Ahoy!
Introduction
My name is Dale A. Stiles. I served in the United States Navy as a Fire Control Chief Petty Officer for 22 years. I am an IT Systems Manager, Certified ScrumMaster®, Integrative Nutrition Health Coach (INHC™), and I am an OSHA® Certified Safety and Health Officer.
I am passionate about technology, photography, and day trips with my wife on the weekends. Many of those short adventures are taken on our motorcycles.
I guess you could say this is where technology, creativity, and adventure come together.
My Professional Journey
I started my Navy career as a Fire Controlman working on the MK86 Gun Fire Control System. I quickly became recognized as a subject matter expert on my system, and I was particularly fond of the two radars I operated, maintained and repaired. Our work center was designed to have a crew of eight, but we dwindled down to a crew of two and I was the only one with any experience working on it. As a result, I had to step up and show up, so I did. It wasn’t long before I knew the system inside and out. We did all our maintenance following very meticulous specifications written on Planned Maintenance System cards. My Chief always emphasized “spirit of the card” to me which meant that I follow the card for legal purposes, but if I could do more, I should do more. I became so familiar with my equipment that I’d go beyond what was written on the card and fine-tuned each of my radars till they were nearly perfect. I could hear the frequencies so well that I could practically tune the radar by ear. The gurus at Port Hueneme enjoyed when we pulled in because they didn’t have a lot to do on my system so they spent most of their time showing me the cool innovative stuff they were working on.
My passion for learning and training others led to my next tour as an instructor where I taught radar for the next four years. I was proficient in every aspect of radar fundamentals and consistently maintained a class test score above 90% which was on par with my mentor Chief Boggs. I qualified as a Master Training Specialist and served on the curriculum development board where I wrote curriculum and modified the test bank.
A few years later I was stationed in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii where I was allowed to take the advancement test for Chief. When I opened the booklet, I was shocked and amazed. There, in front of me, was a bank of test questions that I had either seen hundreds of times as an instructor or wrote myself. The only way I was going to fail was if I flew through the test with too much confidence. I checked each page, stared at each question, then closed my eyes and thanked God for the opportunity that was sitting on the table in front of me. I closed my test, placed my pencils on top, made eye contact with the facilitator, and pointed at the coffee pot. He nodded so I stood up, poured myself a cup, and took it to the window. I stood there for quite a while watching the palm trees swaying in the breeze and sipping the warm coffee. After a while he asked me if everything was okay. I turned my attention back to the room and said everything was fine. I took my test slowly, paying attention to every word. I wanted to make sure nothing about what seemed so familiar hadn’t been changed in some way. None of it had, it was exactly how I remembered it. I was the last to leave the test room. A few months later, while in port in Sasebo, Japan, I learned I had been given the distinct honor of being initiated to the August rank of Chief Petty Officer.
I served another ten years as a Chief leading and molding sailors at three commands before I asked to turn in my anchors and return home. My retirement ceremony was held on December 7th, Pearl Harbor Day.
In retirement, I started a very rewarding career in IT that has led me to where I am now. I am currently an IT Systems Manager, and I am responsible for a small team of technicians who specialize in computer maintenance, networking, and cybersecurity. I sincerely enjoy going to work, I love the work I do and the people I get to work with. I can’t think of any other career I’d rather be doing.
Hobbies
Photography
I enjoy photography. I made my first camera out of construction paper and a roll of film. I took black and white photos of the flag at school, trees swaying in the wind, and blurred photos of cars going by, all from the playground of the elementary school I attended. My photos were displayed in the hall, and everyone seemed to like them a lot. My dad looked at them and commented on how good they were, which was sort of rare with my father, and the positive feedback gave me the motivation to learn more about the art of photography. He loaned me his 35mm Voigtlander camera that he bought when he was stationed in Germany and I was off to the races. I have since owned many cameras and taken photographs in many of my travels around the world.
Motorcycles
While I was stationed in San Diego, California, my young family needed a second car. I couldn’t really afford a second car, so I purchased a motorcycle instead. Within the first month, I was invited to dozens of events and that became one of my favorite things to do. My wife and I now ride, and we both belong to the Combat Veteran’s Motorcycle Association®. I am a full member, and she is in the auxiliary.
Why This Blog?
I started this blog to promote my health coaching practice but since I spend most of my time in the technical world, I let the practice join my list of hobbies. I really enjoy being able to help others, but my career keeps me very busy, so I don’t promote my health coaching practice anymore. Instead, I chose to use this space as a creative outlet.
Fun Facts
When I’m not sitting behind a computer monitoring our network or cybersecurity posture, you’ll find me behind a camera, flying my drone, or behind bars. Those would be my handlebars, and you’ll usually find my wife right there beside me. We’ve been together for over 3 decades. I don’t play the guitar, and she doesn’t play the piano… but I own three guitars, and she owns a piano. Maybe one day we’ll put them to use and make beautiful music together.
Your Turn
Explore the articles in the blog, let me know what you like, what you’d be interested in seeing next, and drop a comment, I’d love to hear from you.