MIKE CARNEY:
CLASS OF 1966
Yamato High SchoolClass of 1966
Tokyo,
miami dade junior collegeClass of 1972
Miami, FL
MIKE's Story
Hello Yamato 66. Left two weeks before graduation to attend West Point Prep school to get grades up. Too much marching,polishing brass,no sleep etc. Returned to Tachi and completed 2 years at Sophia Uv. Had great times in Seeing Japan with leased Honda sports car, activities with Tachi Collegiate Club, Head Lifeguard at NCO pool ( paid $6 an hr), Helped Father ( Tachi Hosp Comd ) sell his 64.5 Ford Mustang, Very first to arrive in Japan, with 5000 Tachi miles when we left Japan, Met future wife, Sherry Pennell, blue eye, long blond while attending Sophia ( Dad, ret Air America pilot).
Between school, job, Sherry ran every Bar in Japan, to gain Japanese Culture plus the fine art of bowing, chopsticks and collecting Bar matches with my great FELLOW CLASSMATE, THE VERY BEST OF FRIENDS, EVERY MOTHER would want their daughter to MARRY, THE WORLDS BEST FELLOW RUM AND COKE DRINKER ( ONLY .25 CENTS BACK THEN) and with Due RESPECT THE VERY BEST WINGMAN A MAN COULD EVER HAVE IN COMBAT, my very best friend; Yamato CLass of 66, I Love and Miss You EVERY DAY. MR. KURT SMITH. RIP 2005. MY FRIEND, IF YOU ARE IN HELL, MAKE ROOM FOR ME.
With great Sadness in my heart, l left Tachi AFB with my Folks in 69. ( My sister PATTY, Yamato 66 left fo Uv of Ga in 67 ) I went to Uv. of Md., College Park, MD. and Parents to Pentagon.
1969 was a very fast YEAR for me. Two part time jobs, grades so so, Sherry PG, pending draft warning letters, l dropped out of college,got married, had a beautiful daughter and joined the Air Force. Had no choice. Father retired with 34
HOPE THIS IS NOT BECOMING BORING
Had been BLESSED with lots of friends at YAMATO and developed a very caring attitude for you guys and especially GALS went into the Medical Field taking every advance life support and combat trauma the AF sent me too. Along the way, PCS Calif. Kansas,Guam,Florida,Korea and Florida again ( Go Jimmy Buffett) Sailed thru the Enlisted ranks, managed to pass AF Pararescue PJ school my world CAME to a crash and burn blindsided with a divorce on Xmas Eve 1975. Now with pending orders for promotion E7, orders to Turkey and time to Reenlist all 45 days after my Xmas gift, I said Snoopy and quit.
Seventy two days later I woke up in a nice Florida coast town called FT PIERCE and was very BLESSED to be put to the front on the line and got right back in to Lifesaving of which l became pretty good at and was accepted to the FT PIERCE ST LUCIE COUNTY Fire Department. Fire Rescue helped me pick myself up and TRULY saved my life.
I will move on quickly now as I am the still humble Yamato 66 guy and when FIRE rescue was no longer fun...Expand for more
, about 8 years later I took my 3 years of OSHA and Nuclear Safety Construction NITE classes and moved in the direction of becoming director of Safety, Health and Fire protection of the world's second largest Nuclear Plant located in Matagorda, Texas.
I was again BLESSED to retire from that and move into the Petrochemical Fire Safety concerns that we have all along the Texas coast.
In 1988 I met the second love of my live and married Micaela Moya CARNEY and Heaven once again.
Parents failing health moved us from Palacios, TX to Lakeway TX in 1998.
🤐
No NUKES in AUSTIN, TX ( Lakeway) we started a commercial and residential cleaning service which has been very good to us. After 20 years of Cleaning I fired myself, three months ago and am now a member of HOME Depot, once again in management. THIS time no stress in saving lives, putting out fires or cleaning toilets for the very rich and famous of Lakeway, TX.
For fun, I have been restoring old cars and trucks and making them into HOT RODS, 9 to my credit. I just sold my last one, 1976 Jag XJS with 350 Chevy engine. I'm down to my very last one that is for me finally; a 53 Ford pickup. that sits on a 98 corvette frame, 383 stroker engine.
My other hobby is of course, drinking in moderation a RUM AND COKE. GOD BLESS YOU KURT SMITH and to 'the many outstanding people I'm at who have ALLOWED me to be their friends and to all the WONDERFUL FRIENDS of YAMATO, my best years.
All good things must end; I'm entering my early forth year of Parkinson.
MAY 15, 2018. BEGINNING TO HAVE SERIOUS ISSUES WITH MY PARKINSON DISEASE. AM BEGINNING TO MISSTEP AND FALL FREQUENTLY, AVERAGE THREE TIMES A MONTH AND HAVE HAD TWO NOTEWORTHY CONCUSSIONS. AM WEARING A SPECIAL KNEEBRACE TO ASSIST IN BALANCE AND AM SUPPOSE TO DRAG A CANE AROUND WITH ME BUT AM NOT. HAVE NOT FELL AT HOME DEPOT BUT HAVE HAD THREE CLOSE CALLS. WHEN THAT HAPPENDS I WILL CALL IT QUITS. AM QUITE BUSY AT OUR HOME. IN LAKEWAY, TX WITH REMODELING MOSTLY BY MYSELF THE KITCHEN, WOOD FLOORS, INTERIOR, EXTERIOR PAINTING, ENCLOSING CARPORT WITH A BARN FRONT AND A HUGE STORAGE BUILDING IN BACKYARD FOR SHOP FOR CAR COLLECTION AND ANOTHER POSSIBLE NEW 2019 CORVETTE. STAYING BUSY TO WARD OFF DEPRESSION AND DEMENTIA AND TRYING TO NOT STRESS MY WIFE WHO KEEPS BUSY WITH OUR COMERICAL CLEANING BUSINESS WORKING 70 HOURS A WEEK.
WAS GOING TO SURPRISE ALOT OF FRIENDS AT THE NEXT YAMATO REUNION BUT DONT SEE THAT HAPPENING NOW. HAD A 21 DAY JAPAN BLOW OUT FOR OUR THIRTY FIRST WEDDING ANNIVERSARY PAID FOR THIS COMING JULY BUT CANCELED IT YESTERDAY. PROBALLY TAKE A ROAD TRIP TO THE CAROLINAS IN NEW CORVETTE.
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