I spent most of the Clin-Ton years in the Navy. It was a good time.
When I got out, I had a dream job playing Wargames for the Navy. Then that project was drawn down.
The rest of my family wasn't so lucky. My sister and Parents lost houses when the market in town fell through the floor. Jobs were getting scarce, and they had to relocate, but were unable to move their houses even for the money owed on the mortgage after paying on them for 5-10 years. It was ugly. Many of the jobs/missions that China Lake had been performing were moved to Pt. Magu, and NAS Pax River, but I think that worst of all, was the speculation every year that the BRAC was going to close the base outright. Those who were a bit more rational didn't think that it was going to happen, but the local press kept pounding the point each year.
It was a bad time to be dependant on an obscure military base. Although Sandman seems to have weathered it well
-Sik
