David Cranfield:
CLASS OF 1978
Heavener High SchoolClass of 1978
Heavener, OK
Hill Creek Elementary SchoolClass of 1974
Santee, CA
Prospect Avenue Elementary SchoolClass of 1974
Santee, CA
Santee Elementary SchoolClass of 1972
Santee, CA
Frederick Elementary SchoolClass of 1969
Frederick, CO
David's Story
Life
I grew up in Santee California then on to Santana High School where I stayed till the middle of the 10th grade. My parents then moved us to Oklahoma, where most of my Dad's relatives were from. I finished High School there and then moved to Oklahoma City to work and go to OU. I thought I needed a big change so after thinking about it for a few months joined the Navy (which I said I would never do since my Dad was in the Navy and was always gone) I have been married for 22 years as of 12022008 and have four kids, 20/19/19/17, b/b/b/g, I retired from the Navy in September 2003 and now work for the Red Cross in Charleston, SC.
School
I have an unusual school set of memories. I was athletic, outgoing and popular while I lived in California. When my family moved to Oklahoma I always felt like I didn't fit in. After HS I moved to Oklahoma City, worked, went to College and then joined the Navy, ironically being sent back to San Diego where I grew up. I still stay in contact with some of the people I went to school with.
College
I started out at OU (Univ of Ok) and after going from a large HS in Santee to a small one in Heavener, OU was another challenge. I didnt come to OU with a built in group of friends. My childhood friends all were at San Diego State, the people from Heavener went to other Colleges, started working, or joined the miltary. So I was all alone... Yeah cry me a river too... I hear ya. My first roommate was nice rich kid from OKC. His best friend was a QB for OU during the early 80's (Kelly Phelps). So that didnt go especially well, he was nice enough, but we just didnt have anything in common. After a semester his other friend moved in and I moved next door as his suite-mate. That brought a new room mate, one from a smaller city, but after a semester we ended up as "less than friends". That was the result of my first year at OU. So I went home, worked at Wal-Mart during the summer, and returned in the fall for my 3rd semester. This roommate was a nice guy from New York. My junior year I enrolled again and went back to OU, this time with a roommate from Heavener. Next I moved to OKC to work at 7-11, store #1 (First 7-11 in Oklahoma on the corner of NW 23rd and Portland), yeah really. Surprisingly made 17k that year and for 1981 that was great money. Afterwards decided I needed a change and joined the Navy. While in the Navy I completed more than one degree and that is why as I tell my kids to aim high and plan ahead.
Workplace
Since I retired from the Navy in 2003 I have worked for the American Red Cross, Blood Services in Charleston, SC. I h...Expand for more
andle blood collections for the Charleston area to include mobile operations and 3 "Fixed Sites" along with ancillary staff working in a 4th site to ensure resources are available. It is an interesting job with a very diverse group of staff. With luck I will retire from here in another 10 years and travel around the country with Carol seeing all the things we didnt see during our cross country drives with the kids while I was in the Navy.
Military
I grew up in San Diego and also went to boot camp there. It was surprisingly easy. By today's standards, a dream. We could smoke, had pop machines, snack machines, got to play "boom boxes" during down time while washing out white-hats etc, and also got to play frisby and touch football. Only in California apparently, but it was 1983 and a different time. After boot camp went to Corps school in San Diego and like most things for me was easy. I finished 3rd in my class, like in HS. Once that was almost over they told me I could either go to FMSS with the rest of my class, or go to a "C" school. My choices were Lab and X-ray. I didnt want to die of cancer and also didnt think dealing with patients with broken bones would be fun so went for lab school. I was told it would also decrease my chances of being sent with the Marines and ships. That was essentially true but they left out that it also would decrease my chances of ever making rank. I actually loved being a lab tech, got to be in a position of saving lives from the side lines and not having to actually deal with patients, but after 12 years decided if I was going to advance would have to do something different, so went with bad advice and went to IDC school. Even though I had no actual clinic experience at all, I made it through. Surprisingly being sent to FMSS at age 35 as a Plt Cmdr, and loved it. I then went to Camp LeJeune and again loved it. Had I known earlier what a great group of people Marines were I would have opted for FMSS out of Corps School or joined the Marines vs. Navy to start with. Due to circumstances though I was never deployed and thus left my only "Sea" billet without leaving the continental US. Next stop Marine Boot Camp to be the IDC at a BAS. I again loved it. Dealing with patients who were really sick and needed your assistance and had simple illnesses for the most part. Best 4 years of my career. Unfortunately that put me at 20 years in the Navy and at 43 didnt want to stay in longer so I retired and moved to Charleston to work for Red Cross Blood Services, essentially doing what I did at the Naval Hospital in Charleston in the early 90's.
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