A military historian by avocation, I have been a cab driver, a member of a moving crew, a Korean translator, an intelligence analyst, a proofreader, a writer, a program analyst, a switchboard operator, a farm hand, a soldier, a budget officer, an editor, a bailiff, a management analyst, and a locksmith. I am a veteran. I have also prospected for gold in the Arizona desert and mountains, written six novels and numerous magazine articles over the years, most of them about military history and technology. Examples are Civil War cryptology, satellite photoreconnaissance, North Korean Army special forces, armistice negotiations, and prisoner of war escapes.