John brings his top notch NSA and USAF signals intelligence collection and analyst skills to this race.  He enlisted in the USAF at 18 and served a total of six years: four on active duty and two in the active reserves. He graduated with honors from basic training and qualified as a marksman on the M-16.  He studied Korean at the Defense Language Institute and trained at the USAF Cryptological Training School at Goodfellow AFB in Texas and graduated at the top of his class. John received survival and restistance training and was deployed overseas to Osan AFB in Korea in 1980 where he stood watch against the North Korean military and briefed USAF fighter pilots. He next served at NSA headquarters at Ft. Meade where he was promoted to Staff Sergeant below the zone and was awarded the Air Force Achievement medal. He was honorably discharged from active duty and transitioned to the active reserves while he worked as a federal civilian intelligence analyst at the NSA.  He earned his airborne linguist's wings while in the Active Reserves where he flew on reconnaissance missions in a specially equipped C-130.  At NSA, John stood watch duty in the National SIGINT Operations Center (NSOC).