Mike Keeran:
CLASS OF 1973
Robert A. Millikan High SchoolClass of 1973
Long beach, CA
Mike's Story
Life
Born at an early age, Mike has tried to catch up ever since. After a stint in the Millikan JROTC, he thought that the real Army would be easy. Twenty years and a combat tour in the Persian Gulf later, he figured out that attack helicopter repair was not his life's calling. He retired in June of 1994 and began his college education. Mike recieved his AAS and A Technology in 1997, and his BAEd in 2000. He is currently a guest teacher in the Kent School District, where he is known to the student of several middle and high schools as "Mr. K" and "the camel killer (the latter being untrue)." Although he would prefer a full-time position, Mike Keeran is quite happy being a minstrel of education.
Military
My Military career started as an excuse to get the GI Bill to pay for college. In 1973, after graduating high school, I joined the California Army National Guard (CAANG) as an infantryman in the 3/160 Infantry out of Gardena. In October '73 I went to Basic and Infantry AIT at Ft. Polk, LA. With only a break in Christmas I graduated AIT in February of '74. In may of '74 I realised the one weekend a month soldier thing was too slow, so I went to the active duty recruiters to to go active. It just so happened that there was a severe shortage of helicopter mechanics at the same time as an excess of infantrymen. I transfered to Aviation and went to Scout Helicopter Repair School in Fort Rucker, AL. After graduation I was assigned to "C" Company (DS), 34th Support Bn, 1st Cavalry Division at Ft. Hood, TX. When the battalion was transfered to the Air Cavalry Combat Brigade (ACCB), C/34 became a troop in a squadron, but little else changed. In 1975 I volunteered for additional training and went to Attack Helicopter (Cobra) School at Ft. Eustis, VA. I served the remainder of my first active duty tour at Ft. Hood. In May of '77 I returned to the CAANG, this time to "D" Troop, 1/18 Cavalry at Los Alamitos. I also applied for a full time technician's position, but there was a hiring freeze. I returned to active duty that same year, this time with the 3/5 Cavalry of the 9th Infantry Div. at Ft. Lewis, WA. I served there until '79, when I was sent to Germany. I served with the 62nd Avn. Company in Frankfurt, Germany. I was attached to 12 Avn Group HQ flight det...Expand for more
atchment at Wiesbaden until '81, then returned to Ft. Lewis. Along the way I married Liz Mellody (Millikan class of '74) and we lived in Dupont, WA. In '87 I was assigned to the Apache Training Brigade in Ft. Hood. So we went back to Texas for eight months, forming and training the 4/229th Advanced Attack Helicopter Regiment (AAHR)(Flying Tigers). In the fall of that year we (the whole battalion, including families!) were sent back to Germany, to Storck Barracks outside Illesheim. In September of '90 I went TDY to Ft. Eustis for NCO Academy; my family stayed in Germany. While at NCOA my class went from 33 to 2 in one day, and to just me by the end of the week; Saddam Hussein had invaded Kuwait. I completed my classes as outstanding honor graduate, then returned to Germany.The Flying Tigers were sent to Saudi Arabia on December 26, 1990. During the Desert Storm phase the 4/229th went up against the Tawanaka Brigade of the Iraqi Republican Guard. In a cross-FLOT deep attack at night 4/229 Apaches destroyed 220 enemy vehicles, including 35 tanks, and (alledgedly) one camel. Then we sat on our butts at the Iraqi air base at As Salman until April, then back to Germany by way of Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia. My wife had, during that time, had enough of life in Europe, so she took our three sons back to the States, leaving me to serve out my last tour alone in Germany. With the exception of a short stay in northern France the 4/229th as a battalion went nowhere until their casing of the colors in '94. I had returned to the States myself in May of that year, living in Lakewood, WA, near Ft. Lewis, until my retirement on the May 4, 1994. The VA found me disabled in my arms, so I could no longer be a helicopter mechanic. I finally got a chance to use that GI Bill I got in '77 ... but that is another story.
Teaching
I'm Mistah "K," and I'm here to say,
That I'm fat and happy, 'cause I'm built that way!
I used to be a "Sarge," but now I'm livin' "large"
'Cause now I'm a teacher, and I'M in charge!
Take a look at my beard; don't it look real weird?
Well, now, don't be "skeered," 'cause its just my beard.
"Cause I'm the FOC (that's a Fat, Old Cracker),
In a PWR (that's a Plain White Rapper)!
SLOVA!
(the above is a rap that I recite to the classes I sub)
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