Brian, I've been working on this database for more than 25 years. I started it before the proliferation of personal computers, using hundreds and hundreds of index cards and lots of pencils. The PC was a godsend, though it took a lot of time to transcribe all those index cards into my computer. Before I retired, I was doing pretty much nonstop travel for Uncle Sam. Each time I left on a trip, I'd take my laptop computer and a fistful of index cards and use my downtime, sitting on airplanes and in hotel rooms, to tap away on my keyboard. It's not an efficient database. If I were just starting out, I'd do things differently, but now I'm so heavily invested in this thing that it'd take forever to convert it to a better system. It works for me, though.

I started this project to satisfy my own interest, so for years the database benefitted no one but me. However, when the internet came on the scene, it gave me the means to share my research with one and all. It also gave me access to resources to expand the database entries to include non-military information.