James Kyle:
CLASS OF 1959
Missoula County High SchoolClass of 1959
Missoula, MT
Willard Elementary SchoolClass of 1955
Missoula, MT
James's Story
1940, born and raised in Missoula, a great place for a kid to grow up ! -
1947-1955, Willard grade school, 9 years of happy memories, repeated the 2nd. grade.
At age 12, first job, Liberty Bowling Alley-setting pins at 10 cents a line.
At graduation, Mr. Kiely, 8th grade teacher pulled me aside and said-
¿Jim you will never make it in the academic world, in High School better take a typing course.¿
Working nights at the CircleBar¿S¿cafe, and, after High School, started University in Missoula,
but dropped out before the end of the first semester, got a second job, working days at St. Pat¿s Hospital, the two jobs about killed me. So when the Navy recruiter called and said ,
¿ Jim, what are you doing?¿, I answered, ¿Nothing.¿, ¿Why don¿t you join the Navy.¿, ¿Ok.¿
Within the week, mid.1960, I left Missoula, for Butte, then San Diego, by train.
After BootCamp and HospitalCorpSchool, a troop ship to the Philippines, 18 months, at the Navy Hospital at SubicBay, spent 30 days with the KalingaHeadHunters, celebrated my 21st birthday and harvested rice on the beautiful mountain rice terraces of northern Luzon, in Ifuago Land.
Back to CONUS for Field Medical School, and FleetMarineForce, 3rd Marine AirCraft Wing, El Toro.
Volunteered and arrived in South Viet Nam, August 1963, to 1968, and left the U.S. Navy.
I remained in VietNam with civilian contractors, RMK-BRJ to 1973, and LSI, to 1974.
I left VietNam in January of 1975, total of 12 years, it would be another 12 years before I returned.
While in VietNam, in 1963, adopted Giap at age ...Expand for more
10, raised him, and when he left school, bribed his way into the VN Air Force, a relative safe MilitaryService to be in for a young VietNamese during the American war. Our family live in BanMeThuot, Giap, his wonderful wife Hue chi, 5 grandchildren, called ¿chau¿ and 5 great-grandchildren, called ¿chat¿.
In 1975 to Zaire with MK until 1980, in 1978, while working in Kolwezi, a guerrilla force seized the city, killing 150 to 200, white men, women and children, mostly Europeans, we lost two, it was said to be the single largest massacre of whites ever in the history of Africa. After four apprehensive days, the FrenchForeignLegion entered the city and we made our escape by truck, helicopter, and DC3, to Kamina.
In 1981 to Saudi Arabia with Vinnell Corporation, until 2008.
In 1985 married a fine Pinoy women, Marion, who had 8 children, I adopted the 4 younger ones, and although visits were too infrequent, I had a happy time when at home in Tarlac, Philippines.
In 2003, May 12, at 11:30pm., our camp in Riyadh was visited by Al Quida - and destroyed.
Killing 10 friends and co-workers, severely injuring 50, and altering every life forever.
I departed Saudi Arabia in April 2008, and retired to VietNam.
My lifes¿ sport¿s love is slow pitch softball, played and pitched all my adult life, and at 65 made my final inside-the-park HOME RUN, ending up in the hospital emergency room in Riyadh, with a separated AC joint and a ?MI.
-And a whole life-time, in between the lines-
And now, upon a mountain of glass I stand.
Looking for diamonds, I¿ve cast away.
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