User:Fred.greek

RONALD FREDERICK GREEK

Born in 1955 in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. Latrobe is probably known, if at all, equally as the bottling location for "Rolling Rock" beer, and the home of golf-great Arnold Palmer. Ronald and his sister grew up in the primary care of their mother, with an absent father, living on a 1/4 acre lot owned by their maternal grandparents.

The lot included significant garden space, both of annual and perennial plants, including apple trees, raspberry, blackberry and gooseberry bushes. There was home-grown food in the form of caged rabbits & chickens, as well as fish from local streams and ponds.

Ronald graduated in 1973 from Latrobe Senior High and Eastern Westmoreland County Technical School, where he also apprenticed at the local firm, "Latrobe Die Casting Company". On graduating, he was employed as a tool and die design engineering draftsman.

In 1978, Ronald enlisted in the United States Coast Guard, and with more than 20 years of active and reserve service, retired as a Reserve Officer in 2005. Following "boot camp" and enlisted specialty training, was assigned for approximately four years aboard the icebreaker USCGC Polar Sea, homeported in Seattle, Washington.

During this assignment, the Polar Sea made two deployment to the Arctic, and two deployments to the Antarctic. Southern deployments, in addition to circumnavigation of Antarctica, and cargo offload for the U.S. science stations, included visits to New Zealand, Australia, Argentina, Mexico, and Peru.

During the second Arctic deployment, the ship became "trapped" in the ice, and while most of the crew was flown off by helicopter, Ronald was one of those who volunteered to "winter-over" on board, waiting for the sun to return, and for the ice to fissure.

Absent ability to operate systems dependent on circulating sea waster, the ship could not operate the primary generators, or water desalinization devices. Interior spaces chilled to the point there was several inches of ice along the bulkhead in berthing areas. During the months long wait, in that there was barely enough fresh water for consumption, it meant a prohibition on taking showers, and a distinctly "ripe" crew.

His primary duty on board was as part of the ship's administrative staff, but anyone who has served in the military knows no one "gets away" with doing just your "normal" job.

During the winter-over, the sun never really rose to provide daylight, and the wind driven snow formed ramps against the side of the ship.

Damage Control Training is a constant aspect of military shipboard life. Ronald started in a position as a fire fighting team member, and eventually was assigned as the Commanding Officer's damage control plot coordinator.

Following a rise to Yeoman First Class (E-6) in four years, and earning a Bachelors Degree in Economics in the same time, Ronald was selected for Officer Candidate School.

As an officer his early duty focus was logistics and supply, as well as responsibilities for crew training in damage control. Completely outside of this focus was a four year assignment to the Vice President's National Narcotics Border Interdiction System (NNBIS) as an intelligence analyst, where he earned the first of three Coast Guard Achievement Medals.

On leaving active duty Coast Guard service, Ronald established a private legal practice in Snohomish County, Washington, which in addition to direct legal services for individuals, included contract services as appointed defense counsel, and prosecution, for various small communities in the area.

As a Reserve Officer, his focus was disaster preparedness, and Ronald retired from the Coast Guard Reserve in 2005.

From 1997 to the contemporary preparation of this book, he has been a civilian Attorney Advisor for the U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground, Yuma, Arizona.

Formal education includes:

J.D., New York Law School - Licensed in Washington State Masters program Financial Services, American College B.S. Double Major Economics / Political Science, University of New York B.S. Double Major Sociology / Psychology, Charter Oak College Arizona Master Gardener All-lines insurance agent

Ronald and his spouse, the former Julita Nerida Baldonado of Luna, La Union, Philippines, were married in 1989. They have one daughter born in 1993, who has been instrumental in the research and preparation of this book.

Hobbies, as demonstrated in the discussion in this book, includes the approaching global collapse of our fossil fuel (oil) dependent civilization. Quoted / published in Grass Roots Ideas To Survive, edited by Dale Peffer, and numerous websites.

Moderator of several online discussion forums and wikia sites on the topic. At the online locations there are extensive archives of sustainability discussions, photos and files of research from the members and the author.

Discussion forum: Location Specific - Tucson, AZ, USA http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SustainableTucson/ Discussion forum: Implications, action: www.egroups.com/group/RunningOnEmpty2