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     Born in Northern Colorado, January 29th, 1950.
     He graduated from high school in 1967, and joined the USMC.
     He was sent to RVN as soon as he was 18, landing at Da Nang on his birthday (January 29th, 1968). The base was attacked the next night at the start of Tet, and he ended up serving as a rifleman replacement in Hue with 1/1 Marines. He was later returned to his unit, HQ 1/11 Marines, stationed at Khe San Combat Base.
     Once Khe San was evacuated, James was occupied surveying fire bases for 1/11. He frequently went in just after the first load of infantry, to speed the survey and get the guns shooting sooner.
     James served a full tour in RVN, returning to Camp Pendleton and joining 1/12 Marines. He found peacetime service somewhat dull, and found himself volunteering for various duties. He became the NCO who trained the unit in parading, he did a loadmaster course to learn how to rig loads for air transport, he went to the Mountain Warfare school (filling an HQ NCO slot, so none of the senior NCO’s had to go), and various other short schools and training evolutions.
     He served a second tour in RVN in 1970, with more time surveying fire bases.

     On his return to the States in 1971, he left active duty in the Marines, and was admitted to Colorado School of Mines. He earned a BS in Geology (’74), and an MS in Geotechnical Engineering (’76). He became an active member of the SCA during this time, with the Boulder/U of Colorado group, serving as their Marshal, and learning how to make armor. He was also part of a trio who performed anachronistic ballads and songs.
     While in college, James spent summers in Alaska working at gold mining, with mixed success. Upon graduation, James got a job with the Colorado Department of Transportation.
     In 1978, James was hired as a geotechnical engineer on a large copper mine expansion in Indonesia (working for a subsidiary of Bechtel Corp). He remained a Bechtel employee until he joined the Project in 1984.
     By 1979 he was working on a port expansion project in Saudi Arabia. He was familiar with Islam, and Middle Eastern history, from his time in the SCA, and even learned Arabic in college. This made him stand out among the American engineers on the project, and he had many opportunities to socialize with Saudis away from work.
     In 1980, James was put on the early stages of a major road and pipeline project in Pakistan, just after the Soviets invaded Afghanistan. James was on this project for about 2 years, spending lots of time out with a small survey team of mostly Pashto men. He is used to a simple life, and is content to sleep and live rough.
     Shortly after returning from Pakistan, while awaiting a connection at SFO, he found out that he had just been assigned to Cal-Trans to assist with reopening Highway 17 and other projects in Santa Cruz county following the Northern California floods in 1982.
     He worked in the States on various projects until he was brought into the Morrow Project. He had been a participant in SCA activities when on breaks from his work assignments, and dove back in to the Society on his full-time return to the USA in 1982.
     His SCA persona is Guilliam ibn Aubert Al-Ashby-sur-la-Zouch, a Norman in service to the Caliph of Bagdad (Al-Mustarshid Billah). His arms are Gules, on a Saltire Argent, Five Decrescents Azure. He was originally in the Kingdom of Atenveldt.