A Veteran's Journey

Trivia Questions (Answers @ end)

1. Who said, “When things go wrong, don’t go with them.”?
2. In what movie (and how said it) did we hear, “We’re Marines, sir. We’re paid to adapt, to improve, to overcome.”?
3. In what song (and who sang it) did we hear,
   Sometimes in our lives
   We all have pain
   We all have sorrow
   But if we are wise
   We know that there’s always tomorrow

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Thanks to those who commented on my previous blog, #112—“Eject! Eject! – Excitement from the Flight Deck.” Several comments were spot on and reminded me of things I’d forgotten. Here are a few more shared “memories:”

• We had a Student Naval Flight Officer at VT-86 in Pensacola eject from a TF-9 Cougar sitting on the ramp in ’73. The Cougars had been retrofitted with Martin-Baker zero/zero seats and he was unhurt. The next day Martin-Baker called the squadron and said, “It worked?!? Great!”
• I was on that cruise [Westpac ’75] with VA-52. I was on the bow troubleshooting and cat checking our A-6s. When we saw what happened we hauled ass back away from the bow; it got hairy.
• Saw the same thing happen at Cubi in 1969. I was at the Midway hangar over by the flight line on that side of the runway. A Marine F-4 started its takeoff roll. Just about halfway down the runway, it jumped into the air way before it should have. It rolled to the right and the crew ejected. They landed near the tower. The plane rolled inverted and crashed into the hillside below the “O” Club. The elevator control pack failed and when that happens, the elevators go full nose up and lock there. Fortunately, the crew got out and the only loss was the plane and a bunch of jungle trees and brush.
• You described it very well — everything on the flight deck seems to happen at 100 mph, 24-7.

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Warning: the following post contains three languages:
English, Military, and Navy.
Some readers may find two of the languages “offensive.”

I left the Navy in July 1977 after my four-year enlistment was up. Actually, it was Three Years, Eleven Months, & 29 Days… But Who’s Counting.

Funny thing, though… and I’ve heard this from many veterans, not just Navy veterans: “I left the Navy, but the Navy never left me.”

Those four years straightened me out. Not that I was crooked or on a wrong path, mind you. No, I think it was because I graduated high school in 1972 when I was 17 years old and “tried” college—Florida State University. After a year, they sent me “the letter,” asking me to leave: “Dismissed for academic reasons.” All because I had a 0.7 GPA.

I had no earthly clue what to do with my life. Let’s just say I grew up in the Navy, got my act together, and from thence forward, I did okay. Today, I’m 67 and now retired, yet I seem to be almost as busy as I was during my working years.

But many of those Navy terms and phrases never left me… and, some are still quite appropriate to use.

“Another Day in Paradise”

Since I am retired, I could almost say that every day is Another Day in Paradise. Most of the time it is, at least, where I am. My wife & I are safe & healthy, got a roof over our heads, plenty of food in the fridge, and plenty of booze in the liquor cabinet. We get plenty of exercise and we try to eat well. Our kids are grown & married and we’ve been blessed with two grandchildren. What more could one ask for?

Back in my Navy days, I believe the term was, Another Fine Day in the Navy, spoken either by a lifer or by some sarcastic fool who thought he’d join the Navy to see the world. Remember that one? “It’s not just a job, it’s an adventure.”

Yeah, that one got me… Hook, line, & sinker.

When I first signed up in July 1973 (“Press hard the third copy is yours”), the Tallahassee Navy recruiter informed me I would first report to the Jacksonville Armed Forces Induction Center before heading off to Orlando Recruit Training Center, aka “Boot Camp.” He also mentioned it would be a long day. That’s when I first heard the term, Hurry up and Wait. I wrote about that earlier, “From Civilian to US Navy”.

“You Buy, I’ll Fly”

A youngster at the tender age of 18, I’d never heard this phrase until I reported to my first duty station, NAS Agana, Guam. I wrote about that earlier, “You Always Remember Your First,” where I worked in Crash & Rescue; we manned two shifts, Port & Starboard (I was Port), 24 hours on & 24 off for 15 months.

On our days off, we’d sometimes party in the barracks and other times we’d have a “section party” at one of the local beaches. There were few cars to be had on the base and those lucky enough to drive one usually bought it from a sailor who was to be transferred to another duty station. Many (MANY) hand-me-downs. But they still worked.

The phrase was originally, you buy, I’ll fly. But in Guam, it was just the opposite: I’ll fly if you buy. And since we were young sailors of drinking age—even though the beer sold on base was “3:2 beer”—we’d pony up and give the driver some money to fly for beer.

In 1976, when Kitty Hawk was in the Bremerton Shipyards, Crash maintained a crew of three at the Kitsap County Airport at all times, since that’s where the Kitty Hawk kept her C-1 COD (Carrier onboard Delivery) aircraft. When the pilots flew training missions down to California, “I heard rumors” they may bring back a case or two (or 20!) of Coors beer, something we couldn’t get in Bremerton. They’d usually drop a case off with the Crash crew. You know… for old times’ sake.

Well, they were only rumors. Gives new meaning to the term, I’ll fly if you buy.

“Make a Hole”

Besides two or three below-mentioned acronyms, I probably use the phrase Make a Hole more often than any other I picked up in the Navy.

I’m 6’4” and, while I weigh a “little” more than my 185 pounds when discharged, I’m a big guy.

Football games—you know, where there’s a million fans & students vying for 80,000 seats in the Gator football stadium, all wearing some fashion of orange and blue—that’s the worst.

When we go—which is rare these days since I’ve got a big screen TV, cheap beer, and microwave Orville Redenbacher’s—I tell my wife to get behind me and I start to make my way to the gate entrance: “Make a Hole” seems to do the trick. And now and then I’ll add in, “Service Week,” just to confuse people.

Like Moses parting the Red Sea, it usually works.

The “Acronyms”

The Navy, along with the Army, Marines, Air Force, and Coast Guard, all have similar terms and, from my experience, know when it’s appropriate to use them. And when you’re a veteran, you know you’ve earned the right to use them and use them frequently.

My wife, and to a lesser extent, my kids, picked up on a few. My grandkids? Not yet…

• FNG – We all know what this means. So keeping this “family friendly,” only the “audio” portion will reveal the true phrase. After I left the Navy and began my career as an Electronics Engineer, I continued to say (usually, “on the inside”) FNG. That is, until I went to work for Weyerhaeuser Company’s pulp & paper mill in Nowhere, Oklahoma. We lived in Idabel (where our daughter was born) and I drove 20 miles to Valliant, a town of less than 1000—the location of the pulp & paper mill. There, when I first walked in and introduced myself, one of the pulp mill workers glanced down at my spit-shined flight deck boots (I wish I still had them) and said loud enough in a southeastern Oklahoma southern drawl for everyone on the factory floor to hear: “We got us a friggin’ new guy.” Turns out, he was a former airdale, too.  

• FUBAR – I’m not sure who came up with this phrase first, Army or Navy, but I remember the line used in the movie, “Saving Private Ryan.” You know the scene(s)—actually, there were two of them. I used this term many times during my stint with the City of Gainesville Fire Department. There were times—accidents & fires—where words couldn’t convey the mess.

• SNAFU – Holy moly, does this speak volumes to me these days. After two years of dealing with the pandemic, what is normal? How on earth do you Polish a Turd? I could go on & on, but I think most of us are ready to get back to some sense of normalcy, whatever that is. Hopefully, it won’t be a SNAFU.

• CF – I’m just gonna leave this one right here. Ya’ll know what it means, and it’s not just the mall parking lot at Christmas time.

• GAF – There are so many times when I’m tempted to utter something obnoxious out loud. Then I remember those days in the Navy, especially when I was close to either a transfer (you know, 30 Days and a Wake up) or being discharged. I simply got the point where I didn’t Give a flying flip. While I tried not to let those feelings drive my attitude, I think “GAF” is an attitude.

Livin’ the Dream, Baby!

Let me close this blog post by saying that there are literally hundreds of terms and phrases used by the military branches and many (MANY) cross over to the other branches. When you’ve served in the military—no matter how many years you put in—much of that stays with you for the rest of your life. Routines, language, and attitude.

Like the quote above from the movie Heartbreak Ridge… adapt, improvise, and overcome.

And in case you want more, I’ve got a whole Glossary of Navy terms on my website. Feel free to visit: https://azadkinsiii.com/glossary_navy.html

Until we meet again,
Andy

Answers

1. Elvis Presley.
2. Heartbreak Ridge (1986), Gunny Tom Highway (Clint Eastwood).
3. Lean on Me (1972), Bill Withers; written by Bill Withers.

Previous posts mentioned in this blog:

• #112—“Eject! Eject! – Excitement from the Flight Deck…
• #38—Hook, Line, & Sinker
• #4—From Civilian to US Navy
• #53—You Always Remember Your First
• #30—USS Kitty Hawk @ Bremerton Shipyards, Part 1
• #52—Thirty Days and a Wake up!

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Andy Adkins is a US Navy veteran (’73-77) and the author of several books. His newest novel, NEVER FORGET, is the story of A Vietnam Veteran’s Journey for Redemption & Forgiveness. NEVER FORGET is FREE (eBook, PDF) for all veterans and their families. Download your FREE copy HERE.

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