A Veteran's Journey

Trivia Questions (Answers @ end)

1. Who said, “The world always seems brighter when you’ve just made something that wasn’t there before.”?
2. In what movie (and who said it) did we hear, “When are you going to get it into your head? We’re in this together!”?
3. In what song (and who sang it) did we hear the following?
   There’s a whole lotta people lookin’ down their noses at me
   ‘Cause I didn’t come from a wealthy family
   There was ten of us livin’ in a two-room shack
   On the banks of the river by the railroad track

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USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63) – October 1975
Somewhere in the South China Sea
PI Liberty, Part 1: The Day Before

Almost two weeks out here in the middle of the South China Sea. Lord knows where we are, but it feels like we’ve been flying around the clock for the entire time we’ve been out this time. I know we haven’t, but sometimes, these 16-18 hours on the flight deck sure seem like it.

It must be mid-afternoon, since I’d already had noon chow, though the HC&C (bologna) sandwiches just didn’t do it for me. But I made sure most of my Crash crew got down to the mess hall for something (hopefully) tasty. Probably Kitty Hawk “steak” (roast beef), mashed potatoes & gravy, canned beans, and bread. And a cold soda to wash it down. Well, at least it’s hot.

I’m tired, I’m hot, and I’m greasy from head to toe from the hot jet exhaust. A heavy rainstorm would give us a nice break to strip off our jerseys and soak in some cool rain to douse this heat dripping down the back of my neck. Maybe the Captain will find another rainstorm to take us through this afternoon.

Enough Whining…

“Hey, Chet. Quit your daydreaming and get your head out of your ass. We’ll be back in PI tomorrow in no time flat.”

I look over to see my good friend, Glenn Law, walking my way. Glenn & I go way back to where we first met at NAS Agana, Guam. Glenn was there a few weeks before I arrived in November 1973. He was an E-3 airman back then; I was an E-2 airman apprentice, barely out of ABH “A” School.

He and I would become great friends and roommates in the old renovated WWII barracks while in Guam. We both made ABH-3 before transferring to Kitty Hawk. In fact, we left Guam on the same day on the same Northwest Orient 707 “Freedom Flight” back to the states.

Glenn was from Council Grove, Kansas. I think he played football: broad muscular shoulders and tree-trunk arms. But his smile… his radiant smile would brighten up anybody’s day. He was also one of the best Yellow Shirt directors on the flight deck; amidships in Fly 2. Always a smile, always had your back. They don’t come much better than Glenn.

“Hey, Lawman. Yeah, I know. I’m ready for a break from this heat. I think we all are. Any idea what time we pull into port tomorrow?”

Scrub the Flight Deck

“Beats the hell outta me, Chet. Probably mid-morning, like usual. First things first, though. We gotta scrub the flight deck.”

“More fun than a barrel of drunk monkeys. Who’s driving the lead tractor today?”

“I’ll check with Mahon, but I think he said Sharpie’s crew would dish out the Zep. I don’t know who’s driving the scrubbers.” We all had nicknames; “Sharpie” was Dave Sharp. He was from Texarkana, though I don’t know which side of the state line: Texas or Arkansas. That always confused this southern kid from Florida. Dennis Mahon was the Tractor King, in charge of all the aircraft tow tractors.

“I see they’re already starting to spot the aircraft forward. Gotta go help move these birds, Chet. See you later.”

It took a little while to move all the birds from the fantail forward, but it looks like we’ll be scrubbing only Fly 2 and Fly 3 today. I guess they’ll scrub Fly 1 once in port. It wouldn’t be the first time, but with so many aircraft still on board, we needed to make room.

Fortunately, I get to lead one of the four teams on the fire hoses. Just like the old “three-minute Navy showers,” we first wet the flight deck down, then the lead tow tractor spreads the Zep soap around, then the two trailing tractors follow. We attach a 12-foot rope to a pallet fit with big broom scrub brushes and two guys each sitting on them for weight. Let’s hope they don’t start another race.

They’re good, but not that good, especially when turning the tight corners with two guys holding on for dear life. Reminds me of my times water skiing around Kingsley Lake, Florida. Fun to stand back and watch, though.

After they’ve had their fun, it’s now our turn. It’s still hot & miserable, but I know what’s soon to come: welcomed relief.

“Ready on the right?” I look to the right. “Ready on the left?” I look to the left. It’s useless because no one hears me, but I saw it in a movie sometime back.

With five guys behind me on my 2½” fire hose, we can probably push through and get our side of the deck washed in no time, pushing the soap down the flight deck and off into the catwalks. But if I did that, we’d finish too soon and… without a contest to see who’d get the wettest.

Water Fights

I look over to my port side toward the island to see who’s manning that fire hose. Well, if it’s not my good buddy Jack Kuiphoff, a Yellow Shirt director in Fly 1. I look out in front of me and we’ve washed most of the soap down the deck. I ease up a bit and let Kuiphoff catch up, just to get a little downwind of us.

I look behind me at my hose crew with a big grin.

“Ready?” I ask. They know what’s coming next.

We sweep the 2½” hose back and forth in front of us and inch over toward Jack’s crew. One of them sees what we’re doing, but we’re a few seconds ahead. Besides, Jack’s only got four guys on his hose; he’ll be a little slower to react.

“Now!” I holler and my five guys all move to the right while I swing the hose to the left, aiming upwind with a slight arc. Jack’s entire crew is slow to move, so they’re getting soaked by my team’s fire hose. Besides, we’ve got the advantage: we’re upwind.

Uh-oh… here comes Chief Breig, the Flight Deck Chief. “Adkins, knock it off.”

“Sorry Chief. I musta hit a slick spot and lost my footing. Won’t happen again.”

Both of us smile; he knows we “won.” I look over at Jack; a slight smirk that said it all: “Next time, Chet… next time.”

All in good fun and after a time at sea, it’s a morale booster for all of us. I bet even the Captain & the crew on the bridge are enjoying these flight deck shenanigans.

Down Time

Well, at least we’re close enough to PI we’re not flying anymore. A nice welcomed relief.

After a luxurious 3-minute shower to wash off the day’s crud and a good sit-down meal in the mess hall, I head up to the flight deck. It’s dark, but it’s the place to be for me.

Last night at sea before hitting port. Everyone’s always ready & anxious. And because payday is not until the day after we pull in, that means there’s money to be made.

Let me take a brief moment to explain a few things.

First of all, it’s 1975 and I’m twenty years old. In the states, I wouldn’t be old enough to “legally” set foot in a bar. But out here, in the rest of the world, I’m old enough. And… I’ve been drinking like a sailor for at least two years. Not knee-crawling, commode-hugging drunk, mind you. But there were times when I needed help finding my way back to the ship.

Anyone else?

Sharks…

Second, most of the guys on the ship, are 18-, 19-, and 20- year-olds, like me. Barely out of high school, but having the time of their lives. When you’re that young and in a port like the Philippines, let’s just say your money often runs out before the next payday, especially the night before leaving for an at sea time… like this last time.

That usually spells “opportunity,” as my good friend “Big Willie,” has taught me. “BW” (ABH-2 Shelby Williams) is a second class petty officer and the assistant Crash Leading Petty Officer (LPO). A great guy, too. He’s also a disc jockey on Kitty Hawk’s soul radio station (KSOL) and got me a time slot as a DJ on the country radio station (KRAL): “Country Chet Adkins.”

And… Big Willie taught me to save my money for times like this. Why? Because I can loan out $20 today and get paid back $40 on payday. Simple math. I don’t know any better way to make quick money. I haven’t bothered to ask if it’s legal, but there’s a lot of guys who do it. So… why not?

And, since I have duty the first day in port, that makes it all better, right? There are a lot of guys who will need a little “extra” cash for drinking, eating, and… whatever other activities they may find.

The Night Before

It’s calm tonight. With no flight ops scheduled, it’s a great opportunity to get out and enjoy the night sky. Nothing like seeing gazillions of sparkling stars when at sea. There’s no light pollution and only a few clouds; the moon is out bright, almost a full moon. The air is clear, clean, and fresh—no hot jet exhaust; that’s a welcomed relief, too.

From the flight deck, the moon’s reflection on the calm ocean water seems to lay a wide path, almost like you could walk from the ship to the horizon and touch the moon. It’s a serene setting and one that I’ve come to cherish. Even the nights out on the dock at Kingsley Lake weren’t as spectacular, though that’s where I find a lot of my thoughts these days.

Tomorrow we’ll pull into PI. Glenn said he thought about mid-morning, so I’ll at least get to wake people up with my 6am radio show… “Good mornin’ to ya, Kitty Hawk. It’s six o’clock, time for the ol’ Country Chet Adkins show.” That’s how I’ll start my day, along with Chet Atkins’ guitar solo, “Yakety Axe.”

It’s late and I’ve got duty tomorrow after my show. So, time to turn in. Hopefully, the poker games in the V-1 Division berthing compartment won’t be too loud tonight after TAPS. But I can always wear my ear plugs. It wouldn’t be the first time.

Good night for now… from USS Kitty Hawk… somewhere out in the South China Sea.

Next stop (next blog): “PI Liberty.”

Until we meet again,
Andy

Answers

1. Neil Gaiman.  
2. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007), Hermione Granger (Emma Watson).
3. Po’ Folks (1962), Bill Anderson; written by Bill Anderson.

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Previous posts mentioned in this blog:

• #19 – The 3-Minute Navy Shower: A Luxury, Compared to…
• #62 – Flight Deck Shenanigans
• #39 – Good Morning to ya, Kitty Hawk