I am a retired Port Director of U.S. Customs with 34 years service immediately following five years in U.S. Army, attaining the rank of Staff Sergeant E-6. I served as an Infantryman in Vietnam with C Co, 2/47th Infantry (Mechanized) from March '67 to March '68.

I began my Customs career as one of the first "Sky Marshals" (called Air Marshals, today) in 1971, going on to become a Senior Inspector and Port Director, directing the Customs operations at Alexandria VA and Andrews AFB for the last 20 years of my career. I retired from Customs in 2004.

I have authored of two novels about the Mechanized Infantry in Vietnam, the first of which won the Military Writer's Society of America's Silver Medal for literary fiction.

I now design apparel and gifts for Combat Veterans of all conflicts through my on-line business, www.Mech-Grunt.com, a Zazzle store .

I serve as the volunteer webmaster for the Mid-Atlantic Air Museum of Reading, PA..

My leisure time is spent solo kayak touring and camping on uninhabited islands in the Chesapeake Bay and its many tributaries, when not travelling with Vicki, my wife of 46 years, and three Golden Retrievers in our motorhome.