Who is... Bob 'Fifties' ?
Born on October 5, 1954
I
grew up in the Los Angeles, California suburb of San Gabriel. Since my adolescent environment was that of a broken home, I
had a tendency to associate myself with the local Street Fraternities (Gangs).
Not having much in the way of role models, I found myself on the wrong
end of the law more than not. At
17, I found myself at the peak of my hoodlum years, cutting a deal with the
District Attorney to spend a minimum of 4 years in the Military (Vietnam) rather
than spend a few years in prison. At
the time, when I was handcuffed to the seat of the bus that transports you from
the Military induction center to the Airport for Basic Training, I couldn’t
appreciate the fact that this was the most important, positive life altering
moment of my existence. After
spending 8 years in the Military, living in various parts of the world such as
Texas, California, Okinawa, Guam, Thailand, Alaska, and Illinois, I returned
home to Los Angeles after discharging, only to find that the war followed me
home. It was time to move.
In the early 80’s I moved to Las Vegas where I met my lovely wife,
Sharon, and have lived happily ever since.
Current Status:
I have been happily married to a wonderful woman for 25 years
this November. We have a great son
who is currently serving in Baghdad, Iraq with the US Army as an Air Traffic
Controller and is currently a Shift Supervisor.
He is also one of the co-founders of Joint-Ops.
I was married once before (childhood bride) and have 4 daughters from
that marriage. These ladies have
made me a grandfather of 10 grandchildren.
I have one old Dog (boy, isn’t that the Pot calling the Kettle black)
named TJ. She is a Pit Bull/Boxer
Mix. What does TJ stand for you
ask? Simple……TJ.
She is 15 years old and suffers from bad hips just like her owner.
It’s a crap shoot to see who makes it up the stairs first.
We both have to stop and rest a minute about half way up.
Profession / Qualifications:
I’ve had qualifications in Martial Arts (Retired 5th
Degree Black Belt), Jet Engine Mechanics (Military and A&P Certified along
with B-52 and KC-135/Boeing 707 Engine Run Qualification), Instruction (Military
Tech School Instructor, Martial Arts Instructor, Water Quality Technology
Instructor), Design Engineering, Various Machining Equipment, Sales Management,
First Aid, Oriental Medicines, Oriental and Conventional Weaponry, Commercial
and Residential Water Treatment. This
mix of experience came in real handy. If
I couldn’t fix it……I just beat it to death! J
Comments:
My father owned a contracting business while I was young. His idea of parental visitation was to put me to work,
usually roofing or painting. As a
teenager, involved in the activities that were indicative of my environment, I
had decided I wanted to be a real bad a--, so I joined the local Kung Fu School.
In six months, I managed to learn just enough to get my behind thoroughly
kicked. Of course, my subsequent
actions took me on a path to the Military.
My love for Astronomy, Aerospace, and Aircraft took me to the US Air
Force as a Jet Engine Mechanic. Assigned
to the Strategic Air Command in the early 70’s, it was straight off to South
East Asia. Ahhhh, there’s nothing like the earth shaking sound and
power of 8 Pratt & Whitney J-57’s in full water injection at the same
time. Yes, this was the early D
Model B-52 where the tail gunner still sat in the tail of the aircraft.
During my tenure in South East Asia, I spent what little free time I had
with the local Martial Arts Master. He
beat the real understanding of Martial Arts into me.
I finally learned that I was slow, but trainable…..and heavily bruised J
When I returned to the States, while continuing my military commitment, I
started teaching Martial Arts through the Base Recreation Center.
I also took an assignment later in my military career to return to
Chanute AFB, Ill. to become a Technical School Instructor teaching Jet Engines
at the USAF School of Applied Aerospace Sciences.
Over a period of 30 years, my Martial Arts Career took me through
First Aid and Oriental Medicine Training. In
this time I opened various schools, specialized in Wood and Bladed weapons,
supported numerous inner-city youth programs, competed internationally, and
finally retired with a Master’s Level. A
pictorial history of my Martial Arts career can be viewed at https://www.angelfire.com/bc3/happy1
.
The years following my Military tenure had me working in the
plating industry designing, drafting, and building Automated Plating Machines
while going to college for Engineering. When
I moved to Las Vegas, I spent many years as the Sales Manager for a plating
company. In the early 90’s, corporate downsizing became a fad and I
found myself changing industries. I’ve
spent the last dozen years in the Water Treatment Industry.
Hobbies:
Music is a big love of mine. I’m fairly adept with a guitar and can fake my way around a
keyboard. Computer gaming has been
a long time favorite relaxation of mine. I
still have my original Atari and Commodore 64 (still hooked up and working).
I have been an avid lover of Astronomy, Aircraft, and Aerospace since a
kid. My parents bought me my first telescope at age 11 after I
blew my bedroom up, hoping to redirect my passion for chemistry science to
something less volatile (but that’s another story all in itself). J
I also love being on the road alone in the middle of nowhere on two
wheels. I’d rather be on two
wheels on a bad day than in a car any day of the week.
Joint-Ops (How you came about Joint-Ops):
Wow, what a
story this is. Because I had a love
for both computer gaming and aircraft, my son bought me Combat Flight Simulator
for Christmas one year. I loved it!
Of course, I found my self a terminal fireball for the first couple
months and then got the nerve to click the link in the game that said, “Play
it on the Zone”. I was hooked
forever. I immediately joined a
squad called Wizard’s Warlords (WW_Gambler).
Unfortunately, it seemed I joined when the squad was on its last leg.
This year was a rough one in the respect that, not only was this squad
taking a dive, but an on going battle with a debilitating Neurological Disease
and a hip replacement eventually ended my Martial Arts Career.
For a short period of time, my world was kind of coming to an end.
My son eventually found a new squad called 52nd Close Combat
and persuaded me to join about 2 weeks after he did (CC_Fifties).
There, we both met another new member, CC_Pine, who not only became one
of my best friends, but also the 3rd co-founder of Joint-Ops.
To make a long story short, it was a formation flight we took together
from one airfield to another that created the seed for what is now the Basic
Flight School Course. My son and I were assigned as recruiting officers for the
squad. We quickly found that 2/3 of
the recruited pilots faded away because nobody would take the time to work with
them or get them set up with the proper programming or scenery. In the end, my son created the first JO Web Site, I created
the Basic Flight School Curriculum, and the 3 of us (Ice, Pine, and Fifties)
opened Joint-Ops. It was just what
I needed to satisfy my teaching fix and put me back in the comfort zone of
helping others. Many times over the
years, Pine and I would sit over coffee and say, “If 5 years ago, someone had
bet me that Joint-Ops would be where it is today……I would have lost my
tail!”
Pilot Career (Real and/or Virtual):
I have always wanted to fly. Under the current circumstances, I couldn’t pass the physical.
Joint-Ops Claims to Fame:
3 Time Top Bomb Winner through the JO Combat Flight Simulator School
The Future:
Since Joint-Ops has evolved into a business my ultimate vision is to
be able to compensate all the fine Staff we have at JO for the time and effort
they put into the school. JO
wouldn’t be what it is without their help.
