A Veteran's Journey

Trivia Questions (Answers @ end)

1. Who said, “The beauty of love is that in giving it away, you are left with more than you had before.”?
2. In what movie (and who said it) did we hear, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”?
3. In what song (and who sang it) did we hear the following:
   You’re my bread when I’m hungry
   You’re my shelter from troubled winds
   You’re my anchor in life’s ocean
   But most of all you’re my best friend.

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Back in my consulting days (1990–2015), I seem to recall a plethora of “lists” type articles. You know, lists like:

• “The Best Six Ideas for Christmas Gifts”
• “Eight Ways to Attract New and Paying Clients”
• “The Top Ten Places to Visit the Northeast During Fall”
• “Three Things to do Now to Lose Weight”

Yeah, the lists went on and on. And they continue today. It was a trend that never stopped. And a fun fact… they’re called “listicles,” and are the most popular “marketing” type articles today.

To honor the “list” era back in my day, here’s a list of my three best days in the Navy. Note that “joining the Navy” is not one of them, though I’ll admit, that turned out to be one of the best decisions I’d ever made. It was a cornerstone of my journey through life. Also note that “leaving the Navy” is not one of them—that’d be too easy.

I know many of my shipmates had different experiences… we all did. Feel free to share them in the comments.

Sewing on “the Crow”

Actually, this would be two different days, but for purposes of this post, I’ll count them as one.

NAS Agana, Guam, was my first duty station. I was there from November 1973 (fresh out of ABH “A” school) until February 1975. Fifteen months, working one day on and one day off in the Crash & Rescue Division. Back then, we had two sections: Port & Starboard. I was in the Port section.

Guam was great duty and, being a scuba diver, it was “paradise.” I also learned to fly (Single engine, land) while in Guam.

I took the Third-Class Petty Officer exam when I became first eligible in August 1974. The results came back in November: I passed and would become an ABH3 on November 16, 1974. My good buddies, Gary Borne (R.I.P.) and Glenn Law also passed. It was a big day for us. We went down to the local PX and bought standard Navy issue ABH3 patches for both our utilities and whites, ready to sew them on at midnight.

It took a while to adjust to being a petty officer. I mean, I was now “in charge” of guys I’d hung around with for the past year: guys I’d trained with weekly during “hot drills;” guys I’d spent many hours in the Crash truck out on the alert spot talking about anything and everything; and guys I’d been out drinking with (many times) in downtown Agana, Guam.

I sewed my second-class crow onto my uniforms on June 16, 1976. We were still in the Bremerton Shipyards in dry dock. I’d made ABH2 in less than three years. That one-year stint at Florida State University (“dismissed for academic reasons”) paid off. The Navy “counted” by college time, even though I’d flunked out with a 0.7 G.P.A.

My pay would increase by $50, meaning I would be making $516 every two weeks. I was making the big bucks now.

Glacier Flight

Work aboard the carrier in the shipyards was boring for me. I was the Training Officer, the First Aid Officer, and the Yeoman. Believe me when I tell you, they’re just titles—not a lot of work. But then again, we weren’t working 16- to 18-hour days or around the clock, so that was good.

Most of the time, I would be working in the office doing whatever a Yeoman was supposed to do, which was a lot of paperwork and a lot of typing. We had a new division officer, Lt. Richard Lockram, who had been an F-4 Phantom RIO (Radar Intercept Officer). He was a good guy, and we got along well.

Now and then, something just comes along that blows your socks off.

I had been known as one of the division “scavengers,” finding things we needed to help do our job better. I wasn’t the only one, though I was one of the few who confessed. I was looking for some special metal containers for Crash and could not find them anywhere on the ship and none of the yard birds I had been dealing with could find any either.

I located some at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island. It was a bit far to drive from Bremerton, but I made arrangements to hitch a ride in a CH-46 helicopter which was heading up that way the following day. I got to the flight early enough and was expecting a flight of about thirty minutes, but I was in for the ride of my life.

It turns we had an Admiral on board and the helo pilot decided to take a little side excursion over the Olympic Mountains.

The day was one of those bright, blue, clear, and crisp days—you know the kind. My mom used to call them “Champagne Days.”

The pilot took off on time and headed northwest to fly over the Olympics. I swear there were times when I felt like I could reach out and touch one of the glaciers, we were flying so low. It was breathtaking to say the least. The flight up took about two hours, and I didn’t mind at all.

Glad to have the Admiral onboard.

Philippines

I made the Westpac ’75 cruise, my one and only US Navy cruise, aboard USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63). Looking back, I wish I’d made at least one more, but I chose to go with Kitty Hawk to the Bremerton Shipyards for a year. That was a good choice for me, but still…

Subic Bay Navy Station in the Philippines was our overseas home port (“Forward Deployment”), meaning we would head out to various places in the South China Sea conducting naval training exercises, but would return to Subic Bay in between. PI is a country of 7,000 islands that are peaks of a partly submerged mountain chain, only 6.5% of which are larger than one square mile.

Once the ship neared the pier, several tugboats took over, gently nudging Kitty Hawk toward the pier. The Boatswains Mates and civilian contractors worked their magic to secure the ship, so we (many of us first-timers) could experience liberty in PI.

How would I describe PI? San Miguel beer, Jeepneys, baluts, grilled monkey meet, Shit River, and martial law. Oh yeah… cheap hookers.

I was 20 years old at the time, about to embrace (literally) many new and different experiences.

San Miguel beer was the local beer, and I cannot tell you how many times I walked into a bar in Olongapo City right after work, ordered a San Miguel beer, and someone handed me one caked in a thick layer of ice—always cold and tasty, especially on hot and humid days.

Baluts were, well, in my humble opinion, the most disgusting thing you could ever think of.

Take a fertilized chicken egg and bury it in hot sand on the beach and leave it for a few months. Dig it up, remove the top and of the egg, and eat it raw. Considered a delicacy by Filipinos (and a few Navy guys), but I can tell you without batting an eye, this sailor never got close to one.

Jeepneys were old WWII jeeps refurbished by local Filipinos. They still had the same engines, but had extended open rear end cabs, comfortable enough to carry a half dozen or more passengers. They were all flamboyantly decorated with different colors, flowers, and whatever else their owners could put on them. They were everywhere and the most common method for public transportation in Olongapo City.

First Liberty in PI

We arrived in Subic Bay on June 19, 1975, docking about 1000. Apparently, right before entering port, every department head gave a lecture on VD and what to do to help protect yourself. Back then, there was no AIDS to worry about.

To get to Olongapo City from the Naval base, you had to first cross over what was commonly called, “Shit River.” I’ll spare you the details, but it smelled as bad as it sounds. There were usually several small boats or canoes with a guy paddling and a cute kid, usually a young girl, standing on the bow, holding out a basket for you to throw money.

The streets looked pretty dingy, and bars and restaurants lined the sidewalks. Almost every bar had a live band, and there were streets with rock bands, streets with soul bands, and streets with country bands.

Once you walked into a bar, several young ladies instantly surrounded you (or, as I described to my parents in a letter, “social entertainers.”) Sailors often called them “Navy Relief,” each vying for your attention and your wallet. The ratio of women to men in these bars was three women to one sailor.

My main hangout was a country bar called the Country Caravan. They played all my favorites. My buddies and I would sit for hours drinking San Miguel beer and listening to the old country classics, like Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, Merle Haggard, and Loretta Lynn. Good times.

Yeah, like I said earlier, my first liberty in PI was quite an unforgettable experience.

Until we meet again,
Andy

Andy Adkins is a US Navy veteran (’73-77) and the author of several books (www.azadkinsiii.com), many of which are free downloads (PDF, eBook format). He is currently retired and lives in Gainesville, Florida with his wife and life-long soulmate, Becky.

Previous Blogs mentioned in the Post:

• #53—You Always Remember Your First…
• #35—US Navy “A” School (ABH)
• #30—USS Kitty Hawk @ Bremerton Shipyards, Part 1
• #99—Dismissed for Academic Reasons
• #49—Westpac ’75: After Six Months, We’re Coming Home
• #20—Port Call: Philippines

Answers

1. David Simon.
2. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986), Ferris Bueller (Matthew Broderick).
3. You’re My Best Friend (1975), Don Williams; written by Wayland D. Holyfield.