“I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS, ONE NATION, UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL.”
My Navy background is as an Aircraft Reciprocating Mechanic. I was a supervisor in every aspect of squadron operations, a Flight Engineer on R4D-5/6 and R4D-8, then the C-54, and finally the C-118 transport aircraft. My mentors were all from WWII US Navy service.
Through my life I judged people only on their character (no other factor ever made a difference) and fixed problems BUT then found out why the problem existed and fixed its cause.
I served as the First Force Master Chief of the Naval Reserve from 1973 to 1975.
I retired in April 1977 and then completed my Associate in Arts Degree in 1983.
I worked in Civil Service as an Engineering Tech and then as a Facility Manager 1983 to 1996 developing and managing construction budgets up to about 1 million dollars through completion of the project.
I have been a businessman, a self-employed contractor, and now I want to share my experience of 90 years as I lived in this country. I am a self-taught US history addict!
During my civilian life in Oak Harbor, I served as a volunteer for a wide variety of entities for 45 years, many of them taking up 30 – 40 hours each week, some of which were as a leader. I also was elected to The North Whidbey Parks and Recreation District ((a non-pay political position as a board member (as were the other members)) and was elevated to the Board Chairman during the planning and construction of a district in-door swimming pool.
I also helped as a volunteer for the 501C3 organization (formed by a WWII POW in Germany, Bill Ethridge and his wife Mary) called “Island Arts for Veterans”, that designed and built the Veteran’s Memorial in Coupeville next to the county Public Works/Health Department building and across from the County Sheriff’s/County Court Building. That 501C3 organization was dissolved when construction was completed and responsibility was split between Island County (basic infrastructure for maintenance) and DAV, (of which I am a Life Member) and I volunteered to take that responsibility which consisted of brick sales/installation, advertising, maintenance, and general upkeep along with my wife, Gladys, which we did for about 15 years until we moved to Prescott Valley in 2019.
I believed in what President Kennedy (a WWII war hero, PT 109 – remember?) said, “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country”! The things I did I feel helped to improve the lives of other residents in Island County.