L-R: CT3 Doyle, '63; CDR (1615) Doyle, '90; Me with my wife Lesa, sons Eliot & Marc
I left Okinawa in late November 1964, just thankful that I didn't get extended since things were really starting to heat up in in S.E. Asia (the Gulf of Tonkin "incident" had just occurred three months earlier and we all had a bad feeling about where things were headed). Went back to Ponca City, Okla and enrolled in a local Junior College. Liked it just fine but it was a little to easy even for a mediocre student like myself, so transferred to Okla. State University where I was pleased and surprised that they were willing to put 26 hours on my transcript for the ALS Chinese Mandarin course. Since I had taken up photography as a hobby in Okinawa (I had to do something constructive instead of spending all my time in the NCO club, annex or various bars in the 'villes), I wound up majoring in Marketing/Advertising/Journalism -- which would be how I made my living for the next thirty plus years. Since I had managed to save almost no money in Okinawa and the G.I. bill only paid about enough for one-half a rent check for an off-campus apartment, I decided that the Naval Reserve might be a good way to bring in a few extra bucks (at that time an E-5's monthly drill pay was only about $70.00 a month -- but it surely came in handy). My photography also helped -- I worked as a photography department lab assistant and head photographer for the campus yearbook (it was great -- I had sideline passes for all athletic events and got to take photos of the best looking coeds). After graduating from OSU in 68 I took a job with the Oklahoman & Times/Daily Oklahoman newspaper in Okla City as a retail ad rep. Great job, low pay. From there, I went into industrial/corporate advertising/P.R. with Star Mfg. Co., a manufacturer of pre-engineered steel buildings. An opportunity for more pay and a better position took me and my new wife & adopted son to Houston in 1972. I worked as Marketing Mgr. for two different mfrs of steel building systems from 1972 thru 1988. During that time, I had another son, Eliot, born in 1973 (Marc, my first son was born in 1970) and divorced my first wife, Nancy in 1982. Our lifestyles had begun to gravitate toward opposite poles: I had begun to evaluate what I had done with my life for the first thirty-eight years and what I would do with it from then on. I decided that I had been too self-centered and that there was something missing. I revisited my earlier spiritual roots, found the Lord, quite drinking and quite literally turned over a new leaf. That was more than fifteen years ago and my life has never been better. I met my present wife, Lesa at a local church. She's twelve years younger than me and quite willingly pitched in and helped me raise my two sons through some very challenging teenage years. Lesa has a great singing talent and recently recorded an album of religious songs. Both our sons are doing well now thanks in no small part to her patience and good character. Marc, who's now twenty-seven, is a communications supervisor for Warner Cable and Eliot, 23, builds and uses whitewater kayaks in the mountains of Colorado (like me at that age, he's trying to find himself). I stayed with the Naval Reserve partly out of habit and mostly because I slowly became addicted to the monthly paycheck (I got a direct commission [luck, blind luck -- being in the right place @ the right time] and the promotions came in like clockwork -- by the time I finally retired as an O-5 [can you believe it!], the monthly pay was $500.00/month). My many years of drilling with the Naval Reserve were a long litany of paperwork concerned with trying to justify the very existence of the so-called "ready reserve" force of Cryptologic Technicians. I believed then, as now, that it was worth it, but the multi-layered redundant paper drill was at times more than I could put up with. It was a good way to stay fairly current with NavSecGru and intel community trends and events -- not nearly so glamorous as Fu's career with the company. I've stayed in touch with John Farrall ever since Oki and I readily admit that it was mostly due to his diligence in staying in touch. Once again, the noble Fu has taken the initiative to bring the Torii Station / JSPC "gang" back together and I salute him and thank him. God bless each one of you.
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