Sands, Craig Alan, 2011 March 02

This is a Living History interview with Craig Sands, class of 1983 conducted by Marilyn Somers on March 2, 2011 at the GTRI Field Office in Shalimar, Florida. The subject of the interview is the interviewee’s life and experiences at Georgia Tech.

Mr. Sands was born in Fort Mead, Maryland on May 10, 1961. His father was a member of the United States military, so the family moved to various places every three years including Texas, California and Germany. He grew up nearby his paternal and maternal extended families and came to know both of them well although his maternal grandmother passed away when he was very young. Mr. Sands has two brothers and a sister and each had a different experience growing up because of how often the family would move. He attended the majority of his school in Maryland, just outside of Washington D.C. where he later graduated from high school. Mr. Sands always knew that he wanted to attend college and applied to Pennsylvania State and Georgia Tech, later choosing the latter. He joined the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps which provided him a full ride scholarship including housing and books. During his freshman year, Mr. Sands lived in Harris Dormitory and quickly learned the academic rigors of Tech. He recalls that chemistry and physics were the two classes that were most difficult for him, but he enjoyed his other classes. Mr. Sands participated in intramural sports and social functions on campus in addition to the ROTC program. His grades were average throughout college, and he developed a strict routine during school to make sure that he was studying enough for his classes. During the summers of his junior and senior year, Mr. Sands went to the RTOC summer camp in Plattsburg, New York. He graduated after four years and went to work for a short time at IBM before receiving his assignment from the United States Air Force. He began training at the Columbus Air Force Base but quickly moved to Mather Air Force Base where he started flight training. Mr. Sands also participated in electronic warfare officer training, the fighter lead-in program an weapons systems officer training. He was then assigned to Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho where he remained for three years to continue training and flight time. His first assignment took him to the Royal Air Force Upper Heyford base in Oxfordshire, England. Mr. Sands remained there for three years and was able to travel Europe in his time off. After three years of service, he decided that he would join the Air Force as a career. He then switched training to become acquainted with a new type of fighter, which was then used in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. He flew many no-fly zone missions and briefly participated in active combat in Bosnia. He recalls that the culture was very different, and Christian symbols or beliefs were not tolerated. After twenty-three years in the Air Force, Mr. Sands decided to retire and returned to Florida where he applied to the Georgia Tech Research Institute field office in Shalimar, Florida. He has two daughters, one twenty-five and one twelve. In April of 2010, Mr. Sands was diagnosed with stage four colon cancer which has spread to his liver. He has undergone extensive surgery and participates in bi-weekly palliative chemotherapy which is designed to prolong his life. He is very optimistic for the future and is thankful for the large amount of support that he receives from friends and family.