{"id":1531,"date":"2025-10-28T16:08:35","date_gmt":"2025-10-28T16:08:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/success-stories\/?p=1531"},"modified":"2025-10-29T13:02:36","modified_gmt":"2025-10-29T13:02:36","slug":"at-wcsu-air-force-veteran-neal-macmillen-has-found-its-never-too-late-to-follow-your-dreams-especially-with-a-little-help-from-your-friends","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/success-stories\/2025\/10\/28\/at-wcsu-air-force-veteran-neal-macmillen-has-found-its-never-too-late-to-follow-your-dreams-especially-with-a-little-help-from-your-friends\/","title":{"rendered":"At WCSU, Air Force Veteran Neal Macmillen has found it\u2019s never too late to follow your dreams \u2014 especially with a little help from your friends"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Neal

Neal Macmillen tries his hand at Weathercasting, fall 2025.<\/p><\/div>\n

Like many of his peers in the Weathercasting class taught by Certified Broadcast Meteorologist (CBM) Rob Eisenson<\/a> at Western Connecticut State University<\/a>, Neal Macmillen has had an interest in meteorology since he was a young child.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been interested in the weather since the first grade. I think you\u2019re born a meteorologist,\u201d Macmillen said. \u201cI remember being a little kid and looking outside, and it was raining, but it was 28 degrees. I couldn\u2019t understand how it wasn\u2019t freezing. My mind at that age couldn\u2019t figure it out, and it was the beginning of the making of a scientist. At that time, I had to walk a half mile each way to the bus stop as a kid, and even back then, I would notice the sky and its changing conditions. I\u2019ve always appreciated the beauty of the sky.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now, before you are tempted to recite the joke about a long walk to the bus stop, in the snow, uphill both ways, it\u2019s probably helpful to know that Macmillen was making that trek 65 years ago. At his current age of 72, he has about a half a century on his classmates \u2014 and while they are bringing him up to speed on technology, he has amazing stories to share about his years as an Air Force Weather Specialist and Combat Weatherman more than 45 years ago.<\/p>\n

\"Neal

Neal Macmillen taking a manual wind reading on the ground in South Korea.<\/p><\/div>\n

Macmillen grew up in North Branford, which at the time was mostly rural farms and orchards. He describes himself as \u201ca country kid\u201d who grew up hunting and fishing and became an expert marksman. After graduating from North Branford Senior High School, he enlisted in the Air Force to be a Weather Specialist. His training took place at Chanute Air Force Base in Rantoul, Illinois, followed by his first duty assignment at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama. As the 1970s ended and the 1980s began, Macmillen was a Combat Weatherman with the 2nd<\/sup> Division in an air cavalry unit stationed in the DMZ in Korea.<\/p>\n

Macmillen\u2019s duties included flying daily in the door gunner position in a Huey helicopter, making weather observations on cloud ceilings and visibility, and creating forecasts to relay to commanders in the field.<\/p>\n

\"Neal

Neal Macmillen at Pease Air Force Base in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cThe Korean War had never been officially declared over, so my deployment was during a time of combat,\u201d Macmillen recalled. \u201cAt the DMZ, we were still confronting the (North Korean) enemy regularly, including being subjected to attacks. Pilots would sometimes stray over the DMZ to the north and the enemy would shoot at us. I had no body armor, so I would remove my helmet and sit on it, because it\u2019s worse to get shot in the behind and die a slow death than to get shot in the head and get it over with quickly. I survived horrible circumstances and saw lots of injuries and death in Korea, and it\u2019s mainly because of fate that I\u2019m still here,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

From 1980 to 1981, Macmillen returned stateside and was stationed at Pease Air Force Base in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. As part of the 509th<\/sup> Bombardment Unit, the base housed FB 1-11 Fighter Bombers that carried the nuclear arsenal to protect North America. Macmillen received additional training in weather observation and would create packages for bomber pilots and refueling tanker pilots to get them the best route to avoid icing and turbulence. He also learned to operate weather radar for the first time.<\/p>\n

\"Senior

WCSU Senior Meteorology student Cameron Kurasz assists Neal Macmillen with PowerPoint for his forecast.<\/p><\/div>\n

After his honorable discharge in 1983, Macmillen enrolled at Southern Connecticut State University \u2014 the closest campus to his hometown of North Branford so he could commute \u2014 and pursued a bachelor\u2019s degree in Meteorology. After his graduation, he worked as a meteorologist for the New England Weather Service and provided weather reports on WTIC radio in Hartford. By the mid-1990s, Macmillen became the Meteorologist in Charge at the National Weather Service Bridgeport office, providing observations and amending the regional forecast that came out of Boston. \u201cI was briefing the media on a daily basis and tried to be as helpful as I could,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Sadly, the National Weather Service closed its Bridgeport location, and Macmillen was offered a similar position in Erie, Pennsylvania, which he declined. So, he embarked on a second career doing what he knew, carpentry. He worked until the pandemic and then retired. Retirement, of course, brought more time to pursue his interests, including his keen interest in science. He began to wonder if broadcast meteorology was something he could have done earlier in life, and determined that he wanted to find out at WCSU, which \u201cspecializes in offering the broadcast piece of meteorology with its degree,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Macmillen enrolled in September 2025 for one class, for now: Broadcast Meteorology.<\/p>\n

\"Senior

WCSU Senior meteorology student Cameron Kurasz gives Neal Macmillen some PowerPoint tips.<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cLearning how to do the computer graphics is new for me,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m an old dinosaur trying to learn the new technology. I\u2019m very appreciative of the young students in my classes, especially Cam, who is helping me with the technology. I think Cam gets a kick out of my lack of computer skills and is enjoying teaching me. The other students are all very helpful, too, and I think they receive me well. I\u2019m doing this mainly to satisfy my curiosity to see if this is what I could have done or should have done when I was younger. Who knows, maybe I will get a part-time job somewhere.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018Cam\u2019 is senior Meteorology student Cameron Kurasz, 24, of Norwich. Like Macmillen, he\u2019s been a weather enthusiast from a really young age. \u201cBeginning in elementary school and continuing through middle school and high school, I did the morning news,\u201d Kurasz said. Around age 12-14, I became very serious about becoming a meteorologist, and I was able to shadow Fox61 meteorologist Dan Amarante, who also went to WestConn.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Senior

WCSU Senior Meteorology student Cameron Kurasz helps new student Neal Macmillen affix his lapel mic before his weathercast.<\/p><\/div>\n

Kurasz attended Three Rivers Community College to stay close to his family and his job at the Norwich Inn and Spa, and to save money while fulfilling his General Education requirements. After earning an associate degree in Liberal Arts & Sciences, Kurasz transferred to WCSU to study Meteorology in 2022. He expects to graduate in May 2025 and most likely will return to earn his master\u2019s degree, with the goal of a career in either aviation meteorology or as an on-air weather forecaster. Currently, he\u2019s the treasurer of the Meteorology Club on campus, and he\u2019s serving as Macmillen\u2019s producer.<\/p>\n

\u201cI met Neal last spring when he came to the Weather Center to ask some questions,\u201d Kurasz said. \u201cWhen he arrived for class this fall, he was a little nervous at first, but I was able to work with him to make him feel more comfortable, and to produce his weathercasts. I want to enable him to become tech-savvy and give him a really good experience here, like I have had. Patience and a focus on the positive are key, and he\u2019s picking it up. Now he\u2019s creating forecasts on PowerPoint on his own. He\u2019s come a long way, and I\u2019m really proud of him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"As

As producer, Cameron Kurasz gives Neal Macmillen his cue as taping for the weathercast begins.<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

The desire to help someone older than him comes naturally to Kurasz, who has several elderly family members under his care, including his grandmother and a close friend. \u201cMy generation is so technology-oriented, and I\u2019ve tried to teach them a bit over time, in addition to checking in on them and making sure they\u2019re okay,\u201d he said. \u201cMy brother, Connor, and I also enjoy helping our neighbors with home and yard maintenance, too. I have a lot of respect for the older generation. I know that Neal served in the military, but I didn\u2019t know in what capacity. I give respect to him for his experiences and accomplishments, and I\u2019m really glad I\u2019ve been able to help him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Macmillen said his wife, Sharon, is also very supportive of his need to satisfy his curiosity. \u201cI do enjoy attending class, seeing what\u2019s changed and what\u2019s new. Science is evolving. Now we have computer models and the art is in choosing which model to use for your forecast situation. It used to be more hands on before computers. Being on campus is a little surreal. I don\u2019t feel 72, I feel like a young student, but my body says otherwise,\u201d Macmillen said with a chuckle. \u201cThe environment keeps you young and I think it\u2019s important to stay involved and active. Retirement is all about adjustment.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Western Connecticut State University changes lives by providing all students with a high-quality education that fosters their growth as individuals, scholars, professionals, and leaders in a global society. Our vision: To be widely recognized as a premier public university with outstanding teachers and scholars who prepare students to contribute to the world in a meaningful way.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Like many of his peers in the Weathercasting class taught by Certified Broadcast Meteorologist (CBM) Rob Eisenson at Western Connecticut State University, Neal Macmillen has had an interest in meteorology since he was a young child. \u201cI\u2019ve been interested in …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":41,"featured_media":1545,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wds_primary_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[14,51],"class_list":["post-1531","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-success-stories","tag-meteorology","tag-success-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/success-stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1531","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/success-stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/success-stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/success-stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/41"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/success-stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1531"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/success-stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1531\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/success-stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1545"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/success-stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1531"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/success-stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1531"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/success-stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1531"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}