125th Bull Run Reenactment
This picture was taken of me by a friend at in the middle of the Confederate camp at the 125th Anniversary Reenactment of the Battle of Bull Run (Manassas). At the time I was going to Summer School at VMI in order to get my grade point average high enough so that I might return there full-time. There were over 6000 reenactors involved, making it one of the largest ever up until then. The temperature was in the high 90s with high humidity, so not surprisingly, there were many heat casualties. I heard that there were over 300 reenactors treated for heat-related problems that day, plus many more who simply 'packed it in' after a very short while. I was there with a small group of VMI Cadets, and since we were all young and fit, we had no problems with the heat. A very well done show from what I remember, despite the temperature.

July 1986, Centreville, Virginia

Back to VMI after 1 1/2 years away!
This is what a 2.0 GPA will get you! My Mom took this picture of me just after I got changed back into VMI whites for the first time in nearly 2 years. I always thought that I looked kind of intimidating in this picture, at least from a Rats viewpoint. (Those are 'Rats' in formation in the blurry background.) It was wierd, with my original graduating class gone, I didn't really know anyone. So familiar, yet unfamiliar. I was fortunate to be placed in a room with two really great, if very different, guys. Other than having similar names and being in the Band, they were much different than each other, and different than me also. We got along great despite out differences and roomed together for the next two years.
August 1986, Lexington, Virginia

Graduation Picture from VMI
It was hard for me to believe that I was actually getting this one taken given my academic history at VMI, but there I was in the basement of Lajeune Hall waiting in line like everyone else! I almost never smile in pictures, at least with my teeth showing, so this is a rare one. I like this picture of myself more than any other I've had professionally done, including all the others I had done while I was at VMI. I had just had my appendix out a couple of weeks before this and I was hobbling around letting that heal up. Oh, and in case you happen to notice it, YES, that is an Engineer Castle on my collar, instead of the Crossed-Cannons of the Field Artillery. I had studied Army Engineering earlier in my Cadetship and I had not yet received my Branch Assignment from the Army yet, so I wore the Castle for the photo.
September 1987, Lexington, Virginia

Yeah, that's right... Those are Handguns, and that is Beer!
Okay, well... What to say about this one? I'll start with the specifics: The fellow in the picture with me is Steve Fitton, another Cadet at VMI. We are both armed with .44 calibre Civil War-era pistols. His is a Colt, mine a Remington. We are also 'armed' with a can each of Coors beer that was of, shall we say, dubious value. It had been stored in a 'secret' location at VMI for several years, and I don't think it was fit for drinking. So we did the only honorable thing we could and shot them 'dead' soon after this was taken! The dummy between us made a fine target too, as did several trees, a pumpkin, and an old shirt (which Steve brought me to tears by putting it on and noting the holes in it). It was all harmless fun until the State Trooper stopped by...
October 1987, Lexington, Virginia

First Virginia Regiment Reenactment
I started reenacting in 1979 with the First Virginia Regiment of the Continental Line. Believe it or not, my Mom signed me up without me even knowing about it! She's probably STILL surprised how long I've been doing it, and maybe with how much I've enjoyed it. I don't know for certain who actually took this picture, but it was probably someone in my unit. I like the way the shadows work in it and of course the colors, background, pose, etc. I rate it as one of my top pictures since I started reenacting. The weapon I'm holding is my old 'Brown Bess' flintlock musket. It's was a Japanese reproduction of the most common British Army weapon of the 18th Century. I now have a much better Italian-made one that I use. As a matter of fact, I've probably replaced just about every bit of equipment and clothing I'm wearing in this picture by now.
September 1988, Ft. Reaubedeau, Pennsylvania

My "official" picture from FAOBC (Field Artillery Officer's Basic Course).
I arrived at Ft. Sill on Halloween 1988 for the course I was scheduled to begin on November 3rd. That would give me time to settle down, process in, and get ready. The Field Artillery Officer's Basic Course is second only to Aviation in length and lasts approximately 6 months. This all has to do with the rigor with which they teach the Gunnery portion of Field Artillery. It is by far the most difficult and time-consuming. I did passably well on it, but I really didn't learn it well until I started doing it on the job two years later. In the picture you see me in the 'Greens' of a Second Lieutenant in the Field Artillery. On my left sleeve is the patch of the unit I later joined, the 3rd Armored Division. My one and only award on my chest, the "Rainbow Ribbon", is given to anyone who graduates from a school in the Army and survives 6 months. It would later be joined by many other ribbons given to me for some of the 'activities' that my 3 short years in the Army would involve me in.
April 1989, Ft. Sill, Oklahoma

Next to a Humvee at the conclusion of V Corps "Caravan Guard" Field Training Exercise.
This picture was taken by my driver on the last day of the Fifth Corps excercise 'Caravan Guard'. It was significant for a couple of things. One was that it was the last involving the use of actual tanks in the maneuver area, and another was that it was only weeks before the Wall fell and Germany started down the path toward reunification. For me, it was a long month away from the comforts of my apartment, something that would become even more common over the next two years. The vehicle behind me should be familiar to anyone who ever watches TV as the 'HUMVEE'. I rode around in this as an Umpire during this excercise and REFORGER in January 1990 telling people that they were 'dead'. Sometimes they took it rather well as it meant they could catch some sleep finally!
September 1989, Hessen, Germany

Last day in the Middle East. Temperature was 116 degrees in the shade!
I deployed with my unit from Germany to Saudi Arabia on December 27th 1990 and arrived in Dahran in the middle of the night. It was rainy, windy, and cold. I thought I'd never left Germany! We camped for three weeks in a 'wonderful' spot nicknamed "Cement City" before we left the port area on the first day of the Air campaign. I was part of the VII Corps advance into Iraq and spent the many days following the quick victory wondering how long I would have to stay in that awful place. And while I didn't get to go home to Virginia when we left there, Germany was an okay alternative, especially by comparison to the desert! But with that fun came a price: my long slide to where I am now (weight-wise) by indulging in much food and drink (and golf), and ignoring my diet and exercise routine completely. At least I was having fun!
May 1991, Dahran, Saudi Arabia

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