Earth Tech...Earth Tech...Where do I start??? It was a good job, while being a horrible job.
The Drive
After 6 years driving to Appleton and then getting a job in Ashwaubenon where I lived it was nice not having to do the drive. However, with Graef not working out, I started looking for another job, all at the same time looking for a new house. In June of 2000 I got both, moving to a new house in Howard and getting the Earth Tech job in Sheboygan (or most people called it "SheBOREgan"). So it was driving from Northeast Brown County for about 68 miles (both ways), a trip that took over an hour. I didn't think it would be a problem, at first, but it became a horrible drive. Winters were very iffy and when I had an hour drive home on nice Friday summer days, it hurt.
The Boss
Leon DeSouza was a piece of work, working from the Denver office. He started some time after I took the job and I was in charge of the GIS group. He flew in to the Sheboygan office to introduce himself and had most of the office in the small conference room. At some point Joe Villareall rolled his eyes at a comment Leon made and Leon started in a loud tirade that was extremeley embarassing for everyone. That day was a prelude of his management style.
I was in charge of the GIS department but had a database person, a mathmatician, and two CAD guys. It's what I was given and had no say in the matter, so it was difficult to get GIS projects from the rest of GIS team throughout Earth Tech. Consequentially, I was always on the low side for billable time and so was everyone else. Leon would call regularily to discuss what everyone was doing and what projects were on the horizon. These calls would start very nice and we would discuss future jobs, then almost everytime as I was just getting ready to hang up, I would hear "by the way" and he would start into a screaming match about the lack of potential jobs, low billable rate, and to push the CAD guys to get more work. I absolutely hated the yelling and felt it was not acceptable behavior.
The yelling was also his downfall. I was to be on a conference call with him (in the Denver office) and Tom Harbach to Stevens Point and they never got on the call. This really upset Leon so he started into a profanity laced screaming match directed at Stevens Point. It must have set Tim off as he was very religous, so he reported it to HR. That report opened many doors as many employees under him also started to report erratic behavior they did not like. Even one of his employees in the Denver office was disgusted he would not go into work if Leon was there. Well it wasn't long after that he was fired.
GeoBase
I don't know if Earth Tech was officially part of GeoBase at the time, but after 9/11 I was asked to go to Langley AFB in Hampton Virginia and help with Operation Enduring Freedom. I would fly out October 21, 2001 (only a little over a month after the bombings/airline stoppage) and went to work in a secure room in the ACC Headquarters building. I went with Tim Harbach from my office and Jennifer McCullough from the Virginia office. From October 21st through December 19th we would be required to "digitize" air bases within the Middle East that taken over by the United States and potentially bombed. We would get aerial photos, which we would add things like runways, buildings, or other infrastructure. As the time went by, the aerials started showing more and more "destruction" and it was thought that there may have even been some dead bodies. Each night when we were shutting down for the day, we would have to remove our computer harddrives and place them in a safe.
Middle East Air Base Bombings
In early 2003 I was asked to help provide GIS support for Robbins AFB in Warner Robbins, Georgia. That was just 3 weeklong trips were I worked on customizing ArcIMS websites for Environmental divisions. The air museum was the best part, as it had a complete, un-cutaway GE J-79 jet engine like what I worked on in the Air Force.
Robins AFB Museum, GE J-79, SR-71
It was in December 2003 that I became aware of GeoBase. Earth Tech had a contract to support 15 Air Force Base GeoBase installations. Eaxh of the offices was required to have a GIS Anaylst and Technician. If for whatever reason the Anaylst was going to be absent for a stretch of time, I would be asked to fly there and perform that duty until a new anaylst was hired. As I had a light workload I could perform this duty without impacting project schedules, in addition I already had my secret clearance and familiarity with GIS at Air Force bases. The biggest regret, I didn't do more. I did get a good per diem for food, but I would buy groceries and stay mostly in the hotel room. As you will see, I did have opportunities to see things, but I did spend way too much time in the hotel room and at two to three weeks at a time, it felt like the hotel room kept shrinking and shrinking. So I did bring home the left over per diem for the family. If I could do it again, I would go out to eat more and enjoy the money myself.
Langley AFB
It started right back at Langley AFB, but in the Engineering building this time. I was asked to fill in for the Analyst that was viewing porn on the base computer and was barred from entering the base. I stayed at the same Hampton Inn on Otis Street that I did for Operation Enduring Freedom and getting through the gates of the base were just a difficult. I did enjoy the area and was always in Norfolk, having to go throught the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel (3.5 mile system that are under the main shipping channel so ships don't have to go through bridges). In Norfolk I spent many times on the USS Wisconsin battleship museum or eating at Hooters. In Hampton there is the fantastic Virginia Air & Space Museum and I even took a trip up to the Yorktown Battlefield and museum.
Ellsworth AFB
Next up it was Ellsworth AFB (near Rapid City South Dakota) and a combined 10 trips (about 19 weeks) over 4 years. The area was great, Mount Rushmore, Devil's Tower, Hill City (Black Hills Museum and Alpine Inn), Wind Cave, Custer State Park, and the Badlands. I remember when I first got there a B-1 bomber had done a belly landing short of the air base runway. To prevent further issues the Air Force tried to have all residences and businesses to leave that area between the base and Box Elder. When some refused, they removed the interchange and basically forced them out. All that survived was a Pizza Hut. I would always take my lunch and eat at the South Dakota Air & Space Museum just outside the gate to the base. One of the most interesting times was when I to the Wind Cave Wild Cave Tour which was through areas not visitors normally. It was 4 hours of going through small, very dark parts that sometimes required climbing and crawling. At one point we turned off all our lights and I never experienced blackness like that before.
One trip I was able to make it to Devil's Tower in Wyoming and did the trail completely around the entire butte. So impressive.
Areas around Rapid City, SD
Devil's Tower, Wyoming
For one of the trips I was able to bring the family, so we drove out to and stayed in Rapid City. While I was at work, they did the touristy stuff and I was able to join them on the weekend and nights. I had driven through Custer State Park a previous trip and saw a lot of buffalo and so I wanted to show that to the family. As we did the drive there were some here and there, nothing specatular. Just as I was about to say I am sorry, we went around a corner and ended up in a migration, massive amount of buffalo. We did bring apples to feed the donkeys and one sneezed inside the van and got snot all over the dash. So cool!!
Custer State Park
Om the way home, we traveled to the Mall of America, about a 13 hour drive, with some bad weather. By the time we got to the hotel, we were all a little loopy. I told Adam to put on the Darth Vader helmet we bought on the trip and we walked up to the front desk. When asked our name to check-in, I responded the Vader family expecting a look or snicker and got nothing. How disappointing.
The Vader Family
Beale AFB
It was a one-time 3 week trip to Beale AFB, north of Sacramento California. It is home the U-2 spy plane and had an interesting WWII interment camp (Camp Beale). I was able to get to Atwater and the Castle Air Museum, which had many awesome airplanes on display. The issue with this base, shortly before I got there their entire GIS database was lost and there wasn't a lot to do.
From Castle Air Museum, Atwater, CA
Shaw AFB
Shaw Air Force Base, outside Sumter, South Carolina was a three trip experience. I was able to visit Myrtle Beach and Wilmington NC (where the USS North Carolina battleship is located.
I was also able to make it to Charleston, South Carolina where Patriot's Point is located. It has the USS Yorktown Carrier museum and the USS Laffey. At the time it also had the USS Clamagore submarine which has since been scrapped due to preservation costs.
From Patriot's Point, Charleston, SC
Nellis AFB
Another one-time 3 week trip was to Nellis AFB in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was a very interesting and eventful trip, mainy because Nellis is home the Air Force Thunderbird team. Just having them fly around all the time was so fun to see. I was also able to drive to Riverside California and go to the March Air Reserve base airshow and see the Thunderbirds perform. I also took a trip to the Hoover Dam and Grand Canyon.
From Nellis Air Force Base
From Hoover Dam
Static Aircraft at March ARB Airshow
Robosaurus, Jet Truck, Thunderbirds
The most infuriating part the trip was the drive from the base to the hotel. It literally was about a 3 1/2 mile trip and took over an an hour. The problem was traffic lights, it took 3 or 4 cycles to make it through an intersection and then you would be stopped at the next one. The problem was compounded by other cars that would work their way into the intersection and then prevent the other direction from going. The solution I figured out was going 3 miles north to the Las Vegas Speedway and cut through the parking lot and make it to the interstate which the hotel was right off the exit ramp.
One of the interesting things happened for the first time, is I got coined. The head of the GeoBase program for the base thought I did a good job and when he shook my hand he secretly put a challenge coin in my hand. It has become a big thing for the military now and I was really happy they thought of me that much.
Drive from AFB to Hotel
Seymour Johnson AFB
The time at Seymour Johnson in Goldsboro North Carolina was nothing spectacular. I did four trips there and don't remember doing any side trips.
Whiteman AFB
WHiteman AFB near Knob Noster, Missouri was my Sonic trip. Outside the base enterance was a Sonic and every morning before work I would stop and get my usual Breakfast burrito, tots and lasrge strawberry creamslush. The nice part was that the base was home to the B-2 bomber and I was able to watch them fly arouond a lot. I do remember one trip they had a very bad ice storm and travel was very difficult.
B-2 Bomber and A-10 Flying Around Base
Ellsworth AFB
My last GeoBase trips were four times back to Ellsworth AFB with the last day May 19th, 2007. AS part of helping the company with the GeoBase issues, the then vice-president Lorrie Ransome kind of "looked the other way" with my light workload. By the last trip Lorrie had retired and was replaced by Spurgeon Briggs out of the Atlanta office. Literally one week after coming back from Ellsworth he flew in and fired me May 25th, escorting me out the door. I did approximately 59 weeks of travel to various Air Force bases and received no credit or thank you.
