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| Home |  |
Preface | |
A Brief History | |
A Beginning | |
Drum Castle | |
Necarne-Castle Irvine | |
Family Tree |
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William Henry Kettig Irvine I was born with the name of William Kettig Irvine on July 12, 1969. I was named after my maternal grandfather, William Henry Kettig Jr. My mother and father always said that they wanted to put the name Henry on my birth certificate, but reluctantly, did not. In June of 1994, before I left for a tour in Korea, I petitioned the court, with the help of my cousin, Anne Carson Irvine (a lawyer), and had my name legally (and finally) changed to William Henry Kettig Irvine. This was a very important stage in my life and also helped me retrieve my just identity. When I was about 10 years old and in fourth grade, I was trying to make a statement by physically writing my name as Henry Irvine on all of my papers. This was some what of a surprise to my teacher, Mrs. Harvey, so she made inquiries to my parents as to my sudden "identity crisis." They told her that I was trying to find my true identity about my name and thus the confusion of life as child was started. |
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The military life was now somewhere that he felt at home. For once, discipline was sought and found in the Air Force. William moved around with the Air Force seeing the world. In November 1990, after graduating from Basic, he moved to Sheppard AFB, Witchita Falls, Texas, until February, 1991 for Technical Training. In February 1991, permanent change of station to Castle Air Force Base, Merced, California. During a 3-1/2 year tour, he went temporary duty (TDY) to places like, Diego Garcia, July to November, 1991; Kadena AB, Okinawa, Japan, December 1991; a brief stay back at Castle to improve on skills as a Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Specialist. In December 1992, he went to Dhahran, Saudi Arabia for his first tour in "the Desert". This was at the end of the Persian Gulf war and he was witness to planes leaving the runway on their way to Baghdad, Iraq, for several bombing missions. This was an exciting time to say the least --- also a frightening one. After 102 days of duty in Saudi, he returned home to California in April 1993 where he endured more upgrade training in his field and became a 5 level Technician in Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration. In October 1993, he returned to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia where he worked in Eskan Village, the living quarters area for more than 20,000 US Air Force and Army personnel. On
January 31, 1994, William returned home from Saudi a seasoned
veteran of "Desert Storm/Shield" and remained in California
until June 1994. In June 1994, he received orders
for Osan AB, South Korea, this was his home for 1 year.
While in Korea, the North Koreans were in conflict with
the US over nuclear arms and inspection of facilities that
housed such weapons. Another trying time in military
history, the North Koreans would not allow inspection of
their facilities and the US was on the defensive.
During this time, an Army helicopter crashed landed north
of the DMZ and the occupants were all taken hostage.
Former President Jimmy Carter came to Korea for the negotiations.
After approximately three weeks, the hostages were released.
Let me say that the tension felt throughout Korea at this
point was very intense. On June 24, 1995, William boarded the "Freedom Bird" and departed Korea for his new home at Maxwell Air Force Base, Montgomery Alabama. He spent the next three weeks in Daphne Alabama on well-needed leave with his family and friends. In July 1995, he reported to Maxwell AFB to start his new job. He worked as a HVAC/R technician in Zone 1 until 1998 when he became to new "guru" of the Energy Management Control Systems (EMCS) shop. In this shop, he was able to learn the vast skills of an EMCS operator and programmer. Working with computers was the calling he was looking for in life. He took charge of the operations, monitoring, programming and upkeep of over $250K of equipment while also improving the base's $13 million energy bill. After attending a series of schools to include, University of Montevallo, 1987-88; Faulkner State Jr College, Fairhope AL, 1988-89; University of Maryland, Osan AB, Korea, 1994-95; Community College of the Air Force, 1990-1996, earning an Associate of Arts degree in Mechanical and Electrical Technology; Central Texas College, 1995, Osan AB, Korea; finally, Troy State University, Montgomery Alabama, 1997 - June 2001, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Computer Information Systems (CIS). In August 2001, after graduating from Troy State University in Montgomery, he was hand picked by his Squadron Commander to become the Base Utility Manager. In this new role, he is in charge of billing and certification of Maxwell AFB/Gunter Annex' Utility Management program. This program consists of approx. $13.6M consumed annually by base customers in Electrical Power, Natural Gas, and Potable Water. Hoping to improve the way billing is handled, his new venture will prove to be a worthy challenge and an overall beneficial experience. On August 23, 2003, William married Courtenay Michelle Frew of Atlanta, GA. Courtenay is the daughter of Charles and Reta Frew of Atlanta, GA. The couple was married in Atlanta at Eastminster Presbyterian Church with the reception to follow at The Pavilion in Buckhead. We divorced on 18 March 2008 in Biloxi, MS. William Henry Kettig Irvine Email: Contact Me
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Issue :- Nathaniel Charles Irvine, b. January 10, 2006, Atlanta, GA; |
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