A Veteran's Journey

Photo credit: Astronaut Neil Armstrong took this photo of fellow astronaut Buzz Aldrin after they planted the US flag on the moon’s surface.

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Trivia Questions (Answers @ end)

1. Who said, “The longer I live, the more beautiful life becomes.”?
2. Who said, “Taking on a challenge is a lot like riding a horse. If you’re comfortable while you’re doing it, you’re probably doing it wrong.”?
3. What song (and who sang it) did we hear the following?
   When I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Mary comes to me
   Speaking words of wisdom, let it be
   And in my hour of darkness, she is standing right in front of me
   Speaking words of wisdom, let it be

I’m a “Baby Boomer,” born in the mid-1950s (geez, that seems SO long ago).

For those youngsters who don’t know what a Baby Boomer is, we’re the ones who created the various “generational brands,” so to speak. That is, unless you want to talk about the “Greatest Generation.” That would be my parents.

Now that I think about it, Baby Boomers created that term, too.

My dad fought in World War II, came home, married my mom (they met on a blind date), and had two children. My sister, Anne, is 1½ years older than me.

Because the men came home from WWII and started families—a “boom” of youngun’s—hence the term, “Baby Boomers.”

I grew up in the 60s (the hippie years), served with the United States Navy in the 70s, and during the 80s, 90s, and 2000s, I was in my career years, all the while being a father to two great kids (they’re still great, BTW), and a husband to the love of my life (that’s still awesome, too!).

Now I’m retired.

I guess I’m at that point in life where certain moments cause me to reflect on my life’s journey.

The Space Age

My wife, son, and his two sons recently spent a day at Kennedy Space Center. I’d been there a couple of dozen years ago when I worked with Harris Corp in Melbourne. But it’s definitely expanded, what with the new commercial ventures (i.e., Space X, Blue Origin, Boeing).

When I was “knee high to a grasshopper,” I was always excited about space. I even wrote a short story about space when I was in elementary school. The adventures, the courage, and the men and women who made it happen. Back then, it was NASA. And while I was at Harris Corp, I actually applied to become an astronaut.

That journey wasn’t meant to be.

July 20, 1969. The day Neil Armstrong first stepped onto the moon’s surface.

“That’s one small step for [a] man; one giant leap for mankind.”

Wow, those powerful words meant so much to a 14-year-old junior high school kid … to an entire nation. It was Sunday, a school night, almost 11pm; my parents let us stay up to watch history being made.

Visiting KSC a few weeks ago brought back a flood of memories; not just the moon landing, but also some of the tragic events.

On January 28, 1986, I was working at Harris Corp in Melbourne. The Space Shuttle had been in service for several years and this was just another routine mission … or so we thought.

Since we were only about 30 miles south of Cape Canaveral, a group of us gathered outside to watch the launch. It was a bitter cold January morning. Someone had a transistor radio and tuned it to the flight control channel. All routine …

Then, 73 seconds into the launch, I saw the split tail streams, yet none of us knew what had happened … only that something bad happened. I remember a few moments earlier the announcer had just stated something about the designated abort point: “… the shuttle could glide to Rota, Spain…”

I don’t know why, but I remember that because the Navy had a Naval Air Station base in Rota.

It was tragic. Even at my recent visit to KSC, just seeing the memorial and tributes took me back to that fateful day. It still brought tears to my eyes.

We’ve come a long way and, like we all experienced in the service, we (hopefully) learned from our mistakes so that we would not repeat them.

The Vietnam War Years–A New Project

I’m a Vietnam “era” veteran. I make that distinction because I was NOT in the Vietnam War. I just happened to have served during that era. Those who fought in Vietnam faced death almost daily; and then when they came home, they faced more anger.

Some are still struggling today—I see it way too often.

I served four years, 1973-1977, with two duty stations: NAS Agana, Guam and USS Kitty Hawk. I made one Westpac cruise in 1975. All in all, I came away with a greater appreciation for life and for our country. Like many of my veteran friends, my service was a cornerstone for my life’s journey.

I’m currently working on a project for the local Vietnam Veterans of America chapter. It’s a booklet listing 48 Vietnam Veterans from Alachua County who were killed in action.

I’ve been researching World War II (and World War I) soldiers for more than 20 years. It’s a passion and somewhat of a hobby; I started this after I published my dad’s WWII journal, “You Can’t Get Much Closer Than This…”. These projects are mostly men from my dad’s division, the 80th Infantry Division. In 2005, I built an extensive website (and continue to update it) with almost 200,000 pages, documents, images, reports, and additional WWII resources (www.80thdivision.com).

When I receive a request from an 80th Division family member, I can usually find a good bit of information from various sources. It helps answer questions, fill in a few gaps, and gives them a better understanding of what their father, grandfather, or uncle went through those tumultuous times.

The tough ones (for me) are when I learn a replacement soldier joined a unit, then is KIA within a week (or less). That hurts. But I trudge through it. I’ve learned to pocket those emotions, take a break, take a walk, or something else to get my mind off it. I’ve also learned to present the facts to the family member without the emotion.

Most of the time, that works.

The current Vietnam War project I’m working on is somewhat similar. But when I read the reports of how the soldier died in combat and oftentimes, personal stories, this project affects me differently than the WWII research. I’m struggling to understand why this project is different.

I’m beginning to understand.

These guys—Vietnam War soldiers—are my generation … “Baby Boomers.” While I didn’t go to school with them (they’re a bit older than I was at the time I served), they were still young, many just out of high school.

“All gave some … some gave all.”

I can only research a few soldiers at a time before I need to take a break, but I’m determined to complete this project. When done, the booklet will be free (as most of my books). I’m working with the local VVA chapter on the best ways to present the information, the soldier, and the losses we all endured.

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 this Post:

• #29—May 8, 1945: “Ours is a Quiet Celebration.”
• #4—From Civilian to US Navy
• #53—You Always Remember Your First
• #67—Flight Ops: A Day in the Life of Crash & Salvage
• #68—Flight Ops: Another Fine Day in the Navy!
• #49—Westpac ’75: After Six Months, We’re Coming Home

Answers

1. Frank Lloyd Wright.
2. Ted Lasso.
3. Let it Be (1970), The Beatles; written by Paul McCartney, John Lennon.