Backus's Blog

Once again, 6 months have managed to evaporate between my thoughts.  Not much has changed though, my trees are overgrown, the veggie garden is full of weeds and my projects have stalled. 

At the end of November 2011, it will be three years since my retirement from active duty. It doesn't feel like three years, more like nine months or so. On the bright side, I'm three years closer to moving on to my next life adventure.

Apparently, another one of Al's prophecy's has become reality.  Shortly after I started my hiring process, Al talked to me about going in another direction.  He told me that my job would consume most of my time and that my contributions here would be much less.  I replied that I did not think that would happen, but it did. 

As of 15 November 2011, there are approximately 93 learners in Eleven states.  Most of us have posted at least one time, a few more have posted two or three times and another few have posted regularly (irregularly in my case).  I have crossed paths with a few of my fellow learners on rare occasions.  The Boothe's, Ms Price  and of course Ms Grice.  I have been neglecting my duty to encourage my fellow learners to write and hope that I will do a better job of it in 2012.      

Please spend a few minutes and bang out a paragraph or two on your own blogs, and maybe make a few short comments on the others while you are logged on.

Once again, I cannot believe how fast the time is going by.  In the past several months, I managed to get promoted to GS-08, Police Field Training Officer (FTO) and bought a house in Colorado.  The 4/10 shift experiment did not end well, so we are back on the 12 hour shifts with the average shift being 14 hours.  On the bright side, I am on the day shift, so the ongoing tiredness has worn off, somewhat.  As a Police FTO, I now spend most of my work days patrolling the Base.   I haven't had a trainee for a few months since the Department is in a hiring freeze. 

Colorado:  My Wife and I intend on settling in Colorado either when I can get a job there or after I retire.  Our "new" house is in Loveland, CO and is a ranch style with a finished walkout basement.  There is room in the front yard for a nice sized work shop and the back yard is big enough for our dog.

After reviewing my Goals in life, I realize that they are not going to be very difficult to attain.  Most of my goals will come to fruition just by me remaining alive for a few more years.  I only have five more years until I reach my retirement goal.  I will then have four or five years use my post 9-1-1 GI bill education benefits to complete a college degree. 

Five years.  This might seem to be a long time to some people.  Time for me has been going by faster as I get older.  It seems like i rarely have any time to get anything meaningful accomplished.  My job keeps me tired most of the time, since I am on the night shift, but it also makes the weeks and months evaporate quickly. 

College Degree.  Once again, this goal will be accomplished in it's time.  Of course, I will have to apply myself to complete the course work.  Current VA rules require that students be enrolled in full time classroom courses.  I'm not sure how many classes i'll need to take during each quarter/semester ect.  I am sure that it will be more than a few, since I will only have 3 years to finish.  I do have some education credits that will take a small bite out of the many that I will need though. 

Small Business.  The more I evaluate this dream the less desirable it becomes.  There are many obstacles to overcome, and not much benefit.  I fear that my hobby that I enjoy will be impacted if I am required to work at it too much.  For instance;  I enjoy doing yard work.  Since there isnt "enough" (a facetious statement-as I have more than enough) work to accomplish in my yard, I have been working at the Fallbrook Oddfellows Cemetary.  The manager of the cemetary talks about hiring a landscaper to keep the weeds and grass cut down, even though I volunteer to do it.  I thought about letting him pay me, but then it becomes a JOB that I have to do, rather than a hobby that I enjoy doing.  I figure that once I get settled into "retirement" I will be able to spend more time on my old truck hobby.  I'm sure that I will meet other folks with similiar interests who need someone to help with a project.  I can use that interest to build a small business using the barter system. 

I enjoy reading and own a "few" books.  When I'm out and about and see a used book store, I almost always go inside for a look around.  I then leave with at least one addition to my library.  I've thought about renting a small shop where I can pursue my hobby of rodstorating old trucks (and cars for that matter).  I could have a used book store up front and maybe a Wi-Fi to draw in a few folks.  Of course, I'd have to attend numerous estate sales, yard sales and swap meets to have enough inventory to make it a worthwhile enterprise.  I might be able to convince folks that have a vintage vehicle to bring it over when they need a part installed.  I think this is all a pipe dream though, since I am sure that there are numerous environmental and bureaucratic roadblocks.

     Goals, why do I need goals?  I'm pretty much set in my ways, and other than the bank owning about half of my house, I don't have much debt to speak of.  It took quite a bit of thought to figure out that even though I don't really need to have distinct goals, I do have them. 

      I want to retire at age 55 or so, depending on what is going on at that time.  I could "retire" right now, but that would mean an immediate move to a less expensive area of the USofA (probably Colorado, to be near the Wife's daughter).  With the economy and housing market being so bad, we would lose too much cash money on our house.  I want to retire with minimal if any debt, so we need to make a few dollars when we sell our current property.  I have the means and opportunity to complete a college degree, but maybe not the desire to spend three years sitting in classrooms.   I want to finish my project truck, but then I would have to get something else to work on. 

     My immediate goals are to get through each day without getting in trouble.  I am able to accomplish this goal on rare occasions.   On a weekly basis, I attempt to complete my chores around the house.   I even sneak out to the garage and work on my project truck, a 1937 International pickup.  I would like to finish this vehicle before I retire, but the main obstacle is a lack of funding and higher priority chores.  I make headway by "nickle and diming" it a part at a time and by doing work that only requires my time. 

     I am also exploring and developing my income streams.  My main income is my Military retirement that is augmented by my Veterans Administration (VA) disability rating.  They are not enough for me to maintain the lifestyle that I had become accustomed to.  I am now employed as a Federal Police Officer at Camp Pendleton, California, where I make enough to bridge the gap between my retirement pay and my fiscal requirements.  There are other benefits associated with my VA disability rating that I will take advantage of in the future.  I am also making a small pre-tax monthly contribution from my job to a U.S. Government Thrift Savings Plan that has some matching contributions.  My final income stream will be Social Security (assuming the program continues to be funded).  I am hoping that it will be enough to pay for my long term medical care insurance and any medical needs that my wife and I might have.  On the bright side, my financial advisor (My Wife), says we will be fairly comfortable after I am fully retired.  Of course, we will probably have to move to a less expensive state as mentioned above. 

     I am fortunate to have earned a 36 month college program called the Post 911 GI Bill.  The program will pay for the majority of my college fees along with a monthly housing allowance as long as I am a full time student.  I am not sure what type of degree that I will pursue, but I am leaning towards something like "Advanced Basket Weaving"?  All of these income streams will eventually lead to my being mostly debt free.  I know I will have real estate and income taxes, health care and basic living expenses.  We will also need to occasionally purchase new(er) vehicles as our current vehicles expire. 

     I do have a dream of operating a classic automobile repair business after my retirement from working a regular job.  It will be something along the lines of performing minor repairs and installing parts on other folks classic vehicles.  I don't think that I would charge a premium for my labor, since I enjoy working on old vehicles.  I feel that I could develop this into a profitable business with a bit of focus and advertising.  I could also outfit a truck and make house calls.  This would reduce the overhead down to maintenance of the truck rather than paying the costs for a shop.  The initial start-up costs would be about the same;  I would need to build and outfit a small shop OR buy a large truck and outfit it with the tools of the trade.  In the long run, the mobile business would probably be more economical, since I would not NEED a huge shop, even though I will probably have one anyway.

(1 June 2010)  Another six months gone!!  Not much new has happened, life goes on.  The night shift has really been wearing on me.  There is a bit of light at the end of the tunnel, but it also involves a 30% pay cut due to a work schedule change that is in the works.  It appears that we will be moving to a 4/10 shift vice the 12 hour shift we are currently on.  This means i'll be at work less each day, but working one additional day every two weeks.  The 30% pay cut is the assumed loss of over time.  Oh well, I can deal with this.

(21 December 2009)  I didnt realize that it's been 6 months since i posted anything here!!!  Please forgive me.  I figured that after I got on shift that I would have lots of extra time.  I was mistaken.  Al told me I wouldn't have the time nor the focus to contribute to the cause.  My shift recently moved to nights, I work from 1600 (4pm) until 0400 (4am) but usually get released around 0600.  I then spend the next 6 hours trying to sleep.  I often feel like i'm terminally jet lagged, especially the day after a three day work weekend.  Other than work, I spend the rest of my time trying to keep up with my yard work and on rare occasions messing with my project truck. 

(11 Jun 09) Hello again and welcome aboard to all the new folks.  Not much new going on in my corner of Fallbrook, except I did get my VA disability rating after a short 6 months!  I was pleasantly surprised at how quick and easy the process was.  Of course I must thank the DAV for their assistance! 

I've only got 3 more weeks of school, and I'll be on a full time shift!  I'll probably miss the good old lazy daze tho after I get assigned to a gate for 12 hours!

(8 April 09) Hello all, I have been busy the past few weeks with my new job as a Marine Corps Police Officer at Camp Pendleton and have not been reading or posting as much as before when I was "retired".   I am also torn between my obligations at my new job and with this organization.  I have a lot of learning to do so that I can accomplish my new mission along with some promises that I have made to the Fallbrook SouthWest Veterans Business Resource Center.   I have also been somewhat discouraged by the difficulties that I have encountered trying to convince folks that they should at least register on this site.  I feel that my approach must be wrong, and I am pushing them away, rather than drawing them in.   I will push on, Failure is not an option.

“What are you going to do when you get out?”  This is the most asked question during my transition period.  It is also a very stressful question when you are a person such as myself who wasn’t totally prepared to step right into another job.  I assumed that people would be knocking my door down to hire me, which hasn’t been the case.  I do have several job/career options available due to my experience and training.

Mechanic/Technician:  The industry that I have the most experience in is the repair and maintenance of equipment.  I am school trained as a Tank Mechanic, Turret Mechanic and Light Armored Vehicle Mechanic.  I have also had the opportunity to work on and around a variety of other equipment types and at all levels of maintenance.  Even though I am not formally trained, I am also capable of performing most mechanical repairs on automobiles and trucks.  I invested significant time and money into attaining ASE Master Certifications in both of those fields along with several bus repair certifications.   As I previously stated, my technical skills are somewhat dated, I have found that many of the facilities now use advanced computer automated test equipment.  I am certain that I am fully capable of learning how to properly use this sort of equipment through “on-the-job” training.   Convincing the person who needs his equipment repaired to hire a mechanic that needs to be trained is another story.   There are many different repair venues that I am capable of performing in, although, some require additional training and/or certification.  A significant investment in tools and equipment would be required up front.  While I do possess more than a basic set of tools, I would still need to acquire a much larger tool box and several specialized items.  If I decide to enter a different industry, I will still use the new tools, equipment and tool box in my home shop.   I’ll discuss each option that is available to me.

Chain repair shop mechanic/technician:  There are numerous positions available at any given time.  The starting pay is somewhat lower than my basic requirement, but if the shop offers commission work, then this option would be very workable.  There is good job security at the moment since the economy is forcing people to have their older cars repaired, vice buying a new one.  This option would be good for a part time job.

Dealership repair shop mechanic/technician:  Again, there are typically several positions available.  The pay is higher, but the expectations are also higher.  It would be much more difficult for me to perform to the standard they expect from the beginning.  Stable working hours and decent pay are positives in this option.  A mechanic/technician would also be able to specialize in a single vehicle make, vice having to learn many different makes.

Privately owned repair shop mechanic/technician:  A shop with a good reputation and solid customer base would be required for this option.  Again, with the added repairs people are having done to their older vehicles adds to the job security.

Smog technician:  California requires that smog test techs be trained and certified.  At the moment, I would be required to invest in a couple of classes to gain the California certification and also pass the ASE “L1” test.  I would need to take a preparation class and study for this test, as I’ve attempted it a few times and was not able to pass.  The pay and job security are top notch, due to the California smog reduction requirements.  A technician with the capability to diagnose and repair smog related defects can certainly make a decent wage.  This would require me to take numerous classes and obtain sophisticated test equipment (ie.. expensive).

School or transit Bus mechanic/technician:  There is a School Bus barn around the corner from my residence.  I would enjoy working there, as it is close to home and is a very small operation.  One problem there is that the work is contracted to a large repair corporation, so the job security would not be as firm as other places.  This type of work would be physically taxing, as much of the work involves heavy lifting, bending, reaching and applying high torque specifications.  I feel that I would struggle to keep up in a heavy work environment, but would soon develop the required techniques to ease the work load.

Home based or mobile Classic Auto repair business:  Repairing classic automobiles in this area is a very lucrative enterprise.  There are a couple of shops in town that have a significant  per hour charge.  They have overhead requirements that a home based business would not have, such as rent.  Business licenses and insurance are required for all legitimate businesses.  I feel that I would have to market my business as “Mobile”, due to neighborhood zoning restrictions and the need to keep my neighbors happy.    I will discuss this option in detail in a later chapter.

Law Enforcement:  I have a strong desire to be a Law Enforcement Officer even though I have no formal training or experience in this field.  This option would be a natural follow on career for me due to the similarities between them, such as uniforms, weapons, structured environment, rank and such.   The pay and job security are good.  I have applied at several of the local Law Enforcement agencies with mostly good results other than the economy slowing the hiring quite a bit.  A typical hiring process begins with the agency advertising the positions and test dates.  Some agencies require that you pre-register and have an invitation, others just tell you where and when to show up.  A pre-screening questionnaire is required by most agencies, they ask you all sorts of questions concerning past crimes, drug use and behavior.  A police officer candidate must pass a written test consisting of observation skills, reading and comprehension.  Then a physical agility test typically consisting of a short sprint, an obstacle course, scaling a 6 foot wall and or fence, dragging a 140 to 165 pound dummy about 10 yards and a run between 500 yards and 1.5 miles is administered.  Many agencies require that candidates go in front of an interview panel typically consisting of a senior police officer, a human resources person and a community representative.  These processes are used to whittle down the applicants to a manageable number of candidates that meet all the basic requirements.  Each candidate then is required to fill out a background questionnaire that asks if you have done any of a number of activities.  The questions range from “Have you ever stolen anything in your life?” to the most disgusting sexual acts imaginable.  The candidate MUST answer the questions truthfully, because this questionnaire is used as the basis for your polygraph test.  A Law Enforcement Officer must be completely trustworthy and be able to convince the background investigator and polygraph technician that you are telling the truth, no matter how embarrassing the question might be.  The polygraph tests are extremely stressful to me, I wasn’t able to sleep much during the days before each test.  I don’t know why I stressed so much as I don’t have anything to hide and I disclosed all the awful things I did as a youngster.  (For what it’s worth, I did pass both polygraph tests that I was assigned).  During the background process, an average of 30 pages of information is required to be filled out.  You will need to provide all of your immediate families names, home addresses, phone numbers and email addresses, ten personal/business references, your previous addresses, schools and all of your previous jobs.  California has a standard form available on-line, but each agency feels the need to modify the form to fit their needs.  After all of this is completed,  psychological and medical evaluations are conducted.  Candidates that get through all of these wickets are then interviewed by the Police Chief before being offered a position.  Candidates that have previously completed the Police Academy are ahead of the ball game, as that means the agency can put them in a patrol car almost immediately.  Other candidates, myself included, are required to attend and pass a six month Police Academy and another 6 months of on-the-job training prior to being considered fully qualified to perform Law Enforcement  duties.

Safety:   I have seen many people injured in accidents and mishaps, to include myself!  I have been assigned as either the Safety representative, Safety Non-Commissioned Officer, Safety Officer and Manager in most of the units I was assigned to.  I have performed dozens of formal and informal investigations that are required to document the five “W’s” that apply to mishaps.  I have also conducted many OSHA type safety inspections and completed the follow-up corrective actions.   I feel that I have all of the qualifications required to perform as a civilian safety technician, but have been unable to convince the hiring machine to pull my resume.  The first safety position that I applied for seemed like a perfect fit.  That particular job site requires applicants to answer about 150 or so questions.  The first 100 or so questions were basic duties that I have routinely completed in most of my safety related billets.  The rest of the questions started asking about flight line operations and nuclear weapons procedures.  I figure those questions got me screened out!  I am very interested in the Safety Management field, and will continue to acquire formal training, regardless of the industry I end up working in.  I will continue to use my safety related skills and knowledge regardless of whether or not I become a full time Safety Specialist.

         Who am I?  One could easily assume that one knows oneself.  It is a question easier asked than answered.  Is it the physical description or the mental perception?  I must answer the question in order to move on with my life.  Fortunately, my mentor has shown me a few tools to aid me in my quest.               

            My first introduction to the Fallbrook office of the Southwest Veterans Business Resource Center (SWVBRC ) was during the month of October 2008.  I was reading the Fallbrook Newspaper and saw the picture of a man that I recognized.  I read the article and realized that I had crossed paths with him before.  I remembered that he was an administrator in the United States Marine Corps and that we had served together.  I filed the information in the back of my head, with the intent on stopping by one day soon to say hello.  I was also curious to see if the Fallbrook SWVBRC would be any help in my transition from an active duty United States Marine to civilian.