Growing up wasn't always easy for Kelly. She was the baby of the family, with four older brothers and sisters. Sitting in Catholic school, she tried to be the cute little girl she was supposed to be but on the playground, she was a terror. At the age of 5, she joined her first soccer league, which happened to be a boys' team. Things stayed the same way until she got to high school. She began to notice boys and began to date. No one in her family had ever talked to her about the "birds and the bees," or even a

bout dating. Instead, independence, self-reliance, and strength were the most important things. If they had problems, they worked it out on their own. This served her poorly when she found herself in trouble with the Air Force years later. (pg. 9)

As her case evolved, much of the reporting was overly sympathetic to Kelly and understated the severity of the charges against her and painted the military justice system in the worst possible way; as an unfair, faceless bureaucracy intent on rooting out illicit sexual behavior. But Kelly did not see things that way. She felt as if her whole life was falling apart just because she had fallen in love with the wrong man. She found out Mark had lied to her about everything. Her lawyers had gathered evidence that proved Mark was a pathological liar including six letters from other women and different bases that said he had done the same things to them. The evidence was not allowed to be permitted in court. Kelly asked for a reduction in charges and it was denied. She asked for a non-criminal court-martial and it also was denied. There had been rumor that she would be granted an honorary discharge but when she put in her paperwork she soon realized it was just a rumor - it was denied too. Finally, her lawyers and family convinced her the only thing she could do was accept a general discharge from the Air Force to avoid going to prison. She ultimately accepted her fate and signed her resignation papers on May 28, 1997. She considers herself lucky in spite of everything that has happened. The Air Force may have ruined her career but it did not destroy her life and she gained a great education and some insight into love and real life. She has learned from her mistakes.

When Kelly was 15, she went to Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama. She found out how much she loved space and the challenge and the control she experienced. After Space Camp, she knew what she had to do and how to do it. She was going to go to the Air Force Academy and learn how to fly. She spent the next years in high school studying, joining clubs, and filling out applications. In late spring of her senior year, she finally got her acceptance letter. Then, a few weeks later, she received a letter from the Academy that she wasn't qualified to be a pilot because of her poor vision. "I felt as i

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Approximate Word count = 1581
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)