As part of our ongoing celebration of Military Appreciation Month, we’re highlighting the remarkable stories of our team members. This week, the TECO Veterans Alliance (TVA) shines the spotlight on George ‘Geo’ Ritenauer III, Senior Lighting Field Engineering Technician. Join us as Geo shares how his experiences in the United States Air Force have influenced his life and career.
In general, describe your daily role/responsibility while in the military.
I would monitor communication networks for warfighters, to include satellite communications for deployed Special Operations Forces.
What were some of the reasons that you joined the military? How did you choose your branch of service?
I had never even considered joining the military. A few months after high school my best friend, Pete, and I had ‘the talk’ with his father. He told us it’s time to grow up and figure out what we wanted to do with our lives, so he made us promise him that we’d go talk to a recruiter. We did, and I joined two weeks later. The recruitment building in my city (Lorain, OH) had an office for each branch. The Air Force office was the closest door to the entrance... that’s how I picked. And 24 years later I don’t regret a thing!
Can you describe a memorable moment from boot camp?
I had a very large Military Training Instructor who terrified me! I just did what he said and kept my nose clean.
How did you stay in touch with family and friends back home while you were deployed?
One perk, that I guess I can talk about now, was that I was in communications and in charge of the ‘Morale Phones’, so I probably called home more than I was allowed to.
What are some things you remember most about your deployment?
Two things stand out about my two tours to the Middle East:
- Camel spiders, definitely camel spiders! Quite possibly the fastest, highest jumping creatures on this planet... and creepy too.
- The night sky was stunning. We would lay down on the Humvee at night and just look up in amazement at how many stars you could see.
What unique experiences did you encounter during your service?
Definitely my first duty assignment in Berlin, Germany around April 1990. I was one of only about 150 USAF personnel to be assigned to Tempelhof Flughafen (airport). Tempelhof was used during WWII as part of the Berlin Airlift and the famous ‘Operation Little Vittles’ (the dropping of candy from the planes). I learned so much being stationed in Germany and traveling around Europe. The Berlin Wall came down in November of 1989 and I have pictures of myself atop the wall with a sledgehammer. It was an amazing experience and a great first assignment!
Is there anything you wish civilians understood about military service?
We are not civilians. We go to our respective basic training and are broken down and reshaped to be special and unique. We take an oath to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.” Sadly, this oath sometimes means laying your life down for your country. There is a reason that only about 6% of Americans have ever served or are serving. We are different and should remain as such if we want to continue to be the strongest Military on this planet!
How does your past military service impact your job at TECO?
I finished my 24-year career as a Senior Network Operations Supervisor. With that comes a lot of responsibility. The professionalism that comes with serving, being a supervisor in charge of millions of dollars of assets and personnel, the attention-to-detail in everything I do (to name a few things) have all been a critical part in helping me succeed in my TECO employment and other jobs I’ve had since retiring.
