My Air Force career ended in the mid 80s. I was at the point where I either stayed in for the full twenty years or made my way into civilian life. Between my girlfriend at the time, my dissatisfaction with the neg 60 below weather, and a job offer in South America that was to pay 120K/yr+ expenses, I left the military with an honorable discharge.

I had two months between leaving the service and the tentative job start in South America so I loaded up my belongings and headed back to my birth place to see my family. My girlfriend and I stayed with my father for a couple of weeks visiting old friends and the odd relative when I decided that I would show her a bit more of the U.S. (she is from Belguim)

We traveled through most of the middle states stopping at places such as Table Rock Lake for fishing, various museums, and the usual tourist traps.
Our route took us through Illinois, Missouri, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkensas, Oklahoma, Kasas, Nebraska, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and back into Illinois. It was a very good time for me and I wish that it could have continued. (Yes she still has a place in my heart)

Back "home" I got a call letting me know that the high paying job was no longer available. The local fighting had ended and the principle I was to handle security for was getting out of town. If you know about the turbulance in that area in the mid 80s you know that there were alot of scrimishes between government factions, warlords, and groups like appartied. I wasn't very concerned about the job loss as I was already regretting my commitment to go.

However, that left me with no job in an economy that was crashing with a jobless rate that rivaled the great depression. I sought employment in Rockford for three weeks before I had any offers at all. The one that I did get was in Byron providing security for the Nuclear Power Plant. Unfortunately it required that I pass a lie detector test. And I can't. I am telling the truth mind you, but there is something about lie detector tests that makes me so nervous that the needle starts jumping around as soon as the thing is hooked up. Seems funny now, but trust me it wasn't then.

My girlfriends' Visa was about up (The death knell of our relationship) and I was in an area now being called the rust belt because of all of the factories being closed down. After seeing her off on the plane I pack up and head off  to sunny Florida. I have two brothers there who I haven't seen in eight years and the job market is supposed to be better.

The job market is about the same but my brothers where doing pretty well. I had several offers from the state, county, and local police. But I was NOT going to go into that field. I ended up working for a fly-by-night security service catering to one of the ritzier gated condos on Longboat Key. The pay was bad, the hours were long, and the owner was cheating us out of overtime pay. I worked there about a year till I could afford to quit.

Next stop; Miller Trailer Company. As I had a year of "security" under my belt I started work the same day I applied. I started as night security guard and moved to "head of security" in about a year.

I am definitely not one of those people that are content with enough money to live on and an easy job.