September 19th, 2002 was a warm and sunny day in Northern California; typical of that area during late summer. My squadron and a few visitors assembled in the auditorium and my wife, my daughter and I arrived all dressed up as if we were attending a wedding or a funeral. But this day was the occasion of my retirement from Active Duty after 20-plus years of service. Deciding what to do after serving in the armed forces is either easy or terrifying, but rarely something in between. For me wit was a bit of both. I had already secured a job with Survival Systems, USA teaching Marines helicopter egress at Camp Pendleton, CA. In fact, I retired on a Thursday, and drove down on Friday to interview and accept the job some eight hours south of where I currently lived with my family. The pay was decent, and I was doing some awesome work with Marines.
My team leader for the Survival Systems job was Scott Halvenston, a former US Navy Seal operator, retired medically after a parachute mishap, but still a Seal, through and through. Scott didn't see his early retirement coming, he served 13 years, most of that in the teams, but after getting injured, he retired early, and began a myriad of jobs leading up to our work together in Southern California. Scott always had big visions of what could be. He developed his own Navy Seal workout videos, was cover guy for the "Men of the Navy Seals" calendar, and even served as Demi Moore's technical adviser during the filming of G.I. Jane. Scott even got screen time during the movie in a short role with a few bar scenes involving the Seals.
Now, if you met Scott for the first time, and had seen all of his accomplishments from becoming a Seal to being a "Cover Hunk" on basically a male pinup calendar, you'd probably misjudge him from the start. But if you got to know him, you'd realize that here was a real American hero, honest and responsible, with conservative values and a high regard for integrity and family. Scott was they type of guy you'd love to hate with envy, but then regret those feelings because you'd grow to love him so much as a friend. I only worked with Scott a short time, but after what happened to him, I'd realized that he would have tried to talk me into coming with him to Iraq in 2004.
WARNING: Contains Graphic Coverage
After working with Scott for a month in the Fall of 2002, I realized that I didn't retire from 20 years of travel and service for my country to start doing the same thing again. I missed my family in Northern California, and my wife asked me one day on the phone, "so, how long are we going to do this?" Realizing that my place was home with her, I gave notice with Survival Systems and drove the grueling 8 hours north with a renewed appreciation for family and home. Had I remained in SoCal, I'm sure the allure of working with Scott, and other special operators, would have been hard to resist. The opportunity to work with dedicated professionals in a dynamic environment while making $100K nearly tax free is almost impossible to turn down, especially when you need the work. Scott was in that situation, but I was not. I had a military retirement pension, a wife with a good job, and I had other options. But still, I would have followed Scott to Iraq cheerfully. And maybe, I'd either saved him from ambush or died right along side of him. Under any circumstance, Scott was a great man!
Back in 2004, I was envisioning myself as a real-estate investor. Housing or commercial, it made no difference at the time, but somehow, with the help of a mentor, I lucked into aircraft hangars. Some people do rental houses real well, but for me, I stress out about having to deal with tenants that don't take care of the property like I would. I know there is security and damage deposits, and insurance, but I still have a hard time letting go. Meanwhile, aircraft hangars have no toilets and the customers usually have the passion and means to pay their rents. Pilots are a good bunch!
Back when I retired, I couldn't see myself doing much else beyond my conditioned 20-year career in the Air Force. I enjoyed what I did, but even before the economy shakeup in the past, I kept telling myself that someday I'll be my own boss. I knew I'd work in Real Estate, Aviation, and do it on my own schedule. By no means am I someone to look up to for a success model, but I had to focus beyond my comfort zone and take risks to be in my business. I didn't take unnecessary risks and I had a mentor to guide me through the process. 2012 is supposed to be the year for opportunity and business development for a new economy, and I sense that. For those that have protected themselves from debt, saved cash and other assets, and remain keen on innovative business ideas, this is the year to get your foot in the door. Even old business models still have potential.
Really, I have no regrets of how anything has turned out. I have a wonderful family, great set of friends, and I live in an area I visited more than 20 years ago--I remember saying to myself that "I could live here someday!" For me, the Pacific Northwest emits a certain energy that charges my batteries. I've been in other areas of the world where the energy drains me at times, and even there are still areas with positive energy like at home. The Pacific Northwest isn't the only positive area for me, but it's surely where I feel grounded. I'm truly blessed to be alive in 2012!
Cheers,
Don
