 20 years, and then retiring. Got my M.A. (History). Was married, but during Desert Storm spouse divorced me. One of the speed bumps of life. That happened a lot of us returning soldiers, Marines, and Airmen, (Navy too?) during and after Desert Storm. Have three sons with two married now. they are scattered between, Ft Knox, KY (family) after oldest son has returned to Jordan/ Kuwait for a 1 month tour- this was kinda sudden like: Notified Sunday and departed USA on Thursday 18 MAR (same week). Another son is in central Texas (middle son), and another Washington state north of Seattle, I live in outer Phoenix suburbs now substitute teaching or working for a security company for travel money. So my family is currently scattered between 11 time zones in the Spring of 2024. Some take away stats about me: - 20 years US Army now retired, spent most of my time working around armored formations. I LOVE armored vehicles ever since I saw shot up WW2 tanks in Benghazi when I lived there 1961-1963. Some people like: fishing, vettes, pickups, Camaros, cutting horses, or Mustang (V-8), or me who likes armored vehicles. CLANK, CLANK make like a tank....LOVE THEM!!! LUV that heavy metal!!! - 3 sons, one is an Army officer at Ft Knox./ Kuwait/ Jordan/ Germany like where his dad served when he was in the Army. He is a Major now and will probably exceed his dad as he follows in the footsteps of his dad. He has even worked in same countries!!! Another son is a senior director at a health care company. A 3rd son is in central Texas and has disabilities from work and diabetes (Type 1) with 2 insulin injections a day. He has not taken great care of himself and his toes on both feet have been amputated. Worked as a civilian contractor for the military for 16 years after retiring from the Army. - Have been working in Education for the past 10 years- WOKE, CRT, and Socialist teachers have infiltrated a lot of school districts- BEWARE grandparents and parents of what your child is being taught!!! After living or visiting 41 countries on 5 continents I have yet to find a country better than the USA. This hate of America and it's society is especially strong in English and Social Studies!!! Many teachers in PHX and in Texas schools are liberal socialist. And these socialist peacocks are proud of their socialist orientation. Listening to them at lunch sounds like a Communist reunion of the SDS. I ought to know I worked around Russians and East Germans and PRC guys for a couple of years in Jordan when I worked out of the embassy there in Amman. And again in Ukraine helping orphans. I shudder when I think of the misdeeds I have seen what the Soviets did and the Russians are doing in Syria and earlier in what is now Ukraine and united Germany. Please check my photo album for pics of what Socialist did in Ukraine 1932-1944. - Taught college history for 2 years in central Texas. - Masters in History and now teach history Ed in charter and local secondary schools here in AZ. Seems Phds out here in AZ are a dime a dozen with so many retirees moving here from the CA, WA, North East and Midwest USA so college and university teaching jobs are all filled with a long waiting list. But I wish theses profs and teachers would leave their woke and PC at the AZ border ! Am enjoying what I am doing though. That is what counts. Students ask me what is the best country I have ever been in (I have been in 41 countries and lived on 5 continents and 20 years overseas) and I do not hesitate when I tell them "Your sitting in it!" - Lived overseas for 20 years (4- S. America, 7-Europe, 3-Africa, 6-western/central Asia) . - Worked with 15 foreign armies during my career..... Do you really want me to list them all (they are scattered on 4 continents)? - Worked out of US Embassy Amman, Jordan in the Military Assistance Program (MAP)for 2 years with Jordanian Army. Yes, and the outdoor parts of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and The Martian w/ Matt Damon were all filmed in Jordan!!! - Worked out of US Embassy Cairo, Egypt for 1 year with Egyptian Army. No Indiana Jones could have never found the Ark of the Covenant in Egypt because the ARK is hidden at Mt Nebo in JORDAN!! Makes a good story though! Check out II Maccabees Chapter 2! - Worked in Pentagon 9 years as a Senior Logistics Analyst in HQDA G-4. Yes, I was working there when the plane hit on 9-11-01 but it hit between the 4th and 5th corridors on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th floors. I worked on the 3rd corridor and 1st floor. :-) - Veteran of Desert Storm supporting 1CD DIVARTY (with a logistics task force) and 20 years later did 2 years taking part in Global War Against Terrorism in Afghanistan (defense contractor). (Yes, I was in Bagram working in the 401 AFSB Command Ops section when UBL was killed by SEAL Team 6) :-))) See the photo of me in combat gear and sandbag bunker in background it is in Jalalabad, AFG, or my leaning up against a jersey wall with mountains in the background that are the Hindu Kush (20,000 ft +) in Bagram. Was working as a defense contractor with the 401st AFSB (Army Field Support Brigade) in Logistics Operations (Ops). 2nd tour in AFG I worked in Jalalabad and Bagram in Retrograde equipment ops- again with the 401st AFSB. . Talk about a mess!!! Gotta "LUV" working in a tent in 115-127F heat. with only fans to cool me... NOT!!! At 125F our rubber soled boots stuck to the hot metal of armored vehicles if we stayed in one place too long. - Currently single.. Am getting settled in my ways of being single. Although Svetlana wanted me to stay in Kharkiv in SEPT 2023 after helping the orphans. She is scared and so are the orphans who have lost both parents to war. Yes, the lady made an impression on me as does the face of war each time I experience it. Svetlana is in one of the photos I posted on my file. She and I are celebrating our birthdays over lunch with Misha my interpreter and friend. - Am still enjoying going to the gym...and working out and enjoying it, but muscles are slow in recovering. Found the old adage "NO PAIN NO GAIN" is a bald faced lie!!!. Doc told me 3 years ago I now have an abdominal hernia now in my inner stomach lining. Hurts like hell when I twist and lift to the point I went to the doc-ergo inner wall abdominal hernia diagnosis so sit ups are off the menu now!!! Jeff, an Army friend of mine had both inner and outer walls ruptured and he ended up on an operating table and 2 weeks lying on his back healing !!! Like me, sit ups are now off the menu for him too-permanently!!! Was skipping rope up until last spring 2023 BUT my back (lower lumbar L2-3-4 started hurting and the sciatic nerve is being pinched (BIG OWIE) This is caused by being clumsy one cold rainy NOV night in Germany during night gunnery w/drizzling rain I stepped off backwards off of a M60A1 tank turret (9 feet up) and ...Expand for more