Smoke Signals 9
FEBRUARY 1, 2004
New Information Systems Technician Is "Here To Help"
By Peta Tinda
Tanner Fish is the new Help Desk Technician
for the Tribe's Information Systems Department.
He grew up in Oregon, but moved around a
lot. He attended high school in Redmond and
now lives in Salem.
After high school, he enlisted in the Marine
Corps, where he served a nine-year stint as a
Computer Maintenance and Network Techni
cian. "I'm basically here to help," he said. "When
someone calls I come in and assess the situation
to see what I can do. I fix printers or any other
problems people have with their computers."
He is a certified Microsoft Systems Adminis
trator. He originally enlisted in the Marines to work
on avionics for FA-18 fighter jets and then
transferred over to the computer job.
"I really enjoy working on computers," he said.
"Because it's so challenging. It's very rarely ever
the same there's always something new to
figure out."
When he was in the Marines, Fish moved
around frequently, like a lot of servicemen.
He went to boot camp in Memphis, Tennessee
and then was stationed in Lamore, California
then Miramar, California before being sent to
Iwakuni, Japan located just south of Hiroshima,
for an additional six months.
Then he was stationed briefly in Athens, Geor
gia. Soon afterwards, he was transferred to
Kyrgyzstan, a former Soviet republic located just
above Afghanistan, where he worked on com
puters and served as a liaison between the Ma-
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Tanner Fish
rines and the Air Force.
Krygyzstan was absorbed into Russia after
World War II and was controlled by the USSR
for over 75 years. After the Soviet Union col
lapsed in 1991, the country emerged as a demo
cratic state. The country is dominated by a mas
sive mountain range and the majority of the
population is descendant of nomadic Turkic
peoples that roamed Central Asia for centuries.
"The coolest thing in Kyrgyzstan was the capi
tal city Bishkek," he said. "Which during the
Afghan-Soviet war, was a base for Soviet bomb
ers, who would go bomb the Afghans it was
kind of ironic, since that was the same thing we
were doing," he said. The Soviets built the city
when they were there and it must have been
really beautiful. Nowadays it looks like some
post-apocalyptic scene the buildings are fall
ing apart, all the streets have huge potholes, be
cause there's no one to take care of them."
While in the city, Fish and his fellow soldiers
would volunteer to work with the Habitat for
Humanity teams that were there, building
houses and schools.
"They (the Kyrgyzstanis) were always so
thankful and very appreciative of our help. We'd
stop in the middle of the day and have lunch
and they would share their lunch with us. If
you can imagine pouring sidewalks with no ce
ment mixer we'd dump it into a wheelbarrow
and mix it with shovels, then try to hurry up
and lay it down. It was like working in the most
primitive circumstances. We'd get back to base
and be dead tired, but that was the coolest thing
about being over there," he said.
Fish got out of the Marines in May of 2003,
and was hired by the Tribe six months later.
He says that the job he did while enlisted and
his current position is very similar.
"The job is basically the same. I deal with dif
ferent systems, but it mostly the same I an
swer trouble calls, go out and assist people, that
kind of thing."
Fish said that he looks forward to helping
people with whatever computer-related problems
they may have.
"I'm here to help with any issues so that people
can be more productive at their jobs through the
use of computers, " he said.
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-9
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Crab Feed February 9
Wayne Newton Concert February 12-13
Coos Bay Honor Days March 18-20
Tribal Jackets for the Elders fact finding on price, colors, mate
rials and styles is still in the works. The goal for the design of the
jackets is to be done in the spring of 2004. When completed the de
sign and cost information will be made available to the Tribal Elders.
:
If' .
Travis Stewart Mercier
Happy 30th Birthday
Happy 4th Birthday
Isabell Bobb
Love, Mom, Dad,
Wilson, and Abby
Happy Birthday
Sasheene
Marie Baker
We love you and are
glad you are home.
Love, Daddy, Gramma, Ginger, Keri,
Kelsey and the rest of your family.
pi mn mi urn,)
Happy 4th Birthday
Anthony Simmons
Love Mommy & Family
Happy 70th BiwChday
JaanfCa Lee
Janciany 2.3, 1934
Happy 3rd Birthday
Dyami Eastman
L,r, , n J iai1rf ... , ,1
Love, Mommy,
Daddy tV Tamily