Robert Sommer would love to tell you about the places he “didn’t” go, the projects that “don’t” exist, or the facilities that “cannot be named”.
He cannot.
What he can tell you about is the people.
“There were heroes on the ground (soldiers in the theater) and then there were the heroes of the mind,” he said alluding to his colleagues who toiled away in laboratories using mathematics, engineering skills and research to advance military weaponry and communication technology.
Sommer first cut his teeth on advanced communication equipment working on the McDonald F-101 Voodoo and the F-4 Phantom — one of the most versatile fighter jets of the 20th century — when he was enlisted with the United States Air Force from 1962 – 1966.
After leaving military service, Sommer continued his work on geolocation, decryption and other communication technology as an electronic technician and procurement specialist at Vint Hill Farms Station. Read the full article on page 20 of the Warrenton Lifestyle Magazine.