About Me & this Site

What's a “Pogi?” Long ago and far away I was a handsome young lad ... really! Pogi is the Tagalog (Filipino) word for “handsome”. My wife was born and raised in the Philippines and has been calling me that for the past 38 years, so it kind of stuck to me. Now, her family and most of our friends here in North Carolina also call me "Pogi." My wife is a retired educator, she received her Doctoral degree from University of Wisconsin at Madison and was on her way back home when we met in San Diego (yeah, I know, it's a story in itself). Needless to say, she had some extra baggage when she did make it home. Now, ordained by God we are married and one in his image. We are both now retired from East Carolina University (ECU), Lolita from the Department of Continuing & Professional Education, and I from Manager of the North Carolina University System Research & Education Network (NCREN).

I was born in Chicago (old - Cook County Hospital) and raised in Oaklawn Illinois until 6th grade when my family moved to New Lenox Illinois. It was from New Lenox that I graduated from Lincoln-Way High School in 1969 (Now its called Lincoln-Way - Central, I think). Then, at the age of 18, I caught the wind in my sails and enlisted in the Navy. The US Navy taught me how little a person needs, not how much. Never before nor since have I experienced such beauty and fear at the same time. There were times when I thought I would never see the sun rise again, and times I felt equal to Ulysses. The skills I acquired in the Navy allowed me to get a great civilian job that took me throughout Europe. Then, at a time when I was ready to give up on hope, along came a fair wind in the form of a word and a push from a friend. A fresh evaluation of the situation came with a new dream. That dream gave me strength to cast off the bowlines and get underway again headed to my next destination in life - marriage. With the help of my wife, I completed a BS degree in Computer Engineering. In our early years of marriage, we traveled extensively. Together we saw most of Europe, Scandinavia, Australia and New Zealand. Later on our 25th wedding anniversary my wife and I found ourselves in the Holy Land, at the Cana Wedding Church where Jesus turned water into wine. And at Fatima on our 30th where my wife and I were honored to participate in their International Rosary.

Presently my wife and I reside in Winterville, North Carolina (I'm still a Cubs fan), steeped in American and Nautical history, with beautiful mountains, the highest on the East Coast; beautiful rolling plains of the Piedmont area; and the most beautiful and dangerous coastline anywhere in the world.

As a child I dreamed simple dreams. A large box was a fort where I held off the Indians, Germans, and Japanese; it was a pirate ship, battleship, aircraft carrier, airplane and race car. A small box was a magic hat filled with rabbits, a treasure chest, Wells-Fargo strong box, or the engine of that race car. A look into the heavens was a trip to the moon in a rocket ship. 

As a working adult I had forgotten that the computer and Internet technology we use every day (and became my career), was once two tin cans and a string that I played with as a child. In this fast-paced, ever changing world it’s easy to get so caught up in technology that we forget to take time to just dream, imagine and think about what is important (I know, I’ve been there). As a child, it was imagination that gave substance to those two cans and string. Now, although I have joked about sitting on the front porch drinking beer all day, I see retirement as a time of investigation, exploration, research and discovery in my life. I can’t change the past, but I can still influence the future.

What I'm Most Proud Of

July 1969 enlisted in United States navy at Great lakes Naval Station (It was supposed to be during a Cubs game at Wrigley Field but, <sigh> the game got rained out.)

Naval Electronics Technician, Communications "A" school at Great Lakes Naval Station.

Naval Tactical Data Systems - "C" School - Mare Island Naval Station. Gave me a great Navy and Civilian career.

USS Oriskany (CVA-34), my home for 4 years - 1972 to 1976. Built to take lives, in death she gives life.

USS Long Beach (CGN9) my home for 2 years - 1976 - 78.

Four Naval Letters of Commendation for Outstanding Performance and Contributions to Ship's Readiness - 1971-1979

Naval Ocean Systems, Center San Diego, 1980 -88 - Design Engineer for the World Wide Military Command Control System. This is the system that the President and Joint Chiefs use to communicate (Yeah, I met Regan in Korea).

November 15, 1986 - Married the most wonderful woman in the world! - On our 30th anniversary, Lolita and I were highly honored and deeply humbled to participate in the International Rosary prayed at Fatima. An experience I will never forget.

California State University at Fresno (Fresno State) Class of 2004. BS in Business Computer Systems (OK, now you can all say it...I'm full of BS).

East Carolina University (ECU), Greenville, NC. - North Carolina Research and Education Network (NCREN) ECU Network Manager 2005- 2016. Through my efforts, we were able to hold "online-distance" classes around the world.

East Carolina University (ECU) 2006 - 2008ish - Started but didn't finish a Master's Degree in Education...Just wasn't for me.

Third Degree Knight of Columbus, since 2017. The Knights of Columbus is a global Catholic fraternal service order founded by Blessed Michael J. McGivney on March 29, 1882. Membership is limited to practical Catholic men. Faith program Director of Council 6600 since 2019.   

International Friends Ministry at St. Peter Catholic Church - Co-Founder & Co-Chairman with Lolita, since 2018

A Big Bravo Zulu to Ken Harbit from the Great Lakes Naval Museum   for his caption contribution..."The Echo Remains! - I have only begun to fight!" - September 24, 2020 at 12:07pm. For the following picture of: The Joint Team. — with ships from the USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) and USS George Washington (CVN 73) Carrier Strike Groups and aircraft from the United States Air Force and Marines operating in formation at the conclusion of exercise Valiant Shield. - Which now hangs in the Great Lakes Naval Museum

 

About This Blog

This is a personal site about my (earthly and spiritual) thoughts, interests, research, rants, raves and possibly some silliness once in a while. This is where I go to think out loud, reminiscence, reflect and sometimes just let off some steam. Hopefully, this site will help me to look at life, events and experiences from different perspectives. I want to be challenged to think from both inside and outside of myself. I like to think of it as, the slowness of writing (I'm a terrible speller and worse with grammar) gives me time to think about what my post says about me and how it affects the people reading it. I can also read it over several times just to make sure it says what I want to say before I publish it. That's something I can't do if I am talking, once the words are out, I can't erase or delete them. 

Please be patient, I am also slowly merging four other sites (Catholicism, The Sea, Music and Technology) into The Pogi Americano to make it easier for me to post and for others to find me and all my posts.

The opinions expressed here, represent my own and not those of any other person, company, industry or business. I do welcome comments about my posts, especially those that are constructive, point out errors or cause me to re-think what I have posted. I also understand that people will disagree with me on many things, I hope you will disagree with respect. If you wish to argue, go somewhere else! I hope all who read this blog will keep in mind something my Dad taught me. "It's OK to disagree with someone as long as I do so with respect." My purpose is not to cause hate or discontent; it is to sow seeds that take root in myself and those around me that blossom into fruits of thought that help me gain a deeper understanding of myself and the world around me. I also hope that it helps those who I interact with to understand me better.  

And lastly, Just in case I say something stupid, the stupidity is mine, and mine alone. You cannot have any of it!