USC NROTC Class of 1976

Class of 1976 Profiles

Frank Baleskie
  • USMC: 10 years active duty, 20 years reserves; 1302/0302/9906; Activated for Desert Storm 1 & Iraqi Freedom. Participated in liberation of Kuwait. Served as Battalion Commander 6th Engineers.
  • Civilian: Superintendent, Concrete Structures of the Midwest 1987-2022. Projects included taxiways and runways at Chicago O’Hare/ Midway/ DuPage and Quad Cities International Airports, Bridge I-80 over I-55, Hangars at DuPage & Chicago Executive Airports, Nabisco factory rehab’s in Chicago and Houston, and on and on.
  • Family: 50th anniversary with Miss Kimberlee Heywood. 5 sons (3 Marine Officers. 2 still on active duty). 8 grandkids, 2 dogs.
  • Travel: Only when I absolutely have to.
  • Advice: Marry well!
Tim Buell
Steve Burchard
  • USN: SWO – USS Forrestal (CV-59)
  • USN: NFO – E-2B/C Hawkeye (VAW-110, VAW-115, VAW-112)
  • Retired from Active Duty then contracted in support of various DoD programs (tactical development and evaluation, operations analysis, technology experimentation)
  • Entered Civil Service to provide analytic support to USMC recruit training
  • Retired (again) to San Diego
  • 2 daughters, both married with families (oldest is USC grad)
  • Advice: Always pursue your goals, no matter how large or small they may be
Gary Conary
  • USMC: 106 Recoiless Rifle Platoon commander and Company XO in Okinawa.  At MCRD served as Series Commander and Recruit Accessions Officer. Then H&S Company Commander and S4 with 1st Bn, 1st Marines. Left the Marine Corps in 1982 as O-3.
  •  Joined CIA and served in Costa Rica, Bolivia, Germany (Berlin), and Korea (Seoul), as well as extended TDY’s to Afghanistan and Jordan.
  • Retired to Las Vegas in 2004.
  • Advice: Focus on being technically and tactically proficient. Seek advice from senior officers. Read as much military history and biographies as you can. Be 3 inches taller and have 20/20 vision!
John Dohse
Kent Freeland
  • USMC: Commissioned  as Data Systems Officer (MOS 4002), stationed in Georgia and HQMC. Left as an O-3.
  •  Career: Completed Nuclear Power School in Idaho as a civilian with Westinghouse.  Spent 40 years as a nuclear power plant operator, designer, and IT systems developer for power utilities and consulting.  Also served as a diplomatic consultant with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for 22 years in Vienna, Austria supporting nuclear power safety worldwide.
  • Moved to Europe in 1991, semi-retired, live in Slovenia with wife and son (who also works in the nuclear power industry).
  • Advice: Make the most of the NROTC experience. Join the Drill Team and Seahorse. Camp in the wardroom a bit. Help or tutor other mids, maximize your summer cruises. Network on active duty and in civilian life afterwards. More often than not, good job opportunities come out of the blue from a network contact. Always remember that the US Navy and US Marine Corps are “two hearts that beat as one,” and support each other wholeheartedly in their mission of defense and freedom.
Peter Frost
  • USN SWO on USS Coral Sea CV-43) and USS Halsey (CG-23), JAG at NLSO San Diego and USS Constellation (CV-64). 14 years active, 16 Reserve. Retired as an O-6.
  • Enforcement division of Securities and Exchange Commission, then U.S. Dept. of Justice, Torts Branch, Aviation and Admiralty Litigation section. Became something of a specialist in trying Navy ship collision cases. Retired from there as Director in 2015.
  • Along the way I mentored my daughter at USNA and my son at NROTC
  • Settled in the Outer Banks, managing boats and paddle boards
  • Advice: Who am I to give anyone advice, but always give it your all. It’s never “not worth it.”
Richie Jones
  • USMC: 6 years on active duty.  Stationed at Camp Pendleton.
  •  Educator and Administrator: Adjunct Professor, Park College-Oceanside (15 yrs), School Principal in Dallas (15 yrs)
  • Licensed insurance agent and real estate agent in Frisco, Texas (DFW metro area
  • Advice:
Steve Klein
Gene LeDuc
  • USN: NFO, S-3A Viking (VS-33 World Famous and Internationally Traveled Screwbirds, 2 tours)
  • Retired from Active Duty then spent 10 years with a Market Research company in San Diego as their Network Manager.
  • Hired by San Diego State University as Network Security Analyst, retired from there as Technology Security Officer after 17 years. Never hacked.
  • Married to High School Sweetheart (Mary) for 48 years, 3 kids, 2 grandchildren; we think we’ll make it. We’ve never left San Diego.
  • Advice (personal): Preach the Gospel, use words if necessary.
  • Advice (professional): It’s OK to make mistakes, just don’t make the same ones.
  • Advice (bonus): Retirement is not overrated.
Jim MacDonald
  • 1976-1981: USMC 3dBn 3dMar 1st MarBde Rifle Platoon, Weapons Platoon, Ordnance Officer, S-2, STA Platoon Commander. Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal re. Operation Eagle Claw (1980 Tehran Raid).
  • 1982-2004: Special Agent – FBI. Case Agent, SOG Aerial Surveillance Pilot, SWAT.
  • 2004 – Present: CEO – ShadowAir LTD (Airborne ISR Solutions).
  • Advice: Per Teddy Roosevelt: “Speak softly and carry a big stick – you will go far!”
  • Advice: Per Jim MacDonald: “Admit nothing, deny everything and make counter-allegations!”
Mike McCloskey
  • USMC: Infantry, then Judge Advocate. Left active duty as O-4, then retired from USMCR as O-6
  • Worked as partner in national and international law firms as business trial lawyer
  • Family: Married, 3 kids, 3 grandkids
  • Live in 4S Ranch, North County San Diego
  • Travel: Europe, Asia, Australia, New Zealand
  • Advice: Selfishly reserve time and opportunity to enjoy what you worked so hard to achieve. Smell the flowers, taste the coffee, relish your family.
Michael McMillan
  • USMC: OV-10 Pilot, MCAS(H) New River, Jacksonville, NC,. Two deployments to MCAS Futenma, Okinawa. Instructor Pilot & Post Maintenance Check Pilot, NAS Whiting Field, Milton, FL
  • 20 years with Wycliffe Bible Translators, working in International Publishing, printing God’s Word in hundreds of minority languages for the first time.
  • Advice: Stay true to God and what you learned in His Word, and those you love. Spiritual warfare is real, and so is burn-out! Stay positive and keep the lines of communication open.
    Keep your promises, honor your vows. Be a worthy example for your family to follow. Stay humble. As pride goes before a fall, humility goes before blessing. Be the first to apologize. Take full responsibility for your failures.
    Reconcile before it is too late. If you don’t have good relationships, you don’t have anything. Love sacrificially.
Robert McWey
  • USN: Submarine Warfare Officer, qualified Nuclear Engineer. Served on the USS Sculpin SSN 590 and Submarine Group Five staff. 7 years active duty with four additional years in the Navy Reserves separating in 1987 as O-4.
  • Worked for Southern California Edison (SCE) at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station for almost 30 years in a variety of management roles.
  • After retiring from SCE, worked as an independent consultant in the quality assurance and nuclear safety culture evaluation field performing audits, assessments and quality program consulting at domestic and international nuclear plants/sites and supplier facilities. Fully retired in 2020.
  • Living in Vista, CA (North San Diego County), married for over 44 years, with four children and eleven grandchildren.
  • Advice: Family is most precious. Value them and never take them for granted.
Bruce Nelson
  • USN: SWO on USS Lang, FF-1060 homeported in San Diego. Deployments included the rescue attempt for the Iranian hostages in 1979 and at sea rescues of Vietnamese “boat people”.  Moved on to shore duty as an  instructor at Surface Warfare Officer’s School in Newport R.I. Left active duty as O-3.
  • Career: Completed an MBA, held finance positions in the Los Angeles area. Eventually became Chief Financial Officer of multiple private and public companies. Served on five for-profit Board of Directors. Retired.
  • Family: Married, 2 sons (oldest commissioned USC NROTC ‘2007), 4 grandkids. 
  • Live in Corona del Mar, CA
  • Travel: Mostly Europe and the U.S.
  • Advice: People in your life will stand the test of time. Value your family and friends along the way.
Jeff Newman
Don Parcher
  • Aviator, retired from USN in 1999 as an O-5.
  • Stayed  in San Diego as Assistant to Dean of 12th largest private university in US with 28 locations & over 22K students. Operational and organizational lead and point of contact for students and faculty in School of Business and Management. 
  • Retired again to Boulder/Denver area. Deeply involved in a variety of community activities including Red Cross, BoulderNet and Boulder Relief. Founder of NeighborsConnect.org and  Checklists.com. Volunteer for 350Colorado, Citizens’ Climate Lobby, BoCoDems, Cultivate, AARP SmartDriver, Classrooms for Climate Action and TimeBank Boulder. 
David Robinson
Kevin Sandri
  • USMC: Infantry Officer,  left as 0-3.
  • Army: Joined CA Army National Guard. Assigned as Asst. Prof Military Science at USC. Deployed to Bosnia. Retired O-5. 
  • Worked as an Investigator at US Investigation Services (USIS) for 10 years
  • Married (Susan), 2 kids
  • Live on Whidbey Island, WA
  • Hobbies – Travel and Antiques
  • Advice: I wish I could have told my young self… Spend as much time as you can with loved ones… work will always be there.
Jon Simmons
  • USN: Flew P-3 Orion with VP-46, based at NAS Moffett Field, CA. Deployed to Japan, Iceland, and Alaska. Then flew T-44 Pegasus with VT-28, NAS Corpus Christi as instructor. Transferred to the Naval Reserves in 1983 to continue flying the P-3 out of NAS Moffett Field and NAS Point Mugu. Retired as an O-4 in 1998.
  • Civilian: Pilot for Delta Air Lines for 28 years, flying the Boeing 727, 757, and 767. Retired in 2016 as a 767 Captain. Flew throughout North America, Europe, and Asia.
  • Family: Married to Nancy Simmons since August 1977. We have one daughter, Erica, who is a 2003 USC graduate. Live in Camarillo, CA.
  • Advice: Always try your best. Learn from your mistakes. Timing is everything.
Cam Thornton
  • SWO: MPA on USS Cook (FF-1083). NRC, recruiting Medical and Dental Officers. Taught Damage Control in USNR, left as O-4.
  • CFP® professional. CEO of SEC Registered Investment Advisory business since 1982.
  • Author: What Matters, a novel. Written to help individuals understand that your own story is your greatest legacy.
  • Family: Married (Jane Kubasak – 48 years), 3 kids, 6 grandchildren, all in SoCal.  Live in Glendale, CA
  • Travel: Multiple trips a year, both abroad and in the U.S. – Hobbies: Golf and reading.
  • Advice: Sit down with your Senior Enlisted often. Be open with them. Ask them to mentor you. Focus on and strive to strengthen your unique abilities.
Steve Waters