Grand Haven Mens Golf Assoc.

I was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA, the youngest of three children. My father was an auto mechanic and my mother was what we now call a stay-at-home mom. Growing up in Los Angeles was like growing up in any large city. Back in the 50’s and 60’s, your entire life usually revolved around twenty square blocks. We stayed in our own neighborhood for fear of getting involved with street gangs, even back then.
 

I graduated from high school when I was seventeen and had no idea what I wanted to do. I enrolled in Junior College, but it turned out to be nothing more than “high school with an ashtray”.
 

The Viet Nam war was in full swing and I had many friends who went overseas. Some came home and some did not. Like many guys my age, I came to the conclusion that I needed to test myself to see what I could accomplish. I volunteered for the Army and entered Basic Training at Fort Ord, CA. After completing Basic, I completed Advanced Individual Training for the infantry and some additional specialized schools.
 

In March of 1969, I arrived for my tour of duty and was sent directly to an infantry company of the 25 Infantry Division. I became a what was called an “RTO” (I carried the radio). I was selected to carry the radio because the previous guy left the unit and I was the new guy. Carrying the radio added 35 pounds of gear to my regular load, but like everyone else, I carried the load and kept my mouth shut. I spent five months with my infantry company, now carrying the radio for my third Lieutenant. When he was promoted to commander of a Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol (LURP), he decided to take me with him.
 

I managed to stay in one piece in Viet Nam, except for some minor shrapnel wounds... twice. During my tour I was awarded two Bronze Stars with “V” device, two Army Commendations with “V” device, two Purple Hearts and two Air Medals crediting me for 50 Helicopter Air Assaults. I finished my tour in LURP and returned home.
 

Once home, I used the GI Bill, enrolled at UCLA and began looking for a job. I found the best part of my military service was the bonding and shared risks that I had with other personnel. I decided to become a police officer which, for me, was just a different kind of army. I got hired and patrolled a community south of downtown Los Angeles. After a couple of years I was recruited and hired by Santa Ana Police Department in Orange County. Much like Los Angeles, Santa Ana had their fair share of crime.
 

Santa Ana recruited me because I could speak Spanish and they were in need of bilingual officers. True to their word, I got promoted quickly and eventually found myself assigned to Gang Investigations. For the next five years I was assigned all gang crimes...homicides, shootings, stabbings, etc. I learned a lot and later served on different panels as an expert in the field of Gangs. I also managed to finish college and graduated with my BA from the University of Redlands.
 

While at Santa Ana PD I met “Beth”, a Records Clerk who turned out to be the daughter of an FBI Agent stationed in the county. Eventually we got married and last year we celebrated our 40th anniversary.
 

While at Santa Ana I became president of a state wide police association. I had the opportunity to meet and have a working relationship with the State Attorney General George Deukmejian. He was later elected as the Governor of CA. He asked me to serve on his transition team and later offered me a job on the California Parole Board. I accepted, left police work and was sworn in March of 1983.
 

With my new job I traveled from prison to prison and county jails in California to perform administrative reviews. I was on a panel that considered released dates for prisoners. In county jails, parolees released were often rearrested for new crimes. I conducted hearings to consider whether to send them back to prison. My appointment was for a set term. I left state service in 1989
 

Now in need of a job, I decided to become a Private Investigator. I got my state license and began working criminal cases, an area I had expertise in. I worked for a number of attorneys who specialized in large drug seizures. There were huge amounts of drug cases in Los Angeles so work was plentiful.
 

I was eventually assigned to a Federal Court Panel. The court assigned investigators to defense cases that were using private attorneys who worked on the Federal Government’s behalf. Most of the cases I was assigned were RICO cases (Racketeer Influenced & Corrupt Organizations Act). I had the opportunity to work cases involving the Mexican Mafia, the Aryan Brotherhood, the Russian Mafia, and street gangs.
 

I decided to retire in 2007. Beth still had two more years to work so we waited patiently and when she retired, we left CA. We moved to and remained in Asheville, NC, for eleven years.

The last few years the Asheville area was changing, and not for the better. We visited Palm Coast in October 2020 during a timeshare visit to the World Golf Village. We returned home, listed and quickly sold our home in NC. We closed on our home in Grand Haven in late December and moved in when our furnishings arrived on January 4, 2021. We have both found our Grand Haven to be a great place to live. We enjoy our new home and new life style and winters without snow!
 

Never having been part of a Men’s Golf Group, all of the games were new to me. But I quickly learned to value them as a part of the golfing experience. I’ve enjoyed the company of my fellow players and have benefited by their friendship and advice. My wife and I landed in the right place.