"Greetings," the letter began. And, thus in May of 1963, the author was informed that the U.S.Army needed him. It was a two-year need, but he opted for an eight month school which extended his initial draft for another year. Crypto technology and machine repair training took place in steel screened, locked, caged rooms in Ft. Monmouth, N.J. Afterward, a year in Viet Nam, and one year in Germany. I took a European discharge and roamed Western Europe, Morocco, Denmark and the UK before returning to my parents' home in Detroit with fifty cents in my pocket. In 1967, I joined the Detroit Police Department: Salary, $7,424/year. Two months after graduating, the Detroit riots began. Retired from the police department after 28 years, and again retired as a wood model maker for a major auto company five years later. Married in 1977. I had a Corvette; divorced the Corvette in 1979—no room for groceries, or a baby seat. Father of three, grandfather of four. My wife and I live in Oxford, MI, on a hilltop surrounded by an acre of grass and pines. My interests are writing, reading, gardening, and target shooting.