Jan to Oct. 1977 I was  assigned  9 months to Patient Sqdn Wilford  Hall Med  Center,  Lackland  AFB, biggest  USAF  then. and  where  we moved to San Antonio from final base  Dyess  AFB, Abilene  for  life  long  follow up promised in 1979.  Neurosurgery  Ward began to run tests next  9  months.  It  had  no Neurolgy  so we  went  to Audi Murphy when nerve conduction was needed. Funny  stuff to stick 2 needles  along  a nerve. “Does that hurt?” YES! “GOOD! A shock comes  timed  in  miliseconds then pick a  new nerve  and  chart that. Tries  to see where is  nerve  loss location.  Feels  good  to go back where  guys  simply  scream  next  bed at night. So Jan to Sept were spent running  down all the  problems stemming  from combat  injury  April Fools  1967, active  flying  career worsened  by a  decade  trying  to keep flying with yearly waivers.  In addition to cool jobs doing  unusual things  , Flight Pay is  a  way of  life  you lie  about  to maintain. I’d been in 2 , month long   bed  rests in Wiesbaden AB  ’74 and  ’75 after  2 weeks traction  at  Bitburg  AB in March ’71  just  before  we  were on leave to marry  at  Carson  City May 25th.   Every  day about  4:30 I’d  hear  Dorly’s heels click down the  asphalt tiles.  In walks  this  beautiful lady, 95 pounds  of  “all tits  and  eyeballs ” my married  friends all said. Was I luckiest  fellow  in  the whole  damn world?  One  Monday after  a  3  day alert  tour  in  freezing  alert  facility… REALLY lousy GI bunk, I could not  move my legs. Flight  Surgeon sent me  to Orthopod MD at  Hosp and  he  ordered  weights on both legs  just  like  some  Catch 22  chapter  in  life.  Yossarian, B-25  Nav,   had a   golden liver and  I a  golden back  would hit each  first  freeze of winter. Gave   lecture on  the subject  in  my  MA, Ball St U in Europe class  on effective public  speaking.

Anyway, VA A. Murphy  discovered a  mastoid bone  infection  was  due  to kill me  quick Feb 1980.  While looking at an oddly unusual missing middle  ear process it  was necessary to take off  my  skull , clean the  soupy  mess up and do a  bone  graft to cover  the open fascia , pulsing carotid artery  along  the  9th facial nerve  paralyzed my  face  a  few months recovering  all bodily insults that  AM.” We’ll see  ya  later “.  Gambler’s luck held and  they did.  Dorly  was  holding my hand, still all tits  and  eyeballs  when   I woke with a  giant  white ball covering my  head. Back to Catch 22. Was  that classic in case severe  shock?  “All the  time he  was  coming  he  was  going!”

Next  VA stay was Easter  1991 as  left  arm was paralyzed a few months for first  time.  Admitted back to neurosurgery Wilford Hall, then told  “We no longer are   treating  Vets due  to cut backs, Go To the  VA”  A. Murphy  did  some  nerve  tests,2 weeks later  said  no help seen here go home and  wait  it out. Probably  regain  use. It  has  twice  since . Was  the  time due  Reagan’s “clean up cheating welfare mothers”   I was  tossed off  SS Disability, no appeal, and  was  back to 1977 all over  again.  Reapplied  thanks  again to marvelous  Disabled American Vets. My legal counsel 4th time as I met  again 3rd time with the SS Admin  Judge and  was  recovering  both health and  finances  by  Dec. ’91.

I began to think there’s  gotta  be  a better  way to pay for  things  we need .  1993  I took over  Dorly’s investment  act.  never made  a  cent  except  for  Thompson Financial Products  broker  in  LA Land. She was  doing well selling homes  but  the  stock she  took on,  great names  but  pure  shit returns. Problem as  Realtor  is  expenses  are  FIERCE and  you  need  to SAVE when the  cash comes in  after  long  weeks of  work in that  severe Savings and Loan  crash era. Only  big Texas bank to survive  was Frost who just  did  not  do bad  loans. Rest  sold  off  to out of  state  nationals still.  But is  a story there  yet. 8