Dear Linda, All through high school it was my intent to become an architect. I had won prizes for Architectural Drawing. However, when college was discussed, my father explained that the cost of a college education was not, and would never b,e within the family budget. Therefore, since the Korean War was threatening to make my plans for me, and against Dad's wishes, I enlisted in the Marine Corps. That led to a brief career in communications. I was trained as a teletype operator and assigned to a large headquarters in San Francisco. There, I met a beautiful student nurse. She told me that if I wanted to go to college she would be happy to support that goal. After my discharge, we headed to Pullman, Washington and applied for entry into the Veterinary Medical program. We supported this part of our lives by accepting a small grant from Harry Truman's GI Bill, my wife's job as an bookeeper, and me also mowing lawns and various summertime construction jobs, usually involving a shovel. After graduation, and seeing no possibility of having enough money to set up a practice, I sought a commission in the Air Force Veterinary Corps. After one short tour of duty at a small Air Force base in Reno, Nevada, I applied for an advanced program in Nuclear Physics at the University of Rochester in New York. After receiving my Master's Degree I was assigned to a teaching position at the Air Force's Medical Service School, where I taught new physicians about the medical effects of chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons. The Air Force later granted me the opportunity to serve overseas. The first half of my South East Asian assignment was in northern Thailand, where for six months I vaccinated water buffalo and Zebu oxen for the Thai government's Department of Agriculture. The second six months was caring for 70 working dogs at a fighter base in central Thailand. After my return from South East Asia, I again taught the medical and physical effects of nuclear weapons to classes of flight surgeons, but this time at the School of Aerospace Medicine. Next was an assignment in Europe which we stretched into two assignments and a total of six years there. It was a great job as it provided me, my wife, and children with the opportunity to travel all over Europe and get a real education. Therefore, within my chosen occupation, I have seldom practiced real veterinary medicine. However, I did care for a lot of military working dogs. After my military retirement I had to get a job, so I found a position in the Houston Health Department as the Chief of the Rabies Control Bureau. "Read here: head dog catcher." This job lasted nine years. I am now retired, collecting two pensions, and enjoying life. However... I still can not tell you much about the private practice of a veterinarian, which was what I might have called my chosen profession. I now write magazine articles, two novels, and lots of short stories about the history of my Armstrong family and my wife's Tompkins family. -- Sincerely, Bob Armstrong in Houston, TX picture "I have fished through fishless days that I remember happily and without regret." Roderick Haig-Brown ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Robert E. Armstrong, DVM, MS, member Dog Writers Association of America, author of the veterinary mystery/thrillers, CANIS - paperback, ISBN 0-595-29795-1 or eBook, ISBN 0-595-75078-8 and INDEX OF SUSPICION - ISBN: 0-595-20485-6 Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble Visit my home page at http://home.houston.rr.com/rarmstrong9/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~