I'M NOW RETIRED SINCE THE CANCER. I RETIRED FROM THE STATE OF MICHIGAN IN A DEFERRED PAYMENT STATUS. THIS MEANS I'LL START TO COLLECT MY RETIREMENT PAY AT AGE 60. THE STATE IS REDUCING STAFF ALL THE TIME AND I WAS CAUGHT UP IN THAT BECAUSE OF ONLY 15 YEARS WITH THE STATE. SO, I MADE MY OWN MOVE FOLLOWING THE 5 P'S. SECOND CAREER I WAS A FOOD SERVICE DIRECTOR FOR A PRISON WITH THE MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS IN JACKSON,MI. I WAS HIRED IN THE MDOC SIX MONTHS AFTER I RETIRED. I PROMOTED INTO MANAGEMENT WITHIN 16 MONTHS. MY FACILITY HAS A POPULATION OF 1752 PRISONER. I DO NOT GET THE SAME REWARDING FEELING RUNNING A OPERATION FOR PRISONERS, BUT THE PAY IS GREAT AND SOMEONE HAS TO DO THE JOB. IN RECENT MONTHS I BECAME RESPONSIBLE FOR THE MDOC BOOT CAMP. MY WARDEN IS A FORMER MARINE AND HE SPEAR HEADED THE BOOT CAMP FOR MICHIGAN. THE POPULATION MANY GET AS HIGH AS 450 BECAUSE OF A CHANGE IN THE LAWS. PRISONERS WHO GO THRU THE PROGRAM USUALLY DO NOT RE-COMMIT AND THAT'S THE WHOLE IDEA. ITS NOT THE 1970'S BOOT CAMP, BUT FAIRLY CLOSE IN MANY RESPECTS. THE CORRECTIONAL OFFICERS WHO BECOME DI'S ARE THE BEST OF THE BEST, PROFESSIONALS ALL IN ASPECTS. WORKING AT THIS FACILITY ALMOST BRING BACK FLASH BACKS OF BOOT CAMP.
Other Comments:
TODAY I'M A GRANDFATHER OF THREE BOYS AND ONE GIRL. I STILL ENJOY SHOOTING FIREARMS AND HAVE AN ENOUGH PISTOLS AND REVOLVERS I BOUGHT A LARGE SAFE. I HOPE TO BEGIN RELOADING SOON WITH MY BLUE PRESS. I COMPETE IN NRA MATCHES 2700'S AND KEEP PRACTICING WITH MY CARRY GUNS. KIMBERS, GLOCK, SMITH & WESSON ARE MOST LIKELY CANCEL CARRY HANDGUNS. MY INTEREST IN FIREARMS BECAME MORE INTENTS WHEN I BECAME A MARKSMANSHIP INSTRUCTOR. TRAINING BOOT'S AT EDSON RANGE ON THE SAME RANGE I SHOT ON IN BOOT CAMP. REQUAL SHOOTERS AT CAMP SCHWAB AND AS A SGT. I RAN THE COACHES AND PMI SCHOOL AT DIV MTU FROM JULY 1977 TO JULY 1978.
Best Friends Don Stansberry, we were on the same plane going over to Okinawa for a 13 month tour. We were both L/Cpl's for the second time and we both had been range coaches. At first he went to the range and I went to Divsion Schools until I made Cpl again.
Best Moment After months of asking GySgt James to let us both run a grass week and we took the detail to the range. We worked them hard and poured all the knowledge we could to the troops. We kept things interesting and even in the afternoon sun we rapid fire drilled them took break and got back to it. From the first day on the range their first groups of rapid fire was excellent, in fact closer to Friday groups. Out of 200 shooters we had 2 Marksman, 7 Sharpshooters and the rest were Experts. Our thanks from Camp Hansen was they closed the range, washed down the targets and found no wrong doing on anyones part. They just could not beleive a couple of Cpl's could do that good of a job. Don and I were also, sent down to Camp Hansen to work a week on their range. They put us at the center of the line, like all eyes were on us. We noticed our shooters did not know how to correctly move their elevation or windage. We were talking about how screwed-up these shooters were when a SSgt. came up and asked what our problem was with the shooters. So we told him and he said he had gave the class. Since we were short,salty and cocky we told him in short order how screwed-up his class was! He went back to GySgt James who was there that week too and told him what we had said to him. He agree we were a bit salty but, we were the most knowledgeable coaches he had and he would lean from us if he took the time. The Gunny came back to us and told us to clean-up our act and do what we could do to help the SSgt
Chain of Command Gunny James, SSgt Wright, Sgt Gallo who I worked with at Edson Range.
Other Memories I enjoyed Yakisoba in the village and make it still today for my family and friends. Sanporto in the Magaum Bottle.
