Irish44j
01-12-2008, 19:48
Hello,
I wasn't sure about joining here since I am neither "in" the military nor a veteran, but Ryan extended the invitation so here I am. Hopefully my background will allow me to fit in here and I hope to contribute as much as possible, obviously.
So...about me.
I grew up the son of a career Naval officer (27 years) and spend my youth living all over eternity, including Naples Italy, the Philippines, and elsewhere. As far back as I can remember I've been "into" the military and have probably been on more US Navy ships than any career Naval officer I know!
I intended to attend the US Naval Academy but the logistics of living overseas (before email) caused my nomination to stall (couldn't come for an interview with my senator, among other things)
After high school I attended the State University of New York Maritime College (a merchant marine academy) and studied Naval Engineering. I was also in Navy ROTC.
I later transferred to George Mason University with a change of major to National Security Policy/International Affairs and intended to proceed with ROTC there. Only problem was that GMU discontinued its ROTC program.
So...here I am as a civilian who always intended to be a Naval officer. After a few years working military issues on Capitol hill for lame politicians, I joined the Office of Naval Intelligence 8 years ago and am currently a senior subject matter expert on a subject that is "of interest" these days..(that's all I can really say about that). My office is primarily civilian analysts and a handfull of active-duty 02s and 03s and we do technical military analysis for the most part.
So basically, the military is about as much my life as it could possibly be without actually being "in"
oh...and the jeep. It's a '90 XJ 2-door, 5 speed with some pretty basic "mods" - 3" lift, 30s (soon 31s), custom rack, and other things.
my other automotive hobbies are my 2000 nissan maxima, which has about every bolt-on engine, suspension, and braking upgrade available and occasionally races at Summit Point and autocrosses in E-Prepared....and my 1970 Triumph GT6, which is just beginning a long, long restoration.
I'm married and we just had our first child on December 31st, so the car time may be limited for a while.
Anyhow, hope I'm not stepping on any toes being here but my affinity for our servicemen from both a family and professional aspect is second to none. The part our servicemen (and women) play in this great country (and the world) matters very much to me and in my line of work I work hard every day behind the scenes to make sure the guys on the frontlines are safe and informed when fighting our enemies.
Also feel free to hit me up if you need any info on the transition out of uniform into the civilian DoD sector. I've mentored several 03s that have retired and put on a civilian suit over the last few years so I can give you an idea of what to expect!
So, here are a couple pics in case anyone cares. Hope to see you guys around!
Josh
The XJ
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j85/irish44j/Jeep%20Cherokee/Alexandra072.jpg
The max (in "race trim")
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j85/irish44j/SCCA%20Autocross%20Ripken%2022%20Oct/ps2.jpg
The GT6
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j85/irish44j/Triumph/WendysWeddingandGT6returnshome038.jpg
I wasn't sure about joining here since I am neither "in" the military nor a veteran, but Ryan extended the invitation so here I am. Hopefully my background will allow me to fit in here and I hope to contribute as much as possible, obviously.
So...about me.
I grew up the son of a career Naval officer (27 years) and spend my youth living all over eternity, including Naples Italy, the Philippines, and elsewhere. As far back as I can remember I've been "into" the military and have probably been on more US Navy ships than any career Naval officer I know!
I intended to attend the US Naval Academy but the logistics of living overseas (before email) caused my nomination to stall (couldn't come for an interview with my senator, among other things)
After high school I attended the State University of New York Maritime College (a merchant marine academy) and studied Naval Engineering. I was also in Navy ROTC.
I later transferred to George Mason University with a change of major to National Security Policy/International Affairs and intended to proceed with ROTC there. Only problem was that GMU discontinued its ROTC program.
So...here I am as a civilian who always intended to be a Naval officer. After a few years working military issues on Capitol hill for lame politicians, I joined the Office of Naval Intelligence 8 years ago and am currently a senior subject matter expert on a subject that is "of interest" these days..(that's all I can really say about that). My office is primarily civilian analysts and a handfull of active-duty 02s and 03s and we do technical military analysis for the most part.
So basically, the military is about as much my life as it could possibly be without actually being "in"
oh...and the jeep. It's a '90 XJ 2-door, 5 speed with some pretty basic "mods" - 3" lift, 30s (soon 31s), custom rack, and other things.
my other automotive hobbies are my 2000 nissan maxima, which has about every bolt-on engine, suspension, and braking upgrade available and occasionally races at Summit Point and autocrosses in E-Prepared....and my 1970 Triumph GT6, which is just beginning a long, long restoration.
I'm married and we just had our first child on December 31st, so the car time may be limited for a while.
Anyhow, hope I'm not stepping on any toes being here but my affinity for our servicemen from both a family and professional aspect is second to none. The part our servicemen (and women) play in this great country (and the world) matters very much to me and in my line of work I work hard every day behind the scenes to make sure the guys on the frontlines are safe and informed when fighting our enemies.
Also feel free to hit me up if you need any info on the transition out of uniform into the civilian DoD sector. I've mentored several 03s that have retired and put on a civilian suit over the last few years so I can give you an idea of what to expect!
So, here are a couple pics in case anyone cares. Hope to see you guys around!
Josh
The XJ
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j85/irish44j/Jeep%20Cherokee/Alexandra072.jpg
The max (in "race trim")
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j85/irish44j/SCCA%20Autocross%20Ripken%2022%20Oct/ps2.jpg
The GT6
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j85/irish44j/Triumph/WendysWeddingandGT6returnshome038.jpg