All or Nothing

About the Book

After my retirement, decisions had to be made to exist in this society. Immediately after receiving my first official United States Air Force retirement check of $315.00, it wasn’t enough money to buy a toothpick to go with a glass of water, let alone enough change for a tip to leave for the waitress. The family and I talked freely of what had to be done to pay the basic bills. One consolation was that my wife was a qualified California Real Estate Broker, but that often didn’t provide enough money to buy a loaf of bread and butter to put on the table unless she closed some large real estate sales package. We had a give-and-take ordeal and had to weigh each option or requirement for funds. After researching all the choices of acceptable approaches, I elected to enter the electronics field using my VA education bill. My first step was to visit the Veterans’ Administration within the Los Angeles area. Many attempts were made because of changing government requirements on submission of required correspondence. Numerous forms had to be filled out correctly, because the amount of support would be based on the input information. So I lucked out for the maximum amount to be paid for attending.

About the Author

All or Nothing is the inspiring autobiography of Wayne Kuschel. He was born in Ellsworth, Wisconsin, on December 6, 1923, during the early years of the Depression era. He was fortunate to attend good schools from the first through the eighth grades. Bernice Pace, his teacher for several grades, was the sole reason that he did so well in his educational endeavors. Wayne received his eighth-grade diploma in 1938. Instead of attending high school, he went to work on several farms, earning six dollars per month, with room and board. In the early part of 1940, he noticed a billboard advertising the US Army plastered with “see the world, adventure, etc.” He was sworn into the army on June 12, 1940 at Fort Snelling, Minnesota—at the age of sixteen. After a successful career in the army, Wayne retired in 1960 with the rank of Major. He accepted a position with the US Army Aviation Systems Command in Saint Louis, Missouri, a short time after his retirement from the Air Force. He held several executive management positions with the agency and retired from there in 1979. His wife, Dorothy, died in January, 2002. Wayne currently lives in Henrietta, Texas.