The novel “As Usual, the Guardian was Perfect in All Respects” is the first book, Book 1, in the trilogy, A Full Lifetime Career of Seeking Perfection Driven by Family and Mentors. The trilogy is a tale of three careers of military achievement, engineering accomplishment, and academic leadership. It strives for perfection through athletic and career advancement while it supports, follows, and documents the changes in U.S. warfare, technology development, and academic transition in a changing world. It will also try and set the record straight for these changes based on my three careers. It begins with changes in the U.S. military as it transitions from the Cold War in Europe to the strategic mobility and nation-building efforts of the Vietnam War. It will try and rationalize Why Winning the Vietnam War was not successful? It then follows with Book 2, “Development of Next Generation of Army Aviation Systems,” as it documents and provides for the growth of air mobility through technology development over the next decade. It also will attempt to set the record straight on why new Army Aviation systems have been so hard to field. It then transitions into Book 3, “Establishing a Graduate Program in Aerospace Systems Design” This includes “Technology for Affordability through Integrated Product and Process Development (IPPD).” This technology advancement was a basis for developing a graduate program in Aerospace Systems Design. It could provide an academic environment of innovative methods for education transfer for students and industry. In addition, we used IPPD methods in developing and demonstrating autonomous uninhabited aerial vehicles (UAVs). This setting also brings to life the changes in education at Georgia Tech with a graduate program in Aerospace Systems Design. In addition, IPPD methods were introduced and used in Science Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) training programs for high school students with NASA and industry support. It also includes assistance for the United States Military Academy (USMA) in transitioning from a general engineering degree to specific engineering degrees, i.e., electrical, mechanical, and systems. Finally, Georgia Tech graduate education and professional development programs can help industry and government transition to Integrated Product and Process Development (IPPD), as they respond to worldwide competition and the Japanese Total Quality successes.

These three books are connected by a Why, which focuses on a quest for perfection. They also follow a growing Schrage Family with numerous relocations during the early years while later striving for stability. The books will also try and set the record straight for each career by answering the following questions:

First Career, Book #1: Why was winning the Vietnam War unsuccessful?

Second Career, Book #2: Why is it so difficult for the Army to develop and field New Aircraft?

Third Career, Book #3: Why is it so difficult to Develop and Sustain a Graduate Program in Aerospace Systems Design?