I actually did something useful in the Army Security Agency: I helped monitor Soviet missile tests to pick up all their technical reports on the tests.
Later I did research in India, on politics and its intersection with economics and society. Then I spent a hellacious 9 years as a full time academic, before quitting to teach part-time. And to write.
I've written the books for sale on this site (Buy E-books Here!), two of which are novels, and a whole lot of other unpublished novels.