Guys, thanks for the compliments. We had tons of guests and the ceremony went off great. A few mistakes, but hey - nothings perfect. For my retirement gifts I was given a shadow box, an A-2 leather jacket, the flag, and a few other odds and ends. I'll have to post some photos later on today.
As for the job hunt, actually, I'm wasn't an Air Force pilot - just on the civilian side. I worked as a cryptographic accountant for all those years; making sure all of the codes/authenticators were secure and used properly. So I do have a current T.S. clearance. It had it's glory days in the '80s, because of things like the Falcon and the Snowman, John Walker, etc. But now I get the shoulder shrug when I tell people.
So I'm looking at changing careers and using my education (M.S. in Aviation Safety/Human Factors; B.S. in Aviation Safety/Business Admin.). I've got to tweak the resumes this week and start cracking down on applying for jobs more. I'm, half-heart trying to convince my wife in letting me apply for an airport manager job in Elko Nevada. I've been through the town (in the middle of Nevada) a dozen or so times. Not much there, but I figure if I purchase a plane - S.L.C. and Reno are only an hour, maybe two away. She isn't buying it. Coming from the green lands and rolling hills of England, she's said she's had enough of being told where to go. So we'll see . . .