Ralph Ziegler_260124_075_FINAL - Peacetime Service - Mickey Strand - Veterans Series

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Peacetime Service

Click on Veteran's photo to see their service story. These Warriors served during times between major conflicts.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Where can I donate?

I have created a way to accept donations to grow the project, use the WWII Veterans Portrait Series Go Fund Me.

Where are you located?

I live in the San Diego area but have traveled to many locations to interview and photograph Veterans.


How Long is an Appointment?

Appointments usually last an hour. But please free up time for Mickey to set up lights and cameras, hold the interview, and take some still photographers for in the project.

Do you accept reservations?

Yes is the simple answer to the question. Each appointment is set up as an individual session. Group sessions have been set up when I visited a senior living facility or many of the California Veterans Homes.

Copyright © 2025 Mickey Strand – Veterans Series
United States Navy Commander Peace-time service Ralph Conrad Ziegler III was born on March 8, 1960, and grew up in Birmingham, Michigan. The son of Ralph Conrad Ziegler Jr. and Eleanor Ziegler, the second of four children, with an older sister, Alison, and two younger siblings, Meg and George. After graduating from Seaholm High School in 1978, he attended Purdue University, where he studied Aeronautical Engineering and participated in the Navy ROTC program. He graduated and was commissioned into the U.S. Navy in May 1982. Ens Ziegler reported to flight school in Pensacola, Florida, in January 1983. He wore glasses and, per Navy regulations, trained as a Naval Flight Officer (NFO) rather than a pilot. He completed training in March 1984, specializing in the Lockheed S-3 Viking Anti-submarine warfare (ASW) aircraft. After completing his initial training, he attended the Replacement Air Group (RAG) training in the S-3 at VS-41, the Shamrocks, in San Diego. LTJG Ziegler then reported to VS-37 the Sawbucks, as his first fleet squadron, also based in San Diego. Within a week of joining VS-37 in 1985, he deployed on a six-month Westpac aboard the USS Constellation (CV-64). During this tour, he served as a Tactical Coordinator or co-pilot and performed ground duties, including serving as a Nuclear Safety Officer and an Avionics Armament Division Officer. He deployed with the Sawbucks on board USS Constellation two more times before reporting for shore duty at the Nuclear Weapons Training Group Pacific in San Diego, where he trained other nuclear safety officers. He left active duty on September 30, 1990, but maintained his commission in the reserves. Commander Ziegler served 19 years in the reserves, bringing his total military service to 27 years. His reserve roles included time with the Tactical Control Squadron (TACRON), an S-3 augmentation unit, and volunteer training units in Indiana and San Diego, with a focus on process improvement. Completing his service on April 30, 2009. After the Navy, he worked with the maintenance staff at a camp in Pine Valley and spent a year in Russia on a mission project helping schools implement an ethics curriculum. He then worked as an engineer for Capital Machine Company and then as an engineer for United Airlines in Indianapolis before returning to San Diego, where he spent the remainder of his career as a civilian engineer for Fleet Readiness Center Southwest at Naval Air Station, North Island, sustaining F-18 Super Hornet, E-2 Hawkeye, and C-2 Greyhound aircraft until his retirement on September 30, 2025.
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Ralph Ziegler_260124_075_FINAL - Peacetime Service - Mickey Strand - Veterans Series
United States Navy Commander Peace-time service Ralph Conrad Ziegler III was born on March 8, 1960, and grew up in Birmingham, Michigan. The son of Ralph Conrad Ziegler Jr. and Eleanor Ziegler, the second of four children, with an older sister, Alison, and two younger siblings, Meg and George. After graduating from Seaholm High School in 1978, he attended Purdue University, where he studied Aeronautical Engineering and participated in the Navy ROTC program. He graduated and was commissioned into the U.S. Navy in May 1982. Ens Ziegler reported to flight school in Pensacola, Florida, in January 1983. He wore glasses and, per Navy regulations, trained as a Naval Flight Officer (NFO) rather than a pilot. He completed training in March 1984, specializing in the Lockheed S-3 Viking Anti-submarine warfare (ASW) aircraft. After completing his initial training, he attended the Replacement Air Group (RAG) training in the S-3 at VS-41, the Shamrocks, in San Diego. LTJG Ziegler then reported to VS-37 the Sawbucks, as his first fleet squadron, also based in San Diego. Within a week of joining VS-37 in 1985, he deployed on a six-month Westpac aboard the USS Constellation (CV-64). During this tour, he served as a Tactical Coordinator or co-pilot and performed ground duties, including serving as a Nuclear Safety Officer and an Avionics Armament Division Officer. He deployed with the Sawbucks on board USS Constellation two more times before reporting for shore duty at the Nuclear Weapons Training Group Pacific in San Diego, where he trained other nuclear safety officers. He left active duty on September 30, 1990, but maintained his commission in the reserves. Commander Ziegler served 19 years in the reserves, bringing his total military service to 27 years. His reserve roles included time with the Tactical Control Squadron (TACRON), an S-3 augmentation unit, and volunteer training units in Indiana and San Diego, with a focus on process improvement. Completing his service on April 30, 2009. After the Navy, he worked with the maintenance staff at a camp in Pine Valley and spent a year in Russia on a mission project helping schools implement an ethics curriculum. He then worked as an engineer for Capital Machine Company and then as an engineer for United Airlines in Indianapolis before returning to San Diego, where he spent the remainder of his career as a civilian engineer for Fleet Readiness Center Southwest at Naval Air Station, North Island, sustaining F-18 Super Hornet, E-2 Hawkeye, and C-2 Greyhound aircraft until his retirement on September 30, 2025.