Comments:
(I'm cheating by copying and pasting my history from my classmates.com "gold member" account which I'll probably cancel now! Oh Yaa!)
Military
I went into the Air Force one week after graduating from BCCHS. After graduating Basic Training, I went to the Defense Language Institute in Monterey California to study the Arabic language. Monterey was an awesome place to live but I really hated learning Arabic or any foreign language for that matter. I put in enough effort to stay in Monterey eight of the twelve months (really nice place) and then threw in the towel for a chance at a job more to my liking. I wanted something hands-on that would give me a future in the Civilian world. I wanted to be an X-ray Tech or something medical like a Surgery Tech.
After gladly washing out of Arabic, I took some tests and the Air Force reclassified me. They wanted me to be a repairman. I cried for three days at the thought of being a repairman. (All I could imagine was "plumber's crack!) I was young and stupid but very lucky. The repair job that I landed was Biomedical Equipment Repair. After completing the 10 month training course at Sheppard I got my first assignment at Osan AB, Republic of South Korea. I had a really great time in Korea. I was 19 when I got there and 21 when I left. I remember having many hangovers and killing many brain cells. Korea is where I met my AF-officer-prior-army-enlisted-husband-to-be-someday, Paul.
I spent a lot of time sneaking into Paul's dorm up on the hill to see him. I practically lived there. Luckily, Paul's officer neighbors didn't mind and sometimes helped "smuggle" me in. They had better living arrangements (studio apt with a kitchenette.) When Paul got orders to Malmstrom AFB, Great Falls Montana I figured that was the end of our relationship and bought some appliances from him so that he didn't have to ship the stuff out. Funny thing is he got them all back in the end because it wasn't the end of our relationship.
I got orders to Wright Patterson Ohio but didn't want to go. I extended my stay in Korea six months for a chance at a better location. I was hoping for something in the North and put on my "Dream Sheet" a strong preference for all the "frigid cold" places like Minot ND, FE Warren SD, Malmstrom MT. Instead, I got Randolph AFB San Antonio, Texas. I took this assignment only because the long distance phone calls to Paul were killing my pocket book and I didn't want to stay in Korea another six months.
Paul and I had a long distance relationship for awhile. Paul was stuck in MT and I was stuck in TX. When the military started reducing its force, Paul said goodbye to the Air Force and took the voluntary separation incentive $$$. Paul packed up a Ryder Truck and moved to San Antonio. We both went back to Montana to get his pickup truck and to get married in Red Lodge at the Canyon Wedding Chapel located on the Beartooth Mountain Highway Pass Rd. Tammy Brown and her husband Jerry drove from Billings to be our witnesses. It was us, them and the Judge who was quite a character. She could officiate as a JP or a minister.
Right after our honeymoon at the Rock Creek Resort in Red Lodge we took a roadtrip to the Pacific Northwest (Salem Ore) to introduce Paul to my folks. It went ok. We returned to San Antonio as Mr. and Mrs. Cash and moved off base into an apartment. Paul went to school to become a Paramedic while I worked at Randolph as a Biomedical Equipment Repair Tech.
We bought a house in 1995. Then the Air Force gave me orders in 1996 to Sheppard AFB Witchita Falls, Texas (armpit of the world) to teach as an instructor. I did not want to go. Luckily there was a force reduction going on and too many Staff Sergeants in my career field at that time. My squadron commander helped me get out 2 years early. I began my life as a civilian again
(College
While stationed at Randolph Air Force Base, I earned an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Biomedical Equipment Technology from the Community College of the Air Force.)
Workplace
After the military, I fixed non-invasive blood pressure monitors for 4 yrs at Colin Medical Instruments - San Antonio, TX. I got my dream job with the local telephone company called SBC in May 2000. For the first 8 months I worked for SBC Advanced Solutions where I installed and repaired high speed DSL internet circuits in the customer's home. I met Ed Whitacre (millionaire CEO of SBC), on one of my customer jobs. Not many people have those bragging rights. I got surplussed into cable splicing then surplussed into an inside job behind a computer. Networked back into fixing DSL circuits. I met Robert Horry, a San Antonio Spurs basketball player, in his bedroom. (I had to get his signature on my DSL work order while he watched TV on a huge screen - nice guy with a very nice house in the Dominion that had extrememly tall door frames!) I transferred back into cable splicing (better hours.) In the meantime Ed Whitacre bought AT&T the mother ship and changed the SBC name to AT&T so now I work for the same company my Uncle Ken retired from!
I rarely share this because I don't want to be seen as a crackpot. If you believe in things like anybody can be President then it makes for a good story. I'm feeling kinda lazy so I'm going to copy and paste from an e-mail I shared with my old boss.
----- Original Message -----
From: Evelyn Holt
To: Kelly J Cash
Sent: Friday, October 19, 2007 10:15 PM
Subject: Re: SIDS
Kelly, thank you for sharing. You never cease to amaze me. Not only with what you came up with; but when do you have time. As for the diagram/picture, that is just expected.
How are things going? I haven't seen any pictures lately.
Evelyn
Evelyn DeWitt Holt
----- Original Message ----
From: Kelly J Cash
To: Evelyn Holt
Sent: Friday, October 19, 2007 8:08:01 PM
Subject: Fw: SIDS
Hi Evelyn,
I wanted to share something really cool. Remember my SIDS "hobby"? Well, after 10 years of "spamming" my favorite SIDS expert with my thoughts and ideas, I finally got a reply. I was afraid to read Dr. Keen's e-mail at first because I thought he might tell me to stop e-mailing him. Instead, I got a wonderful surprise and am flying higher than a kite!
-----Original Message-----
From: Kelly J Cash [mailto:cash434@sbcglobal.net]
Sent: Saturday, September 29, 2007 8:33 AM
To: Keens, Tom
Subject: SIDS
Dear Dr. Keens,
I drew a picture to show how I see the SIDS problem. I'm hoping the substitution and analogy will help speed things up.
Kelly Cash
----- Original Message ----
From: "Keens, Tom"
To: Kelly J Cash
Sent: Tuesday, October 2, 2007 2:35:55 PM
Subject: RE: SIDS
Very nice. Thank you. This may be very helpful. With your permission, I may use this in some of my talks. I will give you credit for originating the idea. Thanks again,
---Tom Keens
-----Original Message-----
From: Kelly J Cash [mailto:cash434@sbcglobal.net]
Sent: Thursday, October 18, 2007 7:05 PM
To: Keens, Tom
Subject: Re: SIDS
Dear Dr. Keens,
I just got around to cleaning out my inbox (1555 messages) and found your e-mail with great delight and suprise! Of course you have my permission to use the illustration. You can do anything you want with it or to it. By the way, thanks for the compliment! It really means a lot.
Kelly Cash
----- Forwarded Message ----
From: "Keens, Tom"
To: Kelly J Cash
Sent: Friday, October 19, 2007 9:49:10 AM
Subject: RE: SIDS
Thanks,
---Tom Keens
