Roy Santana

Once I left active duty I joined the reserves in 1991 and became a crewchief on C-141's, two years at Norton AFB & three years at March AFB. Then I found Combat Camera in late 1996 and the rest is history.

The thing I will miss most is the Combat Camera family and the flying gigs.

Pictured at right is my retired flying gear.

Life goes on and the next chapter is well under way. As I tell my travel buddies, "We'll always have Facebook!"

Home is where the heart is so for now I'll hang my hat in

So-Cal.

Okay, so I mentioned I used to work on F-15s. I repaired avionics issues between flights. The technician in the file photo to the right, depicts exactly what I did for the first ten years on active duty.

I was fortunate to have my final flying Combat Camera job take place in the back seat of one of these fighters. It makes for a tidy little bookend of my history with this jet.

Photo I shot Nov. 7, 2013

People always ask, "Where is your favorite place you've traveled to?"   

Well I have several favorites. I really consider Holland a second home but I'm not a big fan of cold winters so it's a nice place to visit in the spring. I have a deep fondness for the state of Washington but again with the cold. New Zealand, Hawaii and Japan have a special appeal to me but living on an island is too confining. If I could live anywhere in the world and money were not an issue I would settle in Spain because of the climate, food and culture. 

For now I'll settle for Southern California. It's where most of my family lives and you can't beat the weather!

So stop by for some tea and a chat. My door is always open. 

Speaking of "bookends"...  some have commented that my 19-year vacation with Combat Camera is over now that I'm back in aircraft maintenance where I started.

My title is C-17 Globemaster Crew Chief but I’m not turning wrenches again. This time I’m monitoring, tracking and reporting all maintenance being performed on the aircraft. It’s a position I held for two years during my time as an F-15 maintainer.

This photo of the crewchief and a C-17 was shot during an exercise I documented in Gulfport, Mississippi, Sept 2012.

I've been wearing the uniform since the summer of 1981. You would think I would have retired by now. The things I miss most are the people I've worked with and the places I've lived. It's strange to have "war stories" while I'm still at it.

Unit coins from the four-year assignment I had in Holland when I was an "Eagle Keeper."

My last five years of active duty were spent at Eglin AF Base, Florida.

Hi! My name is