Topic: Lt. Col. Tom O'Dea reporting in as ordered.

tomtom22 · July 29th, 2005

I am the oldest of nine children. I went to Mission Church High School followed by Northeastern University, a five year co-op college, culminating in a B. S degree in Civil Engineering in June 1964. Immediately following that I attended ROTC Summer Camp and was commissioned as a 2nd Lt. in the Corps of Engineers. I then worked as a construction inspector for the Maine State Highway Commission for ten weeks until I entered on active duty in November for Engineer Officer Basic @ Fort Belvoir, VA. Following that I attended Airborne School @ Fort Benning and then reported to my first assignment with the Far East District, Corps of Engineers in Seoul, Korea until July 1966.
I then was assigned to the 91st Engineer Battalion @ Fort Belvoir where I served in several positions including Equipment Platoon leader, HQ Co XO, C Co XO, Bn Maint. Officer, Operations Officer, C Co Cmdr. I then shipped out to VietNam in Aug 68 for duty with the 589th Engineer Bn (Construction) @ Phan Rang where I was the Assistant Operations Officer and then for about 2 weeks the S-3 Officer until I was reassigned as D Co Cmdr @ Don Doung. In the spring of 1969 the Delta Co of the 589th switched into the 577th Engineer Bn (Construction) and Delta 577th went to the 589th. (We switched guidons nobody moved).
In August of 1969 I left the active Army as a Captain and returned to the field of Civil Engineering, working for four years for an Architect/Engineer firm in Boston, MA, Then in July of 1973 I became the Town Engineer for the Town of Randolph, MA, my home town, where I stayed until June of 1987. I then returned to the consulting engineering field, for the next 16 years until I got laid off in May 2003. I collected unemployment and searched for job unsucessfully until I decided to retire.
Shortly after I left active duty, I joined the U.S. Army reserves and served in a number of different units. I was the Sanitary Engineer in the 804th Hospital Center for 2 years until I joined the 329th Engineer Group (Construction) as assistant S-3. I then was assigned as Cmdr 360th Chemical Company, a unit which has the primary job of impregnating uniforms against CBR, with a secondary mission of running a military laundry. My next assignment was as Cmdr of the 412th Engineer Co (Panel Bridge) until I was promoted to Major. I then rejoined the 804th Hospital Center in a major's slot. When I got promoted to Lt. Col., I then joined the 357th Civil Affairs Brigade as a Civil Engineer officer until the unit was deactivated. I then served in the 94th ARCOM headquarters for a year and then joined the 123rd IMA Detachment as an Individual Augmentee to the New England District of the Army Corps of Engineers until my retirement in June 1987.
I have been married to Margaret (Peggy) Walsh for 32 years and we have 2 daughters, Jennifer and Kathleen. Kathleen has an 18 month old daughter, Savannah Jane, and is married to a former Marine who saw service in the Gulf war and is a policeman for the MBTA.
whew, well I guess that's enough.

RnderSafe · July 29th, 2005

Outstanding introduction.

Welcome to the forums - looking forward to your future posts.

If you have any questions, feel free to PM myself or one of the other moderators.

Charge 7 · July 29th, 2005

Welcome to the forums, Sir.

I'm also looking forward to your posts. I don't believe we have many engineers here and certainly none so senior.

tomtom22 · July 29th, 2005

To Charge 7 and RndrSafe, Thank you both. Being most senior can be taken many different ways. Having outlived everyone else, or having survived?

wife of lips · July 29th, 2005

welcome ,welcome, welcome.

Locke · July 29th, 2005

welcome aboard
so are you one of those engineers who makes things, or destroys them??

interesting bio mate

Redleg · July 29th, 2005

Welcome to the forums tomtom.

Thank you very much for the great introduction.

Looking forward to reading your posts.

Italian Guy · July 29th, 2005

Welcome Tomtom! Can we just call it the best introduction ever, guys? Outstanding.

Looking forward to reading your posts.

Uhm and nice teeth, btw

DTop · July 29th, 2005

Welcome to the forums Colonel. That was some intro

It's nice to have another Bay Stater on the forums. I lived there most of my adult life too (Go Pats & Sox)!

fronzz · July 29th, 2005

Howdy and welcome to the forums!

July 29th, 2005	Post 1
tomtom22 Chief Engineer Gear	Post; Lt. Col. Tom O'Dea reporting in as ordered. I am the oldest of nine children. I went to Mission Church High School followed by Northeastern University, a five year co-op college, culminating in a B. S degree in Civil Engineering in June 1964. Immediately following that I attended ROTC Summer Camp and was commissioned as a 2nd Lt. in the Corps of Engineers. I then worked as a construction inspector for the Maine State Highway Commission for ten weeks until I entered on active duty in November for Engineer Officer Basic @ Fort Belvoir, VA. Following that I attended Airborne School @ Fort Benning and then reported to my first assignment with the Far East District, Corps of Engineers in Seoul, Korea until July 1966. I then was assigned to the 91st Engineer Battalion @ Fort Belvoir where I served in several positions including Equipment Platoon leader, HQ Co XO, C Co XO, Bn Maint. Officer, Operations Officer, C Co Cmdr. I then shipped out to VietNam in Aug 68 for duty with the 589th Engineer Bn (Construction) @ Phan Rang where I was the Assistant Operations Officer and then for about 2 weeks the S-3 Officer until I was reassigned as D Co Cmdr @ Don Doung. In the spring of 1969 the Delta Co of the 589th switched into the 577th Engineer Bn (Construction) and Delta 577th went to the 589th. (We switched guidons nobody moved). In August of 1969 I left the active Army as a Captain and returned to the field of Civil Engineering, working for four years for an Architect/Engineer firm in Boston, MA, Then in July of 1973 I became the Town Engineer for the Town of Randolph, MA, my home town, where I stayed until June of 1987. I then returned to the consulting engineering field, for the next 16 years until I got laid off in May 2003. I collected unemployment and searched for job unsucessfully until I decided to retire. Shortly after I left active duty, I joined the U.S. Army reserves and served in a number of different units. I was the Sanitary Engineer in the 804th Hospital Center for 2 years until I joined the 329th Engineer Group (Construction) as assistant S-3. I then was assigned as Cmdr 360th Chemical Company, a unit which has the primary job of impregnating uniforms against CBR, with a secondary mission of running a military laundry. My next assignment was as Cmdr of the 412th Engineer Co (Panel Bridge) until I was promoted to Major. I then rejoined the 804th Hospital Center in a major's slot. When I got promoted to Lt. Col., I then joined the 357th Civil Affairs Brigade as a Civil Engineer officer until the unit was deactivated. I then served in the 94th ARCOM headquarters for a year and then joined the 123rd IMA Detachment as an Individual Augmentee to the New England District of the Army Corps of Engineers until my retirement in June 1987. I have been married to Margaret (Peggy) Walsh for 32 years and we have 2 daughters, Jennifer and Kathleen. Kathleen has an 18 month old daughter, Savannah Jane, and is married to a former Marine who saw service in the Gulf war and is a policeman for the MBTA. whew, well I guess that's enough. __________________ "It doesn't take a hero to order men into battle. It takes a hero to be one of those men who goes into battle." - Norman Schwarskopf, Commander of Desert Storm Operations

July 29th, 2005	Post 3
Charge 7 Master Gunner	Welcome to the forums, Sir. I'm also looking forward to your posts. I don't believe we have many engineers here and certainly none so senior. __________________ "Do not forget your dogs of war, your big guns, which are the most-to-be respected arguments of the rights of kings." - Frederick the Great, King of Prussia

July 29th, 2005	Post 5
wife of lips Optio	welcome ,welcome, welcome. __________________ \"LIFE WITHOUT KIDS IS LIFE WITHOUT LAUGHTER\"

July 29th, 2005	Post 6
Locke Tribuni Angusticlavii	welcome aboard so are you one of those engineers who makes things, or destroys them?? interesting bio mate __________________ If I am asked what we are fighting for, I can reply in two sentences. In the first place, to fulfil a solemn international obligation . . . an obligation of honor which no self-respecting man could possibly have repudiated. I say, secondly, we are fighting to vindicate the principle that small nationalities are not to be crushed in defiance of international good faith at the arbitrary will of a strong and overmastering Power. Author: Rt. Hon. Herbert Henry Asquith Source: Statement, to House of Commons, Declaration of War with Germany, Aug. 4, 1914

July 29th, 2005	Post 8
Italian Guy Legatus Legionis Gear	Welcome Tomtom! Can we just call it the best introduction ever, guys? Outstanding. Looking forward to reading your posts. Uhm and nice teeth, btw __________________ "Freedom is the sure possession of those alone who have the courage to defend it". Pericles.

July 29th, 2005	Post 2
RnderSafe Milforum Moderator	Outstanding introduction. Welcome to the forums - looking forward to your future posts. If you have any questions, feel free to PM myself or one of the other moderators.

July 29th, 2005	Post 4
tomtom22 Chief Engineer Gear	To Charge 7 and RndrSafe, Thank you both. Being most senior can be taken many different ways. Having outlived everyone else, or having survived?

July 29th, 2005	Post 7
Redleg The fire is everything... Gear	Welcome to the forums tomtom. Thank you very much for the great introduction. Looking forward to reading your posts.

July 29th, 2005	Post 9
DTop Milforum Moderator Gear	Welcome to the forums Colonel. That was some intro It's nice to have another Bay Stater on the forums. I lived there most of my adult life too (Go Pats & Sox)! __________________ *"I was a soldier, I am a soldier, I always will be a soldier."* To Avoid Infractions - Click Here And Read the Forum Rules Before You Post.

July 29th, 2005	Post 10
fronzz Tribuni Angusticlavii Gear	Howdy and welcome to the forums!

Topic: Lt. Col. Tom O'Dea reporting in as ordered.

Post; Lt. Col. Tom O'Dea reporting in as ordered.