After leaving I was stationed on
the frozen tundra at Minot AFB, ND with the 91st MSS and the 741st
MS (along with many of my "Rhein" cohorts, from 1992 -
1996). "It may be 40 below, but it keeps the riff raff out!"
While stationed at the "Not" I also deployed to Al-Jaber
AB, Kuwait and Prince Sultan Air Base (PSAB), Saudi Arabia. While
here I also got married to Lisa in 1993 and we welcomed our daughter
Amy in 1996. I was then stationed in the wetlands of the UK at RAF
Lakenheath, England with the 48th SPS (then SFS!) from 1996 - 2001.
Some of my deployments while at the "Heath" were to Cervia
AB, Italy; Istres AB, France; and again to PSAB, Saudi Arabia. While
at this locale we also welcomed our son Connor in 2000. Unfortunately,
he was just two days shy of being a leap year baby!
Interestingly enough, I deployed more with the 355th Special Operations
Group at RAF Mildenhall! "Moldy Hole" was the contingency
base for Africa, so I visited places like Congo, Zaire, Liberia,
and Senegal during their all too frequent civil wars! We would provide
aircraft ground security while picking up Army Rangers in Stuttgart,
Germany and Navy SEALS at Naval Base Rota, Spain and transport them
to provide security for US Embassy compounds.
Once again I was stationed back in the great white north in 2001
at Minot AFB, ND this time rotating through many duties with the
740th MS, 92nd MSS, 91st MSFS, and 791st MSFS. Unfortunately, this
is where both my marriage and my Air Force career ended. I was divorced
in 2004 and was medically retired in 2006 after experiencing numerous
heart problems and receiving a heart implant. Damn nukes, who would
have known all that radiation exposure while on convoys would have
caused
heart defects?
Since job hunting was far easier and the cost-of-living was far
below that in my hometown of Los Angeles, I decided to stay in North
Dakota. That plus I already had a home and you can't get one in
LA until AFTER you have a job secured so you know how much you can
afford in rent. Oddly enough for me, a former Flight Sergeant saw
my resume on line and offered me a job with his company only a month
after I started collecting unemployment!
So now I work as a Sales Manager with Combined Insurance, travelling
all over North and South Dakota. I definiely see WAY more of the
Dakotas than I ever thought I would but hey, the pay is pretty damned
good when coupled with my 110% VA disability and retirement pay!
You figure it out because it never makes sense to me!
If there just so happens to be anything else
that you could possibly want to know, feel free to contact me online
as "dawgsfz" at yahoo, hotmail, myspace, classmates, or
facebook. Yes, I am all about the internet! You can also call me
on my cell phone at 701-721-2291.
-Robert D. Zamora
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