David McCullar:
CLASS OF 1981
Druid Hills High SchoolClass of 1981
Atlanta, GA
David's Story
Letter submitted to a magazine in 06:
The story of my life is an intriguing one. I am proud of my accomplishments and hold my head high when I think of the obstacles I have overcome. Hopefully only half of my life has passed and yet I have seen and done more than many men do in a lifetime.
Syracuse, NY is my birthplace. I have no memories of my infant years. In fact there is no memory of my life before the age of six. There have been certain significant incidents in my forty-three eventful years. At 18 months, the first incident was when I completely burned and melted my shoe to my foot. Skin was grafted from my thigh to replace the lost or burned skin. Thank God I have no memory of that event.
Broken homes, step and half-siblings, alcoholism (Not me. A step-father), kidnapping and custody battles have all been part of my life. Thankfully I have a mother who has always let me be me. She and I have often had a difference of opinion many times, but, she has always respected my right to have and share my own ideas.
I have been involved with residential construction at different periods throughout my life. At one time I owned a company with 6 employees; laborers and carpenters. For a very short period I worked on radio, TV and microwave towers. Being at altitudes as high as 1250' , not being strapped in when moving and making less than $10 an hour opened my eyes very quickly. I was under the impression that in a short period I would be making big $$$. Even at a young age it didn't take long to see how the risk far outweighed the paycheck.
Of all of my experiences, flying as a C-130 Flight Engineer in the U.S. Air Force is one that I am most proud of. I have been to 36 different countries (many of them on numerous occasions) and flown in two battles, the invasion of Panama and Desert Shield/Desert Storm. Trust me, Combat flight in a large aircraft makes a roller coaster seem like a leisurely bicycle ride. Assault takeoff and landings and dropping paratroopers or heavy equipment at low altitudes can really add some excitement to your life. Especially when you are being shot at while doing these things. Just imagine how big of a target a large aircraft is. Then imagine that aircraft flying at slow, straight and level flight, which is required to accomplish an airdrop. Sitting duck would be an understatement in this case.
For my contribution in these battles I was awarded an Air medal, Aerial Achievement medal with Oak Leaf clusters and the Meritorious Service medal. In addition there were Medical aerial evacuation missions, high profile government official support missions and, interflies with allie aircraft (mainly the Brits),
After the first Gulf war I made a major decision. I took a buyout and left active duty. I joined the Reserves (flying was my life) and looked for employment in the civilian world. There were many obstacles in finding d...Expand for more
ecent employment and a job opportunity came along that caught my attention. I attended a hiring seminar to become a railroad engineer. It was a tough, all day process with testing and interviewing. Out of 250 people that showed up 12 were hired. I was lucky enough to be one of the twelve. To become an Engineer I had to start out as a switchman in the yards in Atlanta. I then became a conductor on the mainline and was waiting for my turn at engineer school to come open.
I was on a train from Chattanooga to Atlanta on July 1, 1995. It was a hot day and I had the door in front of me open. Directly in front of that door was a ladder to the ground. I remember leaving Chattanooga that morning. The next thing I remember is my mom and sisters pushing me in a wheelchair down the hallway at Erlanger hospital in Chattanooga, TN two weeks later. Actually it was more than 2 months later before I realized that what was going on around me wasn't a dream. I had serious thoughts of suicide at the time. Not to kill myself, but, to wake myself up out of the dream I thought I was in. The combination of my head injury and medications contributed to these delusions.
Coming around a curve in Dalton, GA there was an 18 wheeler with a low-boy trailer that had a motorgrader on it. The trailer had gotten stuck on the tracks. The number to call was on the crossing arm which was in the air against the truck and equipment. The driver got in touch with the wrong railroad at first. At about the time he reached my company we were coming around the curve. I have no memory of the accident. All of the details come from what I was told happened. Apparently looking out the open door in front of me, and the ladder just ahead of that, I got the idea to jump. Maybe I was thinking I might just break a leg or something. Trains have derailed by just hitting cars. I'm sure that tractor trailer and motorgrader were looking pretty large. My plan to jump might not have been such a bad idea if it weren't for the steel post sticking out of the ground. It was not my lucky day. I was impaled in the abdomen by the steel post at 35 mph. A broken pelvis and shoulder, brain contusion, torn eye muscle and bruised balance canal in my left inner ear were rewards for my brilliant act.
The brain contusion has been the most challenging injury to overcome. I had to relearn to speak and my short term memory and attention span were affected. I spent 2 years trying to get back to the person I was. I finally realized I had to be happy with the new me. Giving up flying hurt the most. It was my life.
The accident was 13 years ago and I currently drive a truck between the Carolinas and Canada. Traveling has always been part of my life and it's still in my blood. Due to my head injury I can no longer fly as an aircrew member, however, I still have a positive attitude on life and I have maintained a healthy work ethic.
Register for Free to view all details!
Yearbooks
Reunions
Photos
