I was a programmer at Data Processing for about 4 years when I was asked by my boss to help a Crane group called NAPEC with some issue pertaining to the overseeing of ammunition. I worked on the specific issue and they must have liked my work because it was not too long later that they offered to pull me out of indirect programming work to direct funded programming work with them. I accepted the offer and have stayed with that code ever since. The branch name and code designator has changed many times over the years as well as the programming languages and computers I was tasked to work with, but what has never changed is the dedication of the people to ensure that the ammunition they built was safe for the duration of its life cycle. I have been given a rare opportunity to be involved with a computer system from its creation to its maturity and an even rarer opportunity to be a programmer since the day I hired in as a CO-OP here at Crane. CORP was started when those paying for configuration management at NAPEC decided that the bill for services from the CADMSS System out of Point Mugu was just too high. So I was sent to Point Mugu to retrieve our data, bring it in-house and to create our own configuration management system. It is from this one module that CORP started and has blossomed into the 25 modules it is today. CORP started on an NCR Tower 68020 running Unix operating System and had 2MB of total memory, 8 communication ports, 4 344MB internal disk drives, 1 Nine Track Tape Unit, 1 60MB cassette tape drive for backup and a laser printer for reports. CORP data was stored using a Unify Relational database management system and the application was programmed in C. It has since transitioned to more computers and programming languages than I can recall. NMCI forced CORP to transition from a desktop application to the web where it is today. The dream of the 2T program office was to create an application that the engineers could access that would be a one-stop-shop for all their ammunition engineering needs. I think the program office's dream is about 98% complete. Along the way CORP has picked up many other users outside of the 2T COG community who see CORP as a better tool than some official systems out there.
As I retire on May 29th 2015, I look at what I have been working on for the last 26 years and I can say with pride that it is a great system. I pray it will continue to be a great system. I will also pray that those taking over for me and those in the program office will be granted wisdom and discernment to make the right decisions to keep CORP active for another 28 years.
Thanks again to all who have been with me and CORP for these many years and I wish you all the best.
I want to leave you with a piece of advice and that is to get to know Jesus Christ in your life first, then work each day as if you were working for the Lord. The blessings you will find as you look back over your career will be truly wonderful.
Bret Hobbs
Soon to be retired CORP Administrator/Developer
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