After graduation I went to Sheppard AFB to attend Transportation school and then on to Pope AFB, NC (3rd Aerial Port Squadron, Tactical Air Command) as an Air Drop Officer. Then it was on to Incirlik, Turkey in 1965 as the Base Chief of Transportation and that was followed by a direct non-voluntary tour to Vietnam in 1968/1969 as an advisor to the Republic of Vietnam Air Force. On the way home I went back to Sheppard to attend Staff Transportation School in 1969 then on to Washington, DC for a Special assignment with Air Force Postal & Courier. Due to a reduction in force (RIF) in 1974, I next went to Bolling AFB. Got a Bootstrap assignment in 1975 and graduated from Mt. St. Mary’s College in Emmittsburg, MD in ’76 with a BS in Business & Finance (completed 39 hours my Senior year). From there I headed out to Crete for two years, going back to Bolling in 1978 where I remained until I retired on February 1, 1979. I tried to get into civil service but there was an extended hiring freeze so I went directly into civilian life and do not regret it even though it has not always been easy.
I had been working in Real Estate part-time prior to USAF retirement in Feb. 1979 and then went full-time when we moved to Fredericksburg, VA in 1979. I was President of the Fredericksburg Area Association of Realtors in 1994. Nancy, my wife of 43 years whom I had met during OCS passed away in July 2006 and in June 2008 I decided that life was too short and completely retired from the working force. The Hazard family now includes six Grandkids.
I am now engaged to Gail Padgett who has been a friend of the family and business partner for over 30 years and in February 2009 we moved to the country on 3.5 acres near Tappahannock, VA and close to the Rappahannock River. We have put in eight raised garden beds (8’x8’) for veggies, have a new boat, close to hunting & fishing, and golf. We will survive the economic downturn.
Our new house came with a one-bedroom fully equipped guest house and I have built a 30’x32’ detached garage for my woodworking shop. The boat will have to stay in the 20’x30’ pole barn because it is too high to fit in the garage.
