[Seahawk]

One of my tours in the navy was as a "detailer" at the Bureau of Personnel, or BUPERS. My job was to manage the careers of other Naval Officers and "detail" them into the right jobs. I loved the job but it was in Millington, Tn. I commuted home every weekend. I could buy Northwest with the frequent flier miles I earned.

I also ran the Test Pilot School board and the Navy Astronaut board, which were each held twice a year at BUPERS.

The purpose of the Navy Astronaut board was basically to screen the candidates in advance of the NASA selection process to make sure they had all the right quals and met standards.

The resumes of the folks applying were eye-watering, simply amazing accomplishments; focused, driven people.

BTW, after the shuttle stops flying, all our folks will go into space on Russian rockets until the new program is in place.

Irony.