A Veteran's Journey

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It was Veteran’s Day 2019 BEFORE the pandemic. A mere four years ago (that’s 28 “dog years,” if you believe that myth). That’s when I began my weekly blog, A Veteran’s Journey. This is Blog #155. When I started writing it, I didn’t have a clue what I’d be writing about. In fact, I made myself write a dozen stories before posting the first, just so I’d know I had something to write about. And, I’m still going.

I just realized something…

I spent four years in the United States Navy. Well, actually it was Three Years, Eleven Months, and 29 Days, But Who’s Counting. And yes, I wrote a book with that title – my second “non-business” book. I’ve now spent as much time writing about the Navy as I spent in the Navy. Fortunately, I don’t put in those 16-18 hours a day writing like I did working on the flight deck of USS Kitty Hawk.

The book publishing world has been in turmoil for a dozen or so years (maybe more, but who’s counting). When Amazon first introduced the self-publishing concept, it was met with a “we’ll see” attitude. “It’ll be just another Internet fad.”

These days, anyone and everyone can publish. According to Bowker data (Publishers Weekly, February 20, 2023) there were over 2.3 million books self-published in the US alone in 2021. It’s trending upward.

It’s pretty easy, too. At least for me. Write the stories, put them into a book format, upload it to Amazon, set a price, and voila… it’s done. The hardest part (for me) is formatting the book prior to uploading. But I’m getting better at it.

A Little Secret

I’ll share a little secret with you. I use Amazon’s KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) to self-publish most of my books. Hard copies (paperback, “Author’s Copies”) cost me about $4.50 each.

Of the three “A Veteran’s Journey” volumes I’ve published, I have at least five of each on my shelf. That’s four more than I’ve sold on Amazon. Go ahead. “Laugh it up, fuzzball” (Indiana Jones).

Yeah, it’s an ego trip. After all, I am a Navy veteran. More than that, I simply like to write.

When the pandemic began, I had just finished my first novel, NEVER FORGET. To help keep my sanity, I found I needed to keep writing and my weekly blogs definitely helped.

When I share my blog posts on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest, I often get interesting feedback, mostly from former sailors who either take a similar trip down memory lane or want to share a similar story. That’s one of my unforeseen rewards of writing. I get to stay in touch with a lot of shipmates: some I knew while I served, others I now know. After all, we’re all family.

Some Basic Blog Statistics

I use WordPress to publish my blog. It’s my favorite price: FREE. I say that, but I should let you know I also pay for a few extras, like SPAM protection, automatic backups, and a few other features that help me keep it straight.

I honestly pay little attention to the site stats… maybe once a year when I write this type of blog post. So, I won’t bore you with minute details. However,…

Over the past four years, I’ve had 62,790 visitors and 86,002 views (as of November 4, 2023, when I’m writing this week’s blog). I don’t know if that’s a lot or not; it’s not really that important to me. But like I said, I don’t pay that much attention to those types of statistics.

As far as the most popular blog posts I’ve written, here are the top 10:

• #102 – Adieu Kitty Hawk… and Thank You!
• #61 – There’s a Reason for the Flight Deck “Foul Line”
• #83 – Flight Deck “Skittles”
• #30 – USS Kitty Hawk @ Bremerton Shipyards, Part 1
• #40 – Midrats… and other Navy Chow
• #23 – Rough Seas – Sea of Japan
• #101 – From the Flight Deck: Indescribable Beauty
• #76 – Set the Mail Buoy Watch… FNG Tasks
• #36 – Gone in an Instant
• #13 – After 30+ Years, I’m back on the Flight Deck

And if you want to know, here are my five favorite posts:

• #101 – From the Flight Deck: Indescribable Beauty
• #68 – Flight Ops: Another Fine Day in the Navy!
• #33 – Launch the Alert 5!
• #101 – A New Chapter… Saying Goodbye to a Great Lady
• #28 – May 8, 1945: “Ours is a Quiet Celebration”
• #34 – No Better Place to Die

Volume #3 of A Veteran’s Journey

A year or so ago, I created a “Blog List” page on my site; one that lists every blog I’ve written. You know… just in case someone had trouble sleeping and needed to spend a little time reading about the Navy.

And that brings me to my latest addition: “A Veteran’s Journey, Volume 3: A Collection of ‘Still More’ Short Stories.” I figured a little ego boost wouldn’t hurt, so I put another collection of 50 of my blogs, that is, “short stories,” into another volume.

And, like my earlier two volumes, they’re free to download. I put the phrase, “FREE to all Veterans,” on the website. But to be honest… I don’t know how to code the download link to know if it’s a veteran that’s downloading the book. So, it’s actually FREE to anyone and everyone. I have one of those “CAPTCHA” robo-deniers on the page. Hopefully that detracts from non-humans, but who knows?

Just like the blog site statistics, life is too short to worry about such trivial things.

Winding Down

Over the past few years, I’ve noticed a lot of Navy veterans posting stories of their time on Facebook. Maybe it’s always been that way, but I do try and read them all (I’m on about a dozen US Navy Facebook Groups).

Sometimes the stories are humorous, sometimes they’re more serious. Perhaps it’s a way for a shipmate to honor someone who’s no longer with us. Perhaps by writing (i.e., “journaling”) it helps get that memory out of their mind and down “on paper.” Regardless, I think this is one of the most important things we—all veterans, not just Navy—can leave for our kids, our grandkids, and our families and friends. It’s our legacy.

I look forward to reading your “sea stories.” Keep ‘em coming!

Remember… Veteran’s Day is Saturday, November 10.

Until We Meet Again,
Andy Adkins

Andy Adkins is a US Navy veteran (’73-77) and the author of several books, including You Can’t Get Much Closer Than This-Combat with the 80th “Blue Ridge” Division in World War II Europe, published by Casemate Publishers (2005) and selected as the Book of the Month for the Military Book Club. Adkins also writes a weekly blog, “A Veteran’s Journey.”