About

A Space Geek’s Simple Origin Story

Welcome to my introduction. If you’ve read any of my books, you’ve already have a few puzzle pieces. Meeting me might throw in more clues, or provide you with the sense that I’m an unreliable narrator. (I’m not unreliable, I promise.)

I Grew Up on a Missile Range.

Seriously. White Sands Missile Range (New Mexico) is still a hotbed of missile testing activities (and a few other spooky things). When I lived on the garrison, the PAC-3 and THAAD interceptor missiles were the big business, along with some MLRS “steel rain” shots. I was too young for the heyday of the V-2s, Aerobees, and Little Joe shots. Chaparral was on its way out, Patriot was a household name, and THAAD was going to save us from the dastardly Soviet/Russian Federation/Rogue Nation threats. I watched the Berlin Wall fall on cable provided by the Army, saw the first hours of Desert Storm at a friend’s house on base, and remember the 1989 World Series earth-shaker for Game 3 (my beloved Giants were playing the “evil” Oakland A’s) before a night game of street football on Hercules Ave.

Mad, Maniac (ex)-Missileer… sort of.

There I was…playing a game of Crud at the Vandenberg Officer’s Club. My compatriots said I needed a nickname for the scoreboard. Another voice, who knew me all of six months, wrote down the name “Maniac.” Since we were on PRP (or HRP, for some older SAC folks), the amplifier “Mad” was left off for obvious reasons. Taken to mean anger, this would signify lack of self-control; identifying insanity, this would signify instability. Luckily, neither statement was true, but the alliteration made for a great introduction to the Cal Poly co-eds in San Luis Obispo. Who wouldn’t want to date a crazy person with their finger on a nuclear trigger?

Rogue Space Warfare expert.

Yeah. Not much I can say about this one. I was able to deploy to [REDACTED], and do [REDACTED] for the U.S. efforts against the [REDACTED]. (I so badly want to say “Bermuda,” “full-time partying,” “local naysayers” but the truth is closer to “Antarctica,” “Penguin farming,” “local Soviet scientists.”)

Amateur Space and Military Historian

Every location I served at held a piece of the Air Force’s history, as well as the space history of the United States. I use the word “amateur” to define the lack of a history degree (which WAS rectified in Spring 2021, along with an English degree), not in a childish or immature way. My projects aim to inform and inspire, not to bore you to tears. If I help you remember “way back when” or teach you something about a place you love (or hate), then I’ve done my job. I’m adding to the body of human knowledge through the heart.

Writer, Student, Tinkerer, & full-time Dad.

Leaving the Air Force was difficult, but I’ve found my way doing the activities that I love with the people I cherish. I’m still very passionate about the military – both terrestrial and space domains – but have branched out into learning more about our solar system. Along the way, I collected a few more college degrees… but that couldn’t be helped. 🙂