Military Officer - March 2009 - (Page 28) rapidfire L Retiree Spotlight t. Skip Cowell, USAF-Ret., was born in Waipahu, Hawaii, and raised on a sugarcane plantation. He now lives with his wife, Rita, in Captain Cook, Hawaii. The couple is active in the quest for alternative energy sources and cofounded theTropical Reforestation and Ecosystems Education Center Hawaii, dedicated to the conservation of and education about native Hawaiian ecosystems. You’ve been quite active in retirement. What’s your secret? I think my military career instilled a “can do” attitude in me that has persisted to this day. One of the great things about military life for me was the fact that you got to do so many different things. I kept that attitude in retirement — I always want to learn about new things and new solutions to problems. Did this desire to create new solutions lead to your current work — searching for answers to the world’s energy problem? Absolutely. If you look at the world conditions right now, something has to be done about the energy crisis. In recent years, I’ve learned about two companies, Ocean Power Technologies and W2 Energy Corp., with men who are true visionaries at the helm. I am trying to connect these companies with our government. If we are going to solve the energy crisis, we need to find new solutions. The more you look at it and put it under a microscope, the more intriguing it gets. You’re talking about [paying] two or three cents a kilowatt hour. I pay 47 cents a kilowatt hour here in Hawaii. What kind of energy do you think retired military officers offer today? If we could harness [officers’] discipline and their free thinking, I don’t think there’s any problem we couldn’t solve. — Richard Daigle Attention! Check out these military-related entertainment offerings. BOOK The U.S. Naval Academy in Postcards, 1900-1930 (Schiffer Books, 2009) See the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., in 476 period postcard views. This coffee-table book is chock-full of interesting 28 MILITARY OFFICER historical facts that Navy enthusiasts will enjoy. DVD Battlefield Diaries (Discovery Channel, 2008) From World War II to the Iraq war, servicemembers from branches relay what it was like to be part of fa- mous battles as they share their diaries, letters, photos, and home movies on this two-disc set. BOOK U.S. Army Weapons Systems 2009 (Skyhorse Publishing Inc., 2009) This guide profiles nearly every weapon in use by the U.S. Army and covers cutting-edge technology that will be employed by soldiers around the world. With full-color photographs accompanying each weapon, it’s a one-of-a-kind resource. MO PHOTO: ALVIS UPITIS MARCH 2009
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