Chapter 7 - Life after the Coast Guard

After more than twenty-seven years of service, I submitted my request for retirement. It was time to look ahead and plan for life beyond the Coast Guard. Knowing I needed to be prepared, I began searching for a civilian career a year before officially hanging up my boots. Unisys Corporation, a defense contractor for the Naval Electronics Systems Command at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard, offered me a position in Northern California—and I accepted.

My official retirement date was September 1, 1987. That morning, a personnel inspection was held in my honor, followed by a retirement party at the Coast Guard Beach House. I still remember my good friend, Remie Vicencio, who created an impressive ice carving of an eagle that stood as the centerpiece of the buffet table.

I was deeply touched by the many Pinoys from EECEN and TRACEN Cape May who put so much effort into preparing food and festivities to make my last day in uniform truly memorable. My family sat proudly in the audience as I was awarded the Coast Guard Commendation Medal for my service at the Electronics Engineering Center.

After stepping down from active duty, we sold our home in Cape May Court House and moved to California, where I began my new civilian career with Unisys. We bought a house in Benicia, just five miles from the Unisys building.

My first role was in Systems Engineering, supporting Naval communications facilities worldwide. After completing several projects and four successful years on the job, I was promoted to engineering manager and transferred to the Naval Supply Center in Oakland. There, I supervised a team of technicians who maintained a multimillion-dollar automated storage and retrieval system. The facility spanned five warehouses and stored spare parts for the Navy in support of their fleet.

In 1995, federal budget cuts led to the closure of the Naval Supply Center, and once again I had to find new work.

Through the Internet, I discovered a small start-up company in Dublin, about thirty-five minutes from home. They specialized in installing and maintaining computerized inmate telephone systems in jails across California, Nevada, and Arizona. I reached out, and they hired me as a systems engineer and installer. The company thrived, and after four years was bought by a larger firm in Texas. They offered me a position in their Texas office, but Louise and I wanted to remain in California. Not wanting to lose me, the company created a technician position I could perform from home. I accepted, and in many ways, I was back to being an ET again.

I found myself enjoying the work—less responsibility, more travel, and the freedom to bring Louise along on trips throughout California. It felt like a return to the kind of hands-on work I had always loved.

In July 2007, when I became eligible for Social Security, Louise and I made the decision to retire for good.