My name is Rick Rottman, and this is my personal website. It is where I write about whatever I feel like writing about when I feel like writing about it.
My website is neither objective nor unbiased. It is subjective and biased.
I was born in Orange County, California. I did all my growing up in the Antelope Valley, an area in the Mojave Desert where Los Angeles County just begins thinking about becoming Kern County. It got very hot in where I grew up, but it wasn’t that bad because it was a dry heat. Yes, there’s a difference. Not all types of heat are equal.
The Joshua tree and the tumbleweed were my friends.
After graduating from Quartz Hill High School, I attended Antelope Valley College and worked at Burger King. Not liking where I saw my life going, I joined the United States Air Force.
In the Air Force
I attended Air Force Basic Training at Lackland Air Force Base (AFB) located in San Antonio, Texas. Because I showed up to basic with a raging case of chickenpox, I spent the first week at the base hospital in an isolation room. After a week of eating delicious hospital food and watching a tiny black and white TV with a six-inch screen, I was assigned to the 3743rd Training Squadron, Flight 366.
After six weeks of basic training, I took a 12-hour bus ride to Keesler AFB, located in Biloxi, Mississippi. I spent around 11 months at Keesler learning basic electronics and how to be an Electronic Warfare Systems Technician.
I never enjoyed electronics, but I loved electronic warfare.
Electronic Warfare (EW) also known as Electronic Countermeasures (ECM) is the technology of using the electromagnetic spectrum to detect, identify, trick counter, and target enemy weapon systems operating on the same electromagnetic spectrum.
I worked on anti-radar receivers and transmitters, missile warning systems, chaff and flare dispensers, and old-school communication jammers. I worked on the F-4E, F-4G Wild Weasel, and my favorite, the B-52G bomber.
I loved working on the B-52. Anyone who says they loved working on the F-4 is either lying or they are a robot from the future. Either way, they should not be trusted.
While in the Air Force, I was stationed at Clark Air Base (AB) in the Philippines, Andersen AFB in Guam, and Griffiss AFB in Central New York. I also temporarily deployed to South Korea, Japan, Australia, and the tiny island of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean.
Of all the places I got to go to while in the Air Force, Diego Garcia was probably my favorite place to visit. It was just so weird. It’s a tiny milliary fortress in the Indian Ocean. The center of the island consists of a shallow lagoon. Some people say Guam is tiny. Guam is massive compared to Diego Garcia. Don’t get me wrong, Korea and Japan were awesome. The thing is, I can go back to Korea or Japan anytime I want. The same is not true with Diego Garcia.
While I was in the Air Force, I was able to earn an associate degree in Avionics Systems Technology.
Maryland, here I come!
I got out of the Air Force in 1994. The Cold War was over. The Air Force no longer needed my services. I moved from Central New York to historic Hagerstown, Maryland. I moved here because I was hired as a repair technician in a large photo finishing plant under construction in Maryland. I met a wonderful woman who I eventually married. I’ve lived here ever since.
I live 74 miles from Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore, Maryland. It’s 72 miles from my house to The White House in Washington, D.C.
The local region is rich in Civil War history. To the south, Antietam National Battlefield is less than 14 miles away. To the north, Gettysburg National Battlefield is less than 38 miles from my driveway. You might think that because of my close proximity to such Civil War landmarks, I would be interested in the Civil War. Sadly, I’m not. I’ve tried. I’m just not very interested in the American Civil War. I think it’s boring. I’m much more interested in World War Two history than American Civil War history.
My social media links
You can follow me on my personal Twitter account. I promise I’ll follow you back unless you are a white supremacist or a Jimmy Buffett fan.
Want to see the dumb things I take pictures of? It sounds like you might want to follow me on Instagram.
You can also send me a friend request on Facebook. We can be fake friends together. If we’re friends in real life, we can be both real and fake friends.