Keesler AFB, Biloxi Mississippi, 1982-1983
I had no computer experience at all until I joined the United States Air Force back in 1982, I choose “Computer Maintenance” as the career field I wanted to be in, not really realizing what I was getting into. The most electronic experience I had before joining the USAF was in "Shop" class in High School wiring up simple household circuits. The Air Force Specialty Code (AFSC) I had was designated "305X4" back then and was later changed to the 2E2X1 AFSC. Most of the systems I worked with during my career were specially designed single purpose systems.
I attended a USAF Technical School at Keesler AFB from July 1982 to about March 1983. I started out learning basic electronics theory and continued with the courses graduating in about March 1983
Barksdale AFB, Shreveport Louisiana, 1983-1985
The first computer system I maintained was back in 1983 at Barksdale AFB at Shreveport LA. The system used a proprietary machine language that was “hard coded” into it. It was an early 1960s designed ITT-Rockwell mainframe called the 465L system (AN/FSQ-31 CPU) which was used for message traffic between the Strategic Air Command Bomber bases. This system was so physically large you could literally walk between the CPU, memory, I/O section, etc. It was also unique in the fact that it was a 32 bit machine, we would actually load simple maintenance routines by punching each line of binary code directly into the arithmatic unit registers from the main console. The mission software was loaded using old AMPEX 9 Track Reel to Reel Tape Drives which utilized vacuum chambers to keep the correct tension on the tape as it passed over the tape heads. We would actually calibrate each individual channel on the tape units. with oscilloscopes. We went to component level repair on the system. The main frame used TTL logic for it's circuitry and had a quartz crystal in a temperature controlled oven for it's master timing or Time Standard. We used to periodically calibrate the "Time Standard" using an oscilloscope to measure the shift in a signal that was represented in a circular figure on the scope called a Lissijious (sp?). One neat feature that the system had was that it's power supplies were variable, meaning that during our Preventative Maintenance Inspections (PMIs) we could vary the DC voltage going to the main frame subsystems to try to force a failure. This helped us predict the future "potential" for failure in a component and replace it before it failed during online operation. The modems in the system were built by Rockwell-Collins, maxed out at 1200 baud and were physically the size of a small refrigerator. The most modern part of the system were the AMPEX reel to reel tape drives which "actually" had ICs. We used oscilloscopes, multimeters and frequency generators to troubleshoot the system. I couldn't have asked for a better system to start my career on because you started out at the "smallest" level of repair possible, component level. This system was replaced by a system called SACDIN back in 1988, I left Barksdale for Italy in 1985
465L WEAPON SYSTEM STRATEGIC AUTOMATED COMMAND CONTROL SYSTEM (SACCS)
The photo below is actually from Offutt AFB, I was stationed at Barksdale AFB which had a similar setup.
Southern Regional Command Logistics Depot, Naples Italy, 1985-1987
The second system I worked with was in 1985, I used was a DEC PDP 8 in 1985 that was in a GenRad 1796 Automated Test System at a NATO logistics depot outside of Naples Italy, which used CP/M. These systems were used for component level repair of the NATO communications and cryptology equipment scattered across the southern NATO bases. We loaded the OS using a 15” hard drive disk packs. We also used a Zehntel 810 Automated Test system, but I can’t recall what computer was inside that drove the Zehntel test system. The theory behind the use and operation of these test systems was simple in design in that you had a "truth table" for every component or circuit on the board under test. With this truth table and a "electronic" schematic of the interconnects between each components on the board with known given inputs to the circuit card under test you would know at certain points on the board what the outputs should be. If the outputs weren't correct then you could use the systems built-in oscilloscope to back track to locate the fault.
DEC PDP 8 - http://www.xs4all.nl/~andreth/pdp8a.htm
Pruem Air Station, Pruem West Germany, 1987-1989
The next system I maintained was in 1987 which was a Tactical Air Command and Control System in Germany that used a Hughes 4118 minicomputer. It received a feed from a AN/TPS-43 radar and presented the data on scopes used by Weapons Directors and other military personnel who would use the data to run or monitor an air war. Since I was a hardware guy I never really touched the software and can’t even remember what the OS was except that it was loaded from old AMPEX track reel to reel tape units similar to the ones at my first base. The system was by far the most maintenance intensive system I have ever worked on. It was so old, unreliable and unsupportable it was a joke. I'm amazed we were able to keep it running. We troubleshot to component level again on this system using the usual oscilloscopes, etc., we had a card tester but it was so unreliable it was useless.
Tinker AFB, Oklahoma City Oklahoma, 1989-1992
The next system I maintained with was in 1989 which was an IBM 4PiCC-1, which is a variant of the IBM 360, it was onboard the USAF AWACS radar aircraft at Tinker AFB in Oklahoma. It used either the IBMs OS/MVT or IBM OS/MFT OS, I can’t recall, with the mission software written in a language called JOVIAL. We used old AMPEX track reel to reel tape drives to load the OS. The AMPEXs were later removed and they started using removable SCSI hard drives to load the OS and mission software.
IBM 4PiCC-1 - http://www.airforce-technology.com/projects/e3awacs/index.html
http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ac/e-3.htm
Osan Air Base, Osan South Korea, 1992-1993
After I finished my tour with the AWACS system in 1992 I went to Osan Air Base in Korea to work on a WAN that used old Cromemco Z-2 computers, these computers were based on the Motorola 16-bit MC68000 processor using an S-100 bus. The Cromemcos were fed flight mission data (Air Tasking Orders) from the IBM mainframes on Osan AB. The old Cromenco’s used the BSD flavor of UNIX, I can’t recall which version, but it was before the graphical version came out. This was the first system I worked on were I didn’t have to manually load the OS into the computer, the Cromemcos used old SCSI hard drives to permanently hold the Unix OS. This was also the first system that I actually “used” the OS. Another system I worked on in Korea was called the Mission Support system. This system was a VAX running VMS and a Cromemco using BSD UNIX hooked together via a GPIB board and was used to load flight plans on the F-16s at Osan.
Cromemco - http://www-db.stanford.edu/pub/voy/museum/pictures/display/3-5-CROMEMCO.html
OpenVMS - http://www.pottsoft.com/home/vms/vms.html
Tyndall AFB, Panama City Florida, 1993-1995
In 1993 the next system I maintained was another Tactical Air Command and Control system called the AN/TYQ-23 or Modular Control Equipment (MCE) at Tyndall AFB near Panama City Florida. It was actually the replacement for the earlier Tactical Air Command and Control System I worked on in Germany, the 407L. It used Litton Micro-computers, I’m not even sure what the OS was, but it was stored on SCSI hard drives. We never interfaced with the OS at all, only the mission software.
http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ac/equip/an-tyq-23.htm
Woomera Air Station, Woomera South Australia, 1995-1999
After Florida I headed to Woomera Australia in 1995 where my shop maintained an ancient IBM 3033 mainframe, it was so old it was actually water cooled. It used a version of MVS as its OS. We later upgraded the IBM 3033s to IBM 4381s, much newer technology, but still using MVS as it’s OS. I was a manager instead of a technician during this assignment so I practically never touched the equipment. The IBMs were used to process telemetry data from satellites in space that tracked ballistic missile launches by the infrared signature of their rocket motors.
http://www.fas.org/spp/military/program/warning/dsp.htm
Indian Springs Air Field, Indian Springs Nevada, 1999-2002
The next job I had was with the “Predator Drone” program at Indian Springs, just NW of Las Vegas when I started my tour there in 1999. With this surveillance/weapons system we have a mix of Computer Systems and OSs, We have SunSparc 20s running the Solaris 6.0 UNIX operating system, Silicon Graphics workstations running their version of UNIX called IRIX version 6.0 and Motorola based processor systems which run VxWorks. VxWorks is similar to UNIX , but is a real time operating system as opposed to an interrupt based OS. In 2001 I moved over to and ran the Infrastructure shop which maintained the squadrons LAN, we ran Windows 2000, NT Workstation and NT Server on the squadrons computers. You'll find plenty of Predator photos under the "Photos" page of the web site.
IRIX - http://www.sgi.com/developers/technology/irix.html
VxWorks - http://www.windriver.com/products/html/vxwks5x.html
Indian Springs Air Field, Indian Springs Nevada, 2002-2005
In October of 2002 after slightly over 20 active duty I went on "Terminal Leave" from the USAF and then retired and went to work as a civil service employee providing ground communications support for the Predator squadrons at Indian Springs Air Force Auxiliary Air Field and Nellis Air Force base. I'm now doing almost the same thing as I did when I first arrived at Indian Springs, but now as a civilian. I hope to eventually get back into more of a network environment one day.
DISA, San Antonio Texas, 2005-2007
FINALLY !!! I got back into a "normal" computer job. In June of 2005 I transferred to San Antonio Texas with a DOD Agency called the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA). This was a big change for me career wise. I was finally able to get into out of the GS-1670 series (Equipment Specialist/Electronic) and into the Information Technology Management series which is the GS-2210 series.
In this job I provide system administration support in the installation, configuration, troubleshooting, and maintenance of hardware and software of both desktops and servers in a Windows 2003 Server environment with multiple Windows "Forests". It's a fairly generic SysAdmin position, I'm setting CMOS configurations, partitioned hard drives, setting RAID Array configurations, loading Windows XP and Windows 2003 Server. I'm using, configuring and/or installing the following software Microsoft Office Professional, Click to Meet Teleconferencing Software, Serena Team Track Process Management Software, REMEDY Help Desk Software, Symantec Antivirus Corporate Edition, IIS, SQL, SharePoint Portal, Exchange Server, DNS, maintaining Active Directory objects, and configuring TCP/IP settings. I administer quite a few remote site desktops and servers via Microsoft Remote Desktop Software. If you want to be a Windows geek at the enterprise level then this is it.
DeBakey VA Hospital, Houston Texas, 2007-Present
Regretfully my wife hated San Antonio, I had a great job working with some great people but you've got to keep the family happy, so I started trying to get back to Las Vegas or find a position in an area with a large Chinese population. You can pretty much forget about New York City or anywhere in California because of the cost of buying a house or condo. So in September of 2007 I transferred to the VA Hospital in Houston and took the position as the "Lead Client Manager". Outside of the state California or New York City, the city of Houston has the largest Asian population in the continental US except for Plano Texas as per demographics data on the Internet. I knew the VA was going to be building a hospital in Las Vegas so I took the position in Houston with the hopes of possibly transferring back to Las Vegas one day.
As “Lead” here in Houston I direct the maintenance functions of a combined telephone-based, walk-up, and on-site customer support operations center in support of over 4,600 end users who utilize over 3,600 desktop computers in one main hospital campus and 7 locations not located on the main campus. My core duties are project management, manpower scheduling of the Help Desk function and prioritizing, assigning and scheduling work assignments for up to 14 desktop technicians. I also plan and coordinate the installation of new IT desktop equipment, as well as movement of existing equipment. Being the Lead Technician I spend a good deal of my day attend directly to end users with their concerns by telephone, E-mail and in person. The rest of my time is spent doing management functions. I do get to do software installs and troubleshot the desktop systems sometimes, but it's not primarily what I do. The 10 to 13 hour days I've been working since I got here are starting to get old. If I had known what I was getting into I never would have left San Antonio.
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