All or Nothing
An Autobiography By Wayne KuschelTrafford Publishing
Copyright © 2012 Wayne Kuschel
All right reserved.ISBN: 978-1-4269-5936-3Contents
PREFACE.................................................................................................xiCHAPTER 1 Did I Qualify for a Position? Yes!...........................................................1CHAPTER 2 Traveling for Training, Coast to Coast.......................................................28CHAPTER 3 Assigned to Republic of Vietnam..............................................................46CHAPTER 4 Threats, Sweats and Transfer to Cu Chi.......................................................86CHAPTER 5 First Equipment Specialist provided a UH-1 (Huey) for Engine Maintenance.....................113CHAPTER 6 Keep Traveling, with Amended Travel Orders...................................................169CHAPTER 7 My Maintenance Management Course and Position's Gave Me Promotions...........................213CHAPTER 8 What a surprise, a promotion to GS-14........................................................298CHAPTER 9 Lots of Supervision Required for Aircraft Survivability Equipment............................321
Chapter One
DID I QUALIFY FOR A POSITION? YES!
After my retirement, decisions had to be made to exist in this society. Immediately after receiving my first official United States Air Force retirement check of $315.00, it wasn't enough money to buy a tooth pick to go with a glass of water, let alone enough change for a tip to leave for the waitress. The family and I talked freely of what had to be done to pay the basic bills. One consolation was that my wife was a qualified California Real Estate Broker, but that often didn't provide enough money to buy a loaf of bread and butter to put on the table, unless she closed some large real estate sales package. We had a give and take ordeal and had to weigh each option or requirement for funds. After researching all the choices of acceptable approaches, I elected to enter the electronics field using my VA education bill. My first step was to visit the Veterans Administration within the Los Angeles area. Many attempts were made because of changing government requirements on submission of required correspondence. Numerous forms had to be filled out correctly, because the amount of support would be based on the input information. So I lucked out for the maximum amount to be paid for attending. It was a good start for entering the electronics field and providing for the family. The Veterans Administration sent me an acceptance letter, so I applied to the Western Electronics Institute for a nine and a half months electronics course totaling 1,059 hours, this was for both class work and laboratory time.
I began my new 1960 civilian career by driving daily from Riverside, California to Western Electronics Institute located in Hollywood, California. [Photo 1-1] That was 52 miles one way. I did this for a while before I decided that a cheap hotel or motel would be a better solution. From the Riverside highway to Hollywood, California there was a bumper to bumper situation for no less than 39 miles, very monotonous and time consuming each day. I would arrive at Western Electronics Institute (WEI) minutes before the daily class was scheduled to start. No time to study the new notes on the blackboard or speak with the instructor. However, to change my driving habits I found a nice one room efficiency apartment one block from Western Electronics Institute that solved my problem.
If my wife wanted to visit me in Hollywood, California she had a choice of several things to do, the WEI school allowed visitors to attend classes and enjoy the technical briefings or laboratory work. This allowed the days to go by fast and allow your mind to absorb the information provided by the instructor.
The third one, go shopping, the City was large enough to engage in any of your choices. Culinary, clothing, sightseeing or be lazy, watch television, read and relax.
My old stand-by when my wife had things to do in Riverside, California was to relax in the apartment, review my notes, or go over laboratory work this was from Monday through Friday then return to Riverside, California for the weekend, which was a lots of turmoil with the heavy traffic.
After a couple of months, approximately August 1960, The Western Electronics Institute, Director Mr. George I. Alagna appointed me to be their Honor student and be on their Western Electronics Institute servicing calls, they were proud of the end results. I maintained a highly successful rate of achievement. In turn they could advertise as to the schools ability for electronic training under the G.I. Bill. All of us students were warned to prepare for the final exam on Thursday—prepare how? We all were present for 9 ½ months so what was the last day going to involve.
When I walked into the class room my attention was directed on the four class room "black boards" the test involved a continuous chain of questions, around the room, diagrams the such I had never seen before. It was a whole day of completing the electronics test!
At the end of the day it was like I was dragged, through a key hole, drained of all energies that I had at the start of the day. WHAT A TEST!
I graduated with a grade average of 90 ½. [Photo of Diploma 1-2]
A couple of days after graduating, 10 April 1961, I applied at the Sears, Roebuck & Company in Riverside, California for an electronics position and was accepted two days later. The manager gave me a top dollar position and training for two weeks. Then Sears gave me a raunchy route, reason being there were two employees that would do anything to complete an electronics service call on their route. Guess who always got the two employees customers from the previous day to correct their electronics problems? So I would get my fanny chewed royally from each of the disgruntled customers. Consequently, I had to remove each chassis and take it into the shop for repair, which should have been the responsibility of the two employees. Within two weeks I was the number one man on all of the Sears routes. In one day I sold 12 service maintenance contracts, serviced seven homes and traveled over two hundred miles. It pleased the management personnel highly and I was presented with a fairly large bonus. Because I was very conscientiously doing my Sears job and serviced several areas belonging to the Sears old fogies (20-25 years of faithful Sears service), there was no sense in me fighting with Sears managers over their favorite employees work performance. So I talked it over with my family about going into my own business near March Air Force Base, California. On my time off I surveyed the areas around the base for an ideal site. I gave Sears two week's notice. I then decided on Sunnymead, California. I had found a real nice building, reasonably priced. The owner really wanted someone available to repair his older model televisions and electronic gear that he had stored in his supply room and would sell in his store.
One of my buddies at Sears, qualified in washing machines, dryers and such, decided also to go in business in the building next to the one I contracted for. He signed the contract and we thrived in the area business. The service fees were very low keyed for the United States Air Force (USAF) personnel, so as a result the volume was tremendous. But the same thing happened with the owner; he...
