From Behind Sandbags

About the Book

Author Burton says, "How do you measure success? Money? Power? Satisfaction with a job well done? Dreams fulfilled?"
It wasn't 'til my later years that I really realized how lucky I was to have spent my lifetime being involved from the beginning in one of the greatest feats of all time. Somehow I had to get it all down on paper - the comradery, the pressure, and challenges of a lifetime. All of it was there, rolling around in my head!
I invite you to share in some of these memoirs from a 40 year career in Aerospace Engineering. I have described my assignments on various programs from the Matador guided missile to large rockets for space vehicle boosters including the Space Shuttle and large satelllite boosters. Many anecdotes are included to provide some intimate details of the thinking and philosophy. About 100 of my associates are described as they became a part of my life, including their personalities, eccentricities and attributes. It is notable that the book is about, and a tribute to, the working men and women who propelled us From Behind Sandbags to the moon and back, and on to a continuous presence in space.
The book is a unique non-technical writing about a technical subject by reflecting on the human aspects of the times."

About the Author

Hal Burton was born on a farm near Jewell, Iowa in 1930, just before the Great Depression. He went into the business field after high school. He served honorably in the Air Force from 1951 to 1955, subsequently obtaining a BS degree in Electrical Engineering from Iowa State College in 1958. In 1961 he earned a Masters Degree in Business Administration from Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida. Missiles and Space were his pursuits over a 40 year career in industry.
He is the recipient of the coveted "Silver Snoopy' award from the astronauts for his work on the Lunar Roving Vehicle. During his career he received many letters of Appreciation and Commendation. Unwilling to accept "It can't be done", through his work he distinguished himself to his Corporate employers and to the Customer.
he was a pioneer in the Space industry in spirit and work and is listed in the "Apollo/Saturn V Roll of Honor", a copy of which is preserved in the Library of Congress.