John Boyd: The Man who made me what I am

Abstract

In February 2005, I retired after nearly fifty years of work in the national defense arena. Fresh out of college, I started as a GS-5 mathematician at Eglin AFB, Florida in June 1955, and eventually had the privilege of holding several responsible, challenging positions in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. My last assignment was as Director, Operational Test and Evaluation, a Presidentially-Appointed, Senate-Confirmed position reporting directly to the Secretary of Defense, Don Rumsfeld. As I look back over those fifty years, I realize how blessed I am to have been in “the right place at the right time” throughout that time.