A little more about me, Warning it's rather lengthy!
Posted: Wed Jun 06, 2007 8:26 am
A little more about me? You might want to pack a lunch, as this might take some time to read. Have had a lot of extra time on my hands, as I’ve been laid up for weeks with more back problems which have been messing with some of the nerves in my neck & shoulder areas and has really slowed me down. Have been killing time searching the Forum, and catching up on reading several posts, so I decided why not write a few things about me.
Most have seen my posts, and by my USAF Avatar, it’s apparent that I’m prior USAF. I retired in ’05 after doing a little more than 20 yrs. My job in the AF was an Electronic Signals Intelligence Analyst, I mainly did things for NSA and the likes, or as Rudi & a few other Vets’ refer to as a “SPOOKâ€. I still work in that arena now at Wright-Patterson AFB but now as a Government Contractor for AT&T Government Solutions performing various things, mostly dealing with satellite communications and such. Actually I just started this new job back in April, as I was working as an electronic engineer for the previous 2 yrs again at the base right after I retired from the AF.
During my military career, I was serving when we went into Libya, and of course all the times we went and played in the big sandbox. Had the chance to be stationed in Berlin and was there to see the wall come down. I have some great memories of those days. My only regrets are that we weren’t allowed to get the job done right the first time we went into Iraq. Had we been allowed to do the job right the first time, we wouldn’t be there now and I feel that things in the world would be different. I was on duty the day 9/11 happened, and after that “EVERYTHING†as we know it changed. At the time, I was the only guy in my unit that was currently qualified on all the weapons, so they decided to turn me into an SP as we had a severe shortage of them. Those were some crazy times, 14 hr shifts, 7 days a week at times. I now have a different feeling towards the guys that are posted at the gates, that job sucks. That may explain my attitude towards how I feel when we all talk about our Vets. I don’t think of myself as anyone special, but I’ve seen first hand how our troops are not being looked after. I’ve seen folks sent over to Iraq without the proper training, to perform jobs that is not their current career field, but we are forced to fill slots with warm bodies and that is mostly due to $$$ and the fact that our leaders felt that we didn’t a strong military after the Cold War ended and decided to start cutting our military budgets. Not only do our current troops deserve more, but the cuts also affect the retiree’s and anyone who served. I know, get off your soap box, but I think that when you make a promise to someone, you should be true to your word. When I first enlisted back in the 80’s, the deal was that if I served 20 or more years, I was guaranteed a monthly retirement check as well as medical care for the rest of my life. My retirement check today is not the amount it was “Supposed†to be and I have to pay for my medical coverage.
Enough of that subject, back to what really matters. I’m originally from Evansville IN, which is the most southern city in the state. Grew up in a large family of 6 kids out in the country in an area called Saint Joseph Indiana. We didn’t farm, but our neighbor did and I also had a great uncle further north of us that did, and they both used JD A’s in those days. I was fascinated with them then, and still am. As a young kid I was allowed to do a little plowing with the A, but it was a hand start model. I was too little to start it, but I could run it. Many times I’d kill the engine while I was plowing, and would have to walk back to the house in order for someone to come get it running again for me.
When I was stationed here at Wright-Patt, I met and married my wife. Her family farms up near Columbus OH, so I again got accustomed to tractors, which is why I had to find an Allis WC model a few years ago. My father-in-law farms with AC’s and his name is Willis Carl Godden, but everyone calls him Red. I decided a few years ago I had to get him a WC model as those are his initials and he farms with AC’s. The bug really bit me when we bought our current house about 13 yrs ago in the country just outside of Yellow Springs Ohio. It is 5 acres with a pole barn which was already built when we bought the place. My Dad took one look at the place when they came to visit, and asked how I was going to cut the field. I figured I’d buy a tractor & bush-hog to handle that, and he then gave me the ’39 9N that he had owned since I was 2 yrs old. It was probably the first thing I ever learned to drive, and I have fond memories growing up riding on his lap as he did odd jobs with it. I now cherish that tractor, as not only did I learn to drive on it, but I can also remember working on it with both my Dad & Grandfather as a young boy. I plan to keep the tractor in the family, as I have promised it to my oldest nephew that when I’m gone, I plan on giving it to him. Of course I have 3 other nephews as well, one has claimed the 8N. The other two nephews are twins from my wife’s side of the family. Since their grandparents farmed with AC’s, I need to start looking for a set of AC’s to restore for those two guys. They are only 4yrs old now, so I have plenty of time to get that accomplished.
I started out with the 9N, and then bought an 8N as the 9N was a total wreck when my Dad gave it to me. The engine was seized, and I needed something quick to mow the field. Then the REAL DISEASE set in. I got to know my neighbor within a few weeks of moving in, and found that he owned not 1, but 4 tractors. At the time he had a ’24 Fordson, a TO-30, Cockshutt 30 and Fordson Dexta. If that wasn’t bad enough, I then met another neighbor of ours by the name of Pat Ertel. Pat is the owner/editor of the Antique Power magazine. So as you can see, not only did the bug bite me, I landed in a whole cess pool of tractors and tractor collectors.
My latest addition was the ’50 Cub which came by accident. My neighbor had bought one, and we started restoring it. Somewhere along the line he decided we wanted some implements for it, and one day he found another Cub with a Woods 60†mower deck, sickle bar, grader blade and plow. The tractor of course didn’t run, and it was (and still is) a basket case. We ended up buying the whole thing from the guy, and I agreed to buy the tractor and mower, as I didn’t really need another tractor anyway. Well, I still have that Cub, but the only difference now is that it runs, and it runs good. I laugh at my neighbor as we spent a lot of time restoring his, and I even machined a few parts for it. His tractor looks great, but my ’50 has to be the ugliest one around (has holes in the hood and other problems) but once I rebuilt the carb, and re-worked the governor, it runs better than his. Over the last year I have bought numerous parts for it, in order to restore it. Found a hood on eBay as well as the proper mag (it currently has a WICO on it), have new tires to install on it, as well as a new head, radiator bolster and front axle, as all of those are busted and had been welded by the PO. The tractor has to be one of the ugliest around, but I have named her Faith, as it took a lot of it to buy it (plus convince the wife) as well as I needed a lot of it to take on another basket case project. It runs well, and thanks to Ralph, I was able to obtain the parts for the Woods mower to make it operational again.
Well, that’s enough about me. Hope to run into several of you at the shows this year. I’ve run into Ralph in Portland, and have seen several of GW’s tractors at the local shows, and few other Forum members tractors. I think we need to come up with our own “Club Hats†that stand out so that when we are at shows, we could recognize another Forum member by the hat they are wearing?
Most have seen my posts, and by my USAF Avatar, it’s apparent that I’m prior USAF. I retired in ’05 after doing a little more than 20 yrs. My job in the AF was an Electronic Signals Intelligence Analyst, I mainly did things for NSA and the likes, or as Rudi & a few other Vets’ refer to as a “SPOOKâ€. I still work in that arena now at Wright-Patterson AFB but now as a Government Contractor for AT&T Government Solutions performing various things, mostly dealing with satellite communications and such. Actually I just started this new job back in April, as I was working as an electronic engineer for the previous 2 yrs again at the base right after I retired from the AF.
During my military career, I was serving when we went into Libya, and of course all the times we went and played in the big sandbox. Had the chance to be stationed in Berlin and was there to see the wall come down. I have some great memories of those days. My only regrets are that we weren’t allowed to get the job done right the first time we went into Iraq. Had we been allowed to do the job right the first time, we wouldn’t be there now and I feel that things in the world would be different. I was on duty the day 9/11 happened, and after that “EVERYTHING†as we know it changed. At the time, I was the only guy in my unit that was currently qualified on all the weapons, so they decided to turn me into an SP as we had a severe shortage of them. Those were some crazy times, 14 hr shifts, 7 days a week at times. I now have a different feeling towards the guys that are posted at the gates, that job sucks. That may explain my attitude towards how I feel when we all talk about our Vets. I don’t think of myself as anyone special, but I’ve seen first hand how our troops are not being looked after. I’ve seen folks sent over to Iraq without the proper training, to perform jobs that is not their current career field, but we are forced to fill slots with warm bodies and that is mostly due to $$$ and the fact that our leaders felt that we didn’t a strong military after the Cold War ended and decided to start cutting our military budgets. Not only do our current troops deserve more, but the cuts also affect the retiree’s and anyone who served. I know, get off your soap box, but I think that when you make a promise to someone, you should be true to your word. When I first enlisted back in the 80’s, the deal was that if I served 20 or more years, I was guaranteed a monthly retirement check as well as medical care for the rest of my life. My retirement check today is not the amount it was “Supposed†to be and I have to pay for my medical coverage.
Enough of that subject, back to what really matters. I’m originally from Evansville IN, which is the most southern city in the state. Grew up in a large family of 6 kids out in the country in an area called Saint Joseph Indiana. We didn’t farm, but our neighbor did and I also had a great uncle further north of us that did, and they both used JD A’s in those days. I was fascinated with them then, and still am. As a young kid I was allowed to do a little plowing with the A, but it was a hand start model. I was too little to start it, but I could run it. Many times I’d kill the engine while I was plowing, and would have to walk back to the house in order for someone to come get it running again for me.
When I was stationed here at Wright-Patt, I met and married my wife. Her family farms up near Columbus OH, so I again got accustomed to tractors, which is why I had to find an Allis WC model a few years ago. My father-in-law farms with AC’s and his name is Willis Carl Godden, but everyone calls him Red. I decided a few years ago I had to get him a WC model as those are his initials and he farms with AC’s. The bug really bit me when we bought our current house about 13 yrs ago in the country just outside of Yellow Springs Ohio. It is 5 acres with a pole barn which was already built when we bought the place. My Dad took one look at the place when they came to visit, and asked how I was going to cut the field. I figured I’d buy a tractor & bush-hog to handle that, and he then gave me the ’39 9N that he had owned since I was 2 yrs old. It was probably the first thing I ever learned to drive, and I have fond memories growing up riding on his lap as he did odd jobs with it. I now cherish that tractor, as not only did I learn to drive on it, but I can also remember working on it with both my Dad & Grandfather as a young boy. I plan to keep the tractor in the family, as I have promised it to my oldest nephew that when I’m gone, I plan on giving it to him. Of course I have 3 other nephews as well, one has claimed the 8N. The other two nephews are twins from my wife’s side of the family. Since their grandparents farmed with AC’s, I need to start looking for a set of AC’s to restore for those two guys. They are only 4yrs old now, so I have plenty of time to get that accomplished.
I started out with the 9N, and then bought an 8N as the 9N was a total wreck when my Dad gave it to me. The engine was seized, and I needed something quick to mow the field. Then the REAL DISEASE set in. I got to know my neighbor within a few weeks of moving in, and found that he owned not 1, but 4 tractors. At the time he had a ’24 Fordson, a TO-30, Cockshutt 30 and Fordson Dexta. If that wasn’t bad enough, I then met another neighbor of ours by the name of Pat Ertel. Pat is the owner/editor of the Antique Power magazine. So as you can see, not only did the bug bite me, I landed in a whole cess pool of tractors and tractor collectors.
My latest addition was the ’50 Cub which came by accident. My neighbor had bought one, and we started restoring it. Somewhere along the line he decided we wanted some implements for it, and one day he found another Cub with a Woods 60†mower deck, sickle bar, grader blade and plow. The tractor of course didn’t run, and it was (and still is) a basket case. We ended up buying the whole thing from the guy, and I agreed to buy the tractor and mower, as I didn’t really need another tractor anyway. Well, I still have that Cub, but the only difference now is that it runs, and it runs good. I laugh at my neighbor as we spent a lot of time restoring his, and I even machined a few parts for it. His tractor looks great, but my ’50 has to be the ugliest one around (has holes in the hood and other problems) but once I rebuilt the carb, and re-worked the governor, it runs better than his. Over the last year I have bought numerous parts for it, in order to restore it. Found a hood on eBay as well as the proper mag (it currently has a WICO on it), have new tires to install on it, as well as a new head, radiator bolster and front axle, as all of those are busted and had been welded by the PO. The tractor has to be one of the ugliest around, but I have named her Faith, as it took a lot of it to buy it (plus convince the wife) as well as I needed a lot of it to take on another basket case project. It runs well, and thanks to Ralph, I was able to obtain the parts for the Woods mower to make it operational again.
Well, that’s enough about me. Hope to run into several of you at the shows this year. I’ve run into Ralph in Portland, and have seen several of GW’s tractors at the local shows, and few other Forum members tractors. I think we need to come up with our own “Club Hats†that stand out so that when we are at shows, we could recognize another Forum member by the hat they are wearing?