Robert Allan Ochs, better known as “Bob” to his family and friends, is a jack of all trades. At 12 years old, his father took him under his wing to teach him his carpenter’s trade. Working with him throughout the summer months and occasionally on weekends during the school year, he graduated from high school with the skills of a journeyman carpenter. Capable of earning a journeyman’s wage and establishing himself in the trade, he opted to accept an appointment by his congressman to the United States Merchant Marine Academy instead. During the second semester of his freshman year, he was assigned to a cargo ship as part of his on-the-job training. What he discovered was a world that he did not recognize and went within himself to ascertain whether his decision to become a sailor was the path he should follow. What initially seemed like an adventure, he soon found that much of his downtime would be confined to life around harbors which were inundated with many bars and brothels. Home became a cabin on the ship.

When his sea training was completed, he decided to make a change. He resigned from the academy, returned to his parent’s home, and started working as a framing carpenter during the summer. He attended college again the next year, married his high school sweetheart, helped his new wife fulfill her college aspirations, and eventually enlisted in the Air Force. After seeing his aptitude scores, the Air Force recruiter directed him to a highly specialized job in the Air Force Security Service.