Robert Biggs
Sergeant, U.S. Army
1968- 1970
Robert (Bob) Biggs had just graduated from high school at Lee M. Thurston High School in Redford, Michigan in 1968 when Uncle Sam sent him their greetings and told him to report to Fort Wayne, Detroit. That ended his hobby of working on his car and any plans of going to college. He reported for basic training to the U.S. Army base at Fort Dix, New Jersey. After basic training, he was assigned to Fort Gordon, Georgia for radio repair school where he learned the basic operation of military AM and FM radios, and the first phase of repairing them. He learned what is happening inside the unit when you press the microphone key to activate the radio transmission. After completing this phase of training, he was assigned to Fort Knox, Kentucky for a deeper dive into the circuitry of radios and antenna operations. This training helps you to diagnose where and what type of failures take place and how to resolve it quickly. Upon completion of the final phases of radio operations and repair, he was assigned to 3rd Infantry, 10th Engineer’s Battalion, Kitzingen, Germany. He remained there until his discharge from service.
Once home, he worked odd jobs for two years before deciding to attend college, thanks to the GI Bill. He wanted to pursue an associate's degree in electronic technology. He graduated with a degree and was immediately hired during a college job fair, where he would be working for an environmental research company.
He is currently retired from the University of Michigan where he helped to maintain one of their many data centers. He is now enjoying the company of his wife of twenty-six years and his family.
