Santa Clarita Veteran Recalls 20 Years In The Air Force

Posted by: Linsey Towles in Hometown Heroes - Our Veterans, Santa Clarita Latest News June 8, 2023 - 4:30 pm 0 3,527 Views

Fresh out of high school, Marcus Nichols joined the ranks as a student at the prestigious Air Force Academy in Colorado to begin a career that would take him around the world and even into space.

Nichols was 18 years old when he was accepted into the Air Force Academy, a four-year university in El Paso County Colorado.

“What drove me was my father went through a kidney transplant when I was in high school, so we had no money for college,” said Nichols.

Originally from a small town in Kansas, the move to the academy was an “eye-opener” according to Nichols.

“There were twice as many cadets in my class as there were in my entire hometown,” said Nichols. “Being thrown into a top military academy was hard. Most people there were in the top 10 percent of their classes.”

That first year at the academy proved to be the toughest as restrictions are tight for new students. Privileges such as leaving the academy and wearing civilian clothes are acquired as time goes on. New-comers must also go through basic training, a rigorous program that tests mental and physical endurance.

Nichols majored in business management at the Air Force Academy, which also proved to be a challenge as the academics were just as rigorous as the physical expectations. Managing both the academics and expectations that come with the Air Force, Nichols also excelled in track and field.

“My first few years after the academy I stayed to coach track and field,” said Nichols. “I got to compete professionally for the Air Force as a decathlete and I qualified for the Olympic trials in 1996 and again in 2000. The Air Force gave me an opportunity to coach and train and I got to compete all over the world.”

Following graduation from the Air Force Academy, students are commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Air Force and required to serve five years as a payback for the degree program. Nichols served for the next 20 years in which he traveled all over the world including the UK, Italy, Germany, Japan and Brazil.

“My primary profession was an acquisitions officer. It was my job to run major programs and buy systems. So if we need a new fighter jet I would arrange that,” explained Nichols.

Nichols spent much of his career working on space jobs, working on equipment for satellites, missiles and spaceships. “I’ve always been interested in space as a career,” said Nichols. “I’m still doing it today as a civilian.”

Nichols recalled one of his most interesting jobs when stationed in Colorado Springs at Peterson Air Force Base. There, he worked to upgrade equipment at Cheyenne Mountain Complex, a Space Force bunker built into the Cheyenne Mountain.

From traveling the world and around the U.S., Nichols made his way to California, stationed at the Los Angeles Air Force Base, where he met his wife who grew up in Santa Clarita. Nichols was stationed in L.A. for six years before moving to Alabama, then Colorado until landing back in L.A.

In 2017, Nichols chose to retire to settle in Santa Clarita with his wife and young daughter.

Today, Nichols continues his work in spacecraft for United Launch Alliance, a spacecraft launch provider while raising his 11-year-old daughter. Looking back, Nichols recalled the people he met as the best part about being in the military.

“I grew up in a small town so meeting all the people in the service was absolutely amazing,” said Nichols. “You form the deepest friendships that last a lifetime. Those experiences are second to none.”