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Weeden Nichols was born in upstate New York a couple of years before the U.S. entered World War II. He spent his early years on dairy farms in the Cayuga Lake region. He moved with his parents to the Eastern Shore (Delmarva Peninsula) of Maryland in 1944. Weeden both met his future wife and enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserve (Infantry) in January 1957, while still a junior in high school.

He began active duty in the U.S. Air Force immediately after high school. Later, Weeden transferred back to the Army as a cadet at West Point and reverted once again to his Air Force enlistment upon his resignation from West Point. He served as an electronics instructor in the Air Force until becoming a special agent of USAF Office of Special Investigations (OSI). While stationed in Japan, Weeden worked all over the Far East, including Vietnam, and then transferred back to the Army as a warrant officer special agent of the Army Criminal Investigations Division (CID). He fulfilled various other assignments including unaccompanied tours in Vietnam and Korea. Before retiring in 1978, Weeden spent his last four years in the Army on the Military Police School faculty.

His numerous military awards and decorations include Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, Army Commendation Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, Air Force Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal; Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Vietnam Service Medal (Five Campaigns), Korean Defense Service Medal, Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry w/Palm Device, Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal w/"60-" Device, Army Meritorious Unit Commendation, Air Force Outstanding Unit Award, Air Force Expert Marksmanship Award, Air Force Longevity Service Ribbon with Oak Leaf Cluster, and two US Army "Overseas Bars" (each representing six months in a Combat theater). (Weeden offers the disclaimers that no heroism was involved in any of these, and that it took 22 years to accumulate them.)

Weeden's education includes the attainment of a B.A. in Economics, a B.S. in Accounting, with additional major in Business Admin, and an M.A. in Public Administration. After retirement from Army, Weeden built his own house on pasture land east of Salina, Kansas. He worked five years as field auditor in the Tax Branch of the Kansas Department of Employment and one year as an operations manager at the Land Institute in Saline County. Weeden also served two years as administrator at the Salina Emergency Aid and Food Bank, and was part owner and chief financial officer of Great Plains Bicycle Shop, Bike Tek, and Great Plain Bakery, all of Salina.

He has many other interests as well. From 1975 to 1991, Weeden was a regionally successful age-group athlete, competing as a footracer, bike racer, duathlete, and triathlete. Due to childhood injuries and osteo-arthritis, he underwent a right hip replacement in 1993 and a left hip replacement in 2003. Although he could no longer compete, Weeden remains an active cyclist. He's a competitive bridge player and American Contract Bridge League (ACBL) Life Master. Weeden owns a Piper Cherokee 180 and holds a Commercial pilot certificate with instrument and seaplane ratings, and over 3,700 hours pilot-in-command time.

He has been a social justice activist since 1981, and has been actively against war except for true defense. His organizations and memberships include: CID Agents Association (National Director); Association of Former OSI Special Agents; Rockwell Family Foundation (National Director); Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association; Experimental Aircraft Association; Vietnam Veterans of America; Veterans of Foreign Wars; Hays Regional Airport Advisory Board; Habitat for Humanity of Ellis County ( former Director); Clan Henderson Society of the US and Canada, Clan MacLeod Society USA (former Vice President, Missouri Valley Region); Trustee, Dunvegan Foundation; Scottish-American Military Society (SAMS); Society of Antiquaries of Scotland (elected Fellow of the Society); Democratic Socialists of America (Delegate-at-Large to two national conventions). He has served on a number of non-profit charitable and cultural boards of directors.

Weeden is married to Rosalie S. Nichols, Ph.D. (Professor Emeritus, FHSU). They have five children and 14 grandchildren. He receives mail at nichols1 at ruraltel dot net. He also writes at EverydayCitizen.com.

Weeden welcomes you to view his posts here.