Posted by Wendi Waits '94 on November 24, 2011:

Kim and I were battle buddies during our first 2 years of med school at USUHS. We spent many hours together poring over anatomy, pathology, microbiology, pharmacology... you name it. On study breaks, we would get some take-out, hit the gym, or take our dogs for a walk. I will always have very fond memories of those long days. Kim was exceedingly humble and exceptionally funny. I even visited her parents' house in Ohio once over a 4th of July weekend. Her father took me for a ride on his Harley and we watched the fireworks from the Ohio State lawn. Good times. Once, when she was flipping through a pile of papers in her apartment, a newspaper clipping fell out with her picture on it. I asked her what it was, and she said, "Oh, the spelling bee." I said, "What spelling bee?" She said, "The National Spelling Bee." She had placed 2nd... and in true West Point fashion she was not proud of her 2nd place. She was upset that she hadn't won! She is also the only person I know who already had 4 years of college and a bachelor's degree under their belt BEFORE starting West Point. Her reason for going the the Academy? "I wanted a challenge. Ohio State wasn't a challenge." Kim was stationed at Ft. Bragg before USUHS and deployed to Somalia in 1993 with the 18th ABN Corps during Operation Restore Hope. As such, she was one of the few officers in our med school class to wear a combat patch, yet she rarely talked about her service and always played down her accomplishments. Kim and I grew apart as we entered the clinical years, but I distinctly remember her giving me a congratulatory hug at our graduation. I will hold my memories of that happy day close to my heart. I know life was not always easy for Kim and it is obvious from internet postings that she experienced an unfortunate fall from grace after her military career. However, those of us who knew her best can only hope that now that she is free of her mortal shackles, she is back to making people feel happy again. May God love and protect you Kim. Thanks for the memories.

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