{"id":1677,"date":"2018-01-29T11:26:09","date_gmt":"2018-01-29T16:26:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aparadiseforparents.com\/?page_id=1677"},"modified":"2022-05-26T11:12:02","modified_gmt":"2022-05-26T18:12:02","slug":"hal-cranmer","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/aparadiseforparents.com\/hal-cranmer\/","title":{"rendered":"Hal Cranmer"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
1967<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
I was a large 9.5 pound baby born in the American Embassy hospital in New Delhi, India. My Mom said there were ants crawling up her IV tube when she gave birth to me. It was definitely not a first world country back then.<\/p>
We spent the first three years of my life in India. My Dad was a Foreign Service Officer at the Embassy and my Mom was a housewife. Right before we left India, my parents gave me a great baby brother. We moved to Connecticut in 1970 and I started school.<\/p><\/div> \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
1976<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
Both my parents lost their fathers when they were young kids \u2013 my Dad lost his Dad to lung cancer when he was four and my Mom\u2019s father passed away in a car accident. My Dad\u2019s mother passed away when I was very young. The grandparents I really knew were my maternal Grandmother, and my paternal Step-Grandfather. They seemed to be around me all the time.<\/p>
My grandmother was tons of fun and she adored her grandkids. She showed me so much love and came with us on lots of vacations. We loved having her around. \u2018Nana\u2019 also owned an apartment building, and gave me my first introduction into owning real estate.<\/p>
My Step-Grandfather was a genuine American hero. \u201cJohnny\u201d ran away from his farm in Iowa in the Great Depression and joined the Navy at age 15! Back then you could lie about your age to enlist. He served 28 years, seeing action in both World War II and the Korean War. He won three Navy Crosses, and earned a battlefield commission. He was asked to retire as a Navy Commander when he broke an Admiral\u2019s jaw in a barroom brawl!<\/p>
My Grandfather didn\u2019t like to talk too much about his service because he saw a lot of bad things. But I was hooked on every story he was willing to share.<\/p><\/div> \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
1977<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
When I was in Junior High, my Dad was working for Mobil Oil. Mobil decided to transfer him to London and off we went. I went to an English \u2018Public\u2019 school (what we would call private in America) and learned how to play Cricket and Rugby.<\/p>
Living in London meant lots of visitors. We loved seeing all my friends from Connecticut come over, but what I really loved was seeing my grandparents. I always thought Nana and Johnny knew so much about everything. It was great for me to turn the tables and show them around London. I felt like their tour guide. Both Grandparents were very good at pretending to be completely interested in what I had to say.<\/p><\/div> \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
1980<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
Mobil decided to move my Dad back to Connecticut after three years abroad. It was my last year of Junior High and then on to High School.<\/p>
I was your average high school kid \u2013 girls, football and wrestling were my top three priorities. In that order. I was definitely not the greatest athlete in the world, but I loved playing sports and hanging out with the guys on the team.<\/p><\/div> \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
1985<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
When it came time for picking colleges, my Grandfather had a huge influence on me. From seeing the shrapnel scars in his back, to hearing some of his stories, I always wanted to be like him. That\u2019s why I quickly gave up looking at regular colleges and set my sites on the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, CO.<\/p>
Many of my friends wondered why I would go in the military. Many of them had Dad\u2019s that worked on Wall Street and they saw following that path as a sure way to wealth. Some of them are doing VERY well.<\/p>
I guess I saw how proud my Grandfather was of his service. I wanted to be like that too. Although it wasn\u2019t the Navy (and I had to listen to my Grandfather\u2019s ribbing all the time \u2013 especially about being an Academy Grad), I could tell he was very proud of me.<\/p><\/div> \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
1989<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
Pretty much everyone who went to the Air Force Academy and was medically qualified attended flight school after graduation.<\/p>
Flight school also gave me my first taste of Arizona. I was assigned to Williams Air Force Base for flight training. Williams later became Mesa Gateway Field in Chandler, AZ. I fell in love with the desert from my first day down here. The red rocks, breathtaking sunsets, and all the places to go nearby made me think I don\u2019t want to live anywhere else.<\/p>
There was an awful lot of testosterone flowing in flight training. We all wanted to be fighter pilots for the greatest Country on Earth! Alas for me it was not meant to be. My class started with about 35 students and only about 18 graduated. I was in the lower portion that graduated, and only the top 3 or 4 received assignments to fly fighter aircraft.<\/p>
During flight school my grandfather passed away. It was a REALLY tough blow. I took some leave to go to his funeral at Arlington Military Cemetery in Maryland. The people at Arlington gave my Grandfather a beautiful ceremonial burial. My brother (an Army guy) and me both wore our uniforms to the funeral.<\/p>
Back in flight school, it was time to select your aircraft. I knew I was not in the running for a fighter. So instead I wrote:<\/p>
\u201cI will fly anything, as long as I can stay in the United States\u201d<\/p>
In the infinite wisdom of the Air Force, they put me in a small twin-engine VIP transport plane based out of Okinawa, Japan. One of only 4 people in my class to go overseas.<\/p><\/div> \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
1990<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
<\/p>
Little did I know flying a small plane around the Far East would be such an unbelievable experience. I flew into places like Vietnam, Hong Kong, The Philippines, Cambodia, Malaysia and Indonesia. It was the experience of a lifetime.<\/p>
I lived in an apartment on the beach and watched the sunset over the ocean every night out of my bedroom window. I taught Scuba Diving on the side and loved my life.<\/p>
But there was one big hole in my life. Andrea, my girlfriend from college, was still back in the United States. She was the reason I wanted to stay in the US. The long distance relationship was incredibly tough. So was the phone bill in the days before the Internet.<\/p>
Then one day she called me up and said she was coming out to see me for two weeks. The phone call was one of the happiest days of my life. A week after she arrived we were engaged.<\/p>
Five months later we were married. We lived together on Okinawa for about four magical months before I was scheduled to rotate back to the US.<\/p><\/div> \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
1993<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
<\/p>
My next Air Force assignment was flying MC-130 airplanes for the Special Operations command. These were the planes that participated (unsuccessfully) in the Iranian Hostage Rescue Mission in 1980 and recently dropped the MOAB (Mother of All Bombs) on Afghanistan in 2017.<\/p>
We lived near Pensacola, Florida for about 7 years, although I was on deployment for most of it \u2013 mostly to Bosnia, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Kosovo and Turkey. I also spent some time in Africa.<\/p>
Flying was a blast, but I sure missed my family. I was gone 4-6 months a year. During our time in Florida we were blessed with the birth of our beautiful daughter and wonderful son. My grandmother was also contracting Alzheimer\u2019s and my mother was a saint for taking care of her. I was amazed at how much love my Mom showed taking care of Nana.<\/p>
The final straw was when I came home from a 4-month deployment. I picked up my daughter when I stepped off the airplane back in Florida and she started screaming. She didn\u2019t recognize her Daddy. The night before I left on deployment she started crawling. When I returned she was walking.<\/p>
I needed another line of work.<\/p><\/div> \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
1999<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
<\/p>
After that last deployment, I submitted my application to the airlines. US Airways was the first to call. I interviewed and was hired. These were the days of 20%+ stock market returns and an overheated economy. Airlines could not hire pilots fast enough.<\/p>
US Air based me out of Boston and we moved to New Hampshire. We enjoyed a much more relaxed lifestyle and I spent a lot of time with my kids. I still flew a bunch, but I was home a lot more than I was working.<\/p>
I also joined the New Hampshire Air National Guard (NHANG) to continue working towards retirement. The NHANG flew KC-135\u2019s, which refuel all the other Air Force planes in flight. Think of the military equivalent of the 707.<\/p>
During this time, my Grandmother succumbed to her Alzheimer\u2019s. I was devastated to lose her. Soon after she passed away, we also lost her cousin Lil. It was a very tough time. Lil was like another Grandmother to me.<\/p><\/div> \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
2001<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
So many people\u2019s lives were changed on that day in 2001. My family\u2019s lives were no exception. The months after 9\/11 were very tough for the airline industry. Thousands of airline employees were furloughed. My last day with US Air was in December, 2001.<\/p>
The real trouble with being a pilot at that time was that all the airlines were furloughing people. That meant that nobody was hiring. And when they would start hiring, they were obligated to take back all the people they furloughed before they hired new people. My job prospects at the airlines were slim to none.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section> I came home to my wife with news of my layoff. She had news of her own. The conversation went something like this:<\/p> \u201cGuess what \u2013 I just got laid off\u201d<\/p> \u201cGuess what \u2013 I\u2019m pregnant\u201d<\/p> Life was going to about to become very interesting.<\/p> The New Hampshire Air Guard took the opposite position of US Airways. They would not let me leave even if I wanted to quit. After 9\/11, nobody was allowed to leave the military for a while. They called it \u2018Stop Loss\u2019.<\/p> While I was trying to figure out what I was going to do to support my family, the Air Force decided to send me to Altus, Oklahoma to learn to fly the KC-135. I spent four months there learning to fly the plane, while spending my free time trying to find a job.<\/p> After about 8 months I found a job in Minnesota. Andrea\u2019s sister landed me an interview as an internal financial auditor with a large manufacturing company. I must have made a decent impression on my future boss, because I didn\u2019t know squat about internal auditing.<\/p> Right after we made it to Minnesota, my third child and second son was born.<\/p> My boss decided to take a chance on me anyway. I spent two years travelling all over the world to the company\u2019s plants and receiving an incredible financial education. The other auditors helped me get up to speed. Pretty soon people actually thought I knew what I was talking about.<\/p> Those two years were supposed to be an introduction to the company, and for different businesses to evaluate the auditors. One of the company\u2019s subsidiaries in Minnesota offered me a position in their purchasing department. I spent two years working in purchasing for an industrial sheet metal plant.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section> Purchasing seemed like a great fit for me, but I missed aviation. The airlines were just starting to recover from 9\/11 but were not ready to hire me back. If I couldn\u2019t fly, I wanted to work around airplanes. So I started looking and found a job in purchasing for a large aerospace manufacturing plant.<\/p> I received several promotions working in my new company. By 2012 I was a Supply Chain Director in charge of $400 million in annual purchases. My career seemed to be moving along well, but it wasn\u2019t fast enough for me.<\/p> In addition to work, I decided to try setting up my own little gig on the side. I started flipping homes and buying rental properties around Minneapolis back in 2006, especially for student housing around the University of Minnesota. I really enjoyed being my own boss and making a decent income on the side. I flipped 4 homes, built one and bought and sold 8 rental properties. I still have three of them.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section><\/div> \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t