By reading many posts on this forum over the last couple of months, I have noticed something that makes me curious.  I have noticed that many of you make reference to having been in the military.  I find it something in need of exploring further.  If nothing more than just satisfying my own curiousity.

Who of you have been or are currently active in the armed forces?  Was your interest in astronomy born from your involvement in the military or was the interest already there or did it come afterwards? 

I really don't know why I find this interesting.  Being in the military just seems to be a theme here in the forums and I thought I'd ask.

I sincerely applaud ALL of the men and women that have been, are currently and will be members of our armed forces.  Words cannot convey my gratitude.

My interest in astronomy lead me into the military. As a kid I was into model rocketry. I joined the Air Force in 1972 and became a Missile Systems Annalist for Minute Man ICBM's. In the very dark missile sites in South Dakota I would look up at the Milky Way and marvel at the wonders above me. I began to take a 60mm telescope with me on repair missions. Some times we viewed longer than we worked.

JJ   

 I was in the Army national Guard from 1985-1992 (active reserve).   I was the battalion illustrator!!  (I tell people I was an 'airborne combat illustrator'--sounds tougher.

    The only connection my hobby has with the military is that it allowed me to go to school so that I could get a job that would allow me to buy these expensive toys!

Dumb me!  I hadn't thought of that...astronomy leading someone to the military.

 My only astronomy during the time I was wearing olive drab was using the stars to try and find my way through some south east Asian jungle. Most of us didn't lay back and enjoy how dark the sky was.

My interest in astronomy stems way back to my elementary school days when on a field trip to the Minneapolis Planetarium.  My years in the military made it difficult to pursue that interest too far.  I was frequently deployed which made it nearly impossible to do much other than binocular astronomy.  I would have been too difficult to pack a telescope into my Sea Bag and A.L.I.C.E. Pack. 
Being deployed so often did give me some excellent opportunities to see some extremely dark sky areas of the world.   Some areas I don't know that I would really want to set up a telescope, but so dark you really didn't need one to enjoy the night sky anyways. 
  

Have A Nice ________

I understand that while dodging bullets, avoiding trip wires, mines, readying jets for taking off from a flight deck, etc.  there would be no time for astronomy or even the thought of it.  And I'm not trying to dig up any bad feelings or bring back any memories that might be better off left asleep.

I guess what I'm asking is, was there something about being in the military that gave rise to your interest in astronomy?  If you already had the interest, was there anything about being in the armed forces that made you appreciate our universe and your interest in it more than you did before?

I know this sounds like silly questions and coming straight out of left field.  As I stated before, there just seems to be quite a few on here that have or is serving in the military.  I was just exploring the trend I've noticed.  I guess it's my little study in human psychology and behavior.

WannaB:

I guess what I'm asking is, was there something about being in the military that gave rise to your interest in astronomy?  If you already had the interest, was there anything about being in the armed forces that made you appreciate our universe and your interest in it more than you did before?

I know this sounds like silly questions and coming straight out of left field. 

I don't think it sounds like a silly question at all. As a matter of fact, even though I couldn't persue my interest too far while on active duty, the opportunities to see some of those dark skies probably did give me a greater appreciation for the our universe.  It's hard to describe the appreciation you get when you've had the chance to walk under skies so dark that you can't see a HUMMVEE three feet in front of your face. Looking up to the night sky, finding yourself in awe because there are so many stars you don't otherwise have a chance to see. 
Yes I did bump into the HUMMVEE.  Partly because it was so dark and I didn't see it, and because I was looking up.

Have A Nice ____________

Four years USMC, 1966-1970. Much of it was not fun and as others have mentioned I didn't have a lot of time for astronomy.

I started observing in 1958, or thereabouts (small refractor), did a National Science Foundation Summer AstroScience Institute at Pan American College in Edinburgh, TX, 1963, then some college courses before and after USMC, then picked up personal observing again after that.

I taught adult-continuing-education course in astronomy in Dallas for a couple of years, then met David Ryle here on the forums and through him Dr. Fred Koch who eventually founded 3RF. Now I'm Director of Astronomy there, succeeding Jay Ballauer who also is a moderator here.

So, Astronomy.com has been "instrumental" in getting several of us together as astronomers.

While in the USMC I used my rifle scope some, but mostly a very nice pair of USN binoculars for observing.

Served in the U.S. Army from 78-89 and have been a Department of Defense civilian employee since.  Dad tried to get my son and I interested a few years ago, but to no avail.  Got the bug and bought my Dob in February this year.  I get out maybe once or twice a month, which is about as much clear sky as we get here in Germany.  I don't think that the military had much to do with my astronomy, except that I've been all over the world, and I've looked up at the night sky from places as diverse as Sonoita, Arizona, Tongduchon, Korea and Phalaborwa, South Africa and its consistently beautiful and breathtaking.  Perhaps its also because I have sought positions in high intensity operational headquarters, and stargazing is a great way to decompress.  I guess I bought the scope because I wanted to explore the limits of God's creation and get a foretaste of eternity.  I love observing - this is the best hobby and my only sorrow is that it took me 52 years to really yield to it.  God knows why I really took it up; I surely don't.

Austrian Air Forces Maintenance, Quality Control Unit, Documentation from 1987 to 1993. Then I left the military. As a member of the Austrian active reserve (something like National Guard), I completed another 5+ years of UN military service  between 1993 and 2007 as a member of UN peacekeeping forces in the Middle East. Within the UN I worked in Human Resources, Operations and, for a short period, Logistics Branches of Mission HQs.

Astronomy did always accompany me during the military service - clear desert night in the Middle East, 20 x 120 Observer Binos and fellow comrades who were amateur astronomers as well. In 2002 a comrade and friend took his 8 inch to Syria in his cargo box! We had many great nights out high up the mountains close to the Syrian/Lebanese Border.

Actually my job in the military had EVERYTHING to do with my getting into astronomy (although I still remember making a telescope out of a used wrapping paper tube as a five year-old).

Having always lived in moderately-sized cities I'd been pretty used to only seeing a couple dozen stars in the sky and maybe a hint of the Milky Way.  I would spend some time camping and could pick out Orion or the Big Dipper, but I had no idea what was actually up there until I joined the military about 10 years ago.  The first time I clipped on a pair of night vision goggles and looked up, I nearly fell over! 

Then we took off and flew out over the desert - above the smog and away from the city - and it was like someone plugged in the sky.  The view took my breath away - I had no idea the night sky could be so bright and full of "stuff".  From then on I was hooked. 

A couple of highlights have been seeing the Hale-Bopp Comet stretch literally halfway across the sky, and watching the Northern Lights from the American Southwest. 

 
Finally, a couple months ago, I figured I might as well make something that fascinates me so much into a full-blown hobby. So here I am. 

  

I was in the U.S Navy from 1978 to 1988. I would go out on the fantail while in the Indian Ocean, and lay out behind the aft. 5"-54 gunmount and just look at the stars.  No LP.  It would take a few minutes for my eyes to ajust, but the dark skies were amazing.

That time in the I O gave me the interest in Astronomy