My name is Mark Kunz.  I am a diabetic. I have lived a dual life as a diabetic; one of a hard-headed, non compliant diabetic, and the other as a man that finally realized he couldn't beat the disease.  I either live within the boundaries of compliance to my hyperglycemia or suffer the consequences!  I've finally chosen the latter. I experienced a rather normal childhood/adolescence.  My father was an officer in the Air Force, and other than moving a lot I lived a very normal life.  I was blessed with being born into a loving family and never had to worry about illness other than an occasional cold or flu.  We were a health bunch, and lived life to the fullest. From my birthplace in Honolulu, HI to the frozen north of Fairbanks. AK, we saw much of the country and had fun with our adventures! I had no idea how my life would change within the early years of my adulthood. I followed in my father's footsteps and became an officer in the US Army.  I flew Scout helicopters as a Hunter-Killer team commander with the 101st Airborne "Screaming Eagles".  I was so fortunate to find a career that enabled me to fly, and one that filled me with the knowledge that I was proudly serving my country.  I truly loved everything I was being blessed with! I was young, health6y 10ft. tall and bullet=proof, or so I thought.  i was about to learn that the good times can come to a screeching halt! My last flight as a pilot-in-command took place in March, 1984.  I was commanding a flight of 4 helicopters on a cross-country flight.  I had a student pilot on board and was teaching him the finer points of leading a formation of choppers.  We had flown from Ft. Campbell, KY to Indiana, on to Missouri and finally into Navy Memphis Air Station in Memphis, TN.  I remember feeling a little tired as we pulled pitch out of Memphis. but attributed it to the few hours we had logged in the air and to the 5-mile run I had completed with my platoon earlier that morning.  We were approximately 1 hour from landing when I looked at my student and told him I wasn't feeling too well.  I then proceeded to pass out.  I woke up in a hospital room in Ft. Campbell.  It was there that I learned I was a Tupe-1 diabetic, and that I would never know the joy of piloting a combat aircraft again.   READ MORE>>