Steve Goodsky-Hertig Bio
Take a few minutes and read this biographical summary of Steve. Think about the choices he made to be in the position he is in now. What do you think he had to do to succeed? He is finishing up a long career in the military. Can you see yourself following in his footsteps? What do you think are some of the “perks” of his job? The downside?
LtCol Steve “Dog” Good Sky-Hertig
Current Assignment: III MEF G-3 Fires Planner
Civilian Education: BS Animal Husbandry, Delaware Valley College of Science and Agriculture
Military: Masters in Military Studies, Marine Corps Command and Staff College
Steven James Hertig was born 26 June 1956 in Morristown, NJ. Twelve years of Catholic education predestined him to be a Marine. After college, he worked at a couple of farm jobs before, in the summer of 1982, heading down to the All-Services Recruiting Station in Reading, PA to join the Navy (his father was a SeaBee in WWII) to fly helicopters. As it happened, the Navy recruiters had taken a meritorious afternoon off, but the Marine recruiter had not, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Failing the eye exam at OCS and losing his aviation guarantee, LtCol Good Sky-Hertig, undeterred, accepted a ground contract. He graduated 3rd in his class at Officer Candidate School and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant of Marines on 17 Dec 1982. His continued hard work secured him a Naval Flight Officer (aircrew) Candidate slot by graduating 2nd in his class from The Basic School. He then went to Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola for flight training and got his “wings of gold” in May of 1984. He chose to pursue a career in Electronic Warfare and was a distinguished graduate from the United States Air Force Electronic Warfare Training Squadron on Mather Air Force Base (AFB) in California. He completed his training in the EA-6B Prowler electronic warfare jet with Navy Tactical Electronic Attack Squadron 129 (VAQ-129) on NAS Whidbey Island, WA and reported to Marine Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron Two (VMAQ-2) on Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Cherry Point, NC in the late summer of 1985. He spent the next 10 years “in the cockpit” holding jobs (billets) in Maintenance, Operations and Administration. His 2700+ flight hours includes over 600 hours in the EA-6A, a two-seat predecessor to the four-seat Prowler, accumulated during a tour on the staff of Marine Air Group (MAG) 42 Detachment C in Whidbey Island, WA. As the Det’s operations officer, he oversaw the mobilization, transition to the EA-6B, and subsequent deployment to Iwakuni, JA of VMAQ-4 (then in the 4th Marine Aircraft Wing, United States Marine Corps Reserve). After returning from the “mother of all drill weekends” (5 months in the western Pacific allowing VMAQ-2 to reconstitute after Desert Shield/Storm), he oversaw the transition of the squadron to the active ranks and transfer to MCAS Cherry Point. There, he did another deployment to MCAS Iwakuni, Japan (bringing his total to 5 in his career) and a 3 month deployment to NAS Sigonella, Italy in support of Operation Deny Flight with VMAQ-4 (his only “combat” time).
After attending Marine Corps Command and Staff College in AY 95-96, LtCol Good Sky-Hertig was sent to U.S. Atlantic Command in Norfolk were he spent 44 months as an action officer in the Joint Reconnaissance Center of the J-3 Operations Directorate. During this tour, he attended the Armed Forces Staff College and was designated a Joint Specialty Officer (JSO). His JSO designation served him well in his next assignment as an instructor at the Joint Forces Staff College. In 2003, he took one year orders to III Marine Expeditionary Force (IIIMEF) where he worked as a Fires Planner for the G-3 Operations section. He then returned to Norfolk to the staff of Commander, Naval Surface Forces, Atlantic where he was Assistant Chief of Staff for Aviation. In 2007, LtCol Good Sky-Hertig accepted his next to last set of orders which brought him back to Okinawa and IIIMEF where he is again a planner in G-3 Fires. He will accept his last set of orders transferring him to the retired list effective 1 January 2011, ending a 28 year career of military service to the country and his fellow Americans. He will then train for the most important job he will ever face, kindergarten teacher.
In June 2007, LtCol Hertig married Dianna Good Sky in a traditional Native American ceremony on the Fortune Bay Pow Wow grounds. Once married, they both became Good Sky-Hertig. They currently live on Okinawa Shima (Okinawa Island) in the Ryukyu archipelago located between the main Japanese islands (Honshu, Kyushu, Hokaido) and Taiwan. Between them, they have 5 adult children, one 8 yr old daughter and 7 grandchildren…and two dogs.