Age No Barrier Eldon “Skip” Steele ‘55

Service in Afghanistan is for the youthful? Not if you ask a modest Eldon “Skip” Steele, 75 year old member of the Class of 1955, originally out of Omaha, NE. He is currently in the middle of a 13-month “tour” as a civilian with the Army Corps of Engineers, having volunteered to serve as an engineering and management contractor at Bagram AFB. As he says in one of his emails,“I get up at 4:45 A.M., 7 days a week and get to bed about 10 P.M., 7 days a week, but I had to cut back to only 6 days work every week! I am involved with a variety of engineering projects including designing a reinforced concrete bridge for our new perimeter/security zone. Went out to the perimeter last week and was taken out in a “Casper,” an odd looking heavily armored vehicle with steel wheels. We hit only one mine which jostled us a bit and created lots of noise, but I didn’t contribute any body parts to the debris field. Old Russian land mines are everywhere. We recently had to move our “hooch”because it was too close to the fenceline and within hand-grenade throwing distance!” Skip says that he wants to give back “…to our great country one year of my life for the free air I have been breathing these last 75 years...and it truly is great. For some unexplainable reason, God has chosen to give me a body that doesn’t seem to have worn out. I asked my doctor (before I left) if I was healthy for a 75 year old and he said I was healthy for a 16 year old! I conditioned myself for several months with tennis, cutting trees and working out, as well as exercising my brain.” In June of this year (2006), Skip left for Afghanistan by air and started “enjoying a second plebe year. Many nice people here. When the bullets fly, it is comforting to have the services working together. There are lots of boots on the ground going after the bad guys and a number of aircraft helping out. My hooch, the size of one of my bathrooms at home, has a good mattress and air conditioner, and it’s all mine!”

After graduation from USNA,Skip entered the Air Force “where I could play engineer and enjoy building things, and, after my service, I did the Titan Programs, all the Apollos and even managed to build a bird that successfully landed on Mars! Now I wear a flak jacket as part of full body armor, and ‘brain bucket’, fatigues, army boots and cap.” He says that foot blisters, and heat build-up under the body armor have been a problem. But body armor is a must. “I have been to two ‘Fallen Comrades’ ceremonies already. Yesterday, I heard an explosion. It turned out that an Afghan man blew himself up at our main gate and killed three other Afghans. Our military never go anywhere without their weapons. It is not our home town Smallville. However,my life here is far from the risks these Special Forces guys see every day.” Skip talks about the Coalition forces hospitals for local villagers, the intense heat, the dangers and the need for constant alertness. But most frequently, he speaks of his feelings. “I will continue to live in my Army fatigues and don’t anticipate many problems. Freedom has a price ....and it ain’t free.” PS: Skip has enjoyed a remarkable and highly commended career as an engineer and management consultant to the Administration. He has completed advanced studies in engineering and science at the Universities of Nebraska, Colorado, Denver, UCLA and Oxford, as well as, more recently, MEA studies. His photo in the Class 50 Years Later History Book shows he and his wife, Tong Su, at Mt Everest Base Camp. As he says,“I am also a licensed Professional Engineer, a licensed SCUBA Instructor (PADI) and hold an Amateur Advanced Ham Radio License—and my dog loves me!” December 2006 Shipmate Class Notes

April 2007 Update From Class Listserve These were some of the pictures they took of me in an F-15 for some kind of magazine article.  The one picture of me holding a pen showed me writing on one of the smart bombs,"Thanks for providing us with a target.  Regards, SKIP Steele"    It was a nice diversion and a chance to see what that bird looks like up close.  From my window I can see them take off at about a 15 degrees angle up and then suddenly almost straight up.  Gee whiz but I'd love to try to fly one of these birds. I still think I could land one of them if I knew where the flaps were.  I was shocked to see just how little space there is for the pilot.   What a toy at Mach 2+.