A Veteran's Journey

Trivia Questions (Answers @ end)

1. Who said, “Nostalgia is a file that removes the rough edges from the good old days.”?
2. In what show (and who said it) did we hear, “If the internet has taught us anything, it’s that sometimes it’s easier to speak our minds anonymously.”?
3. In what song (and who sang it) did we hear:
   Bah-da, bah-da-da, da
   Bah-da, bah-da-da, da
   Bah-da, bah-da-da, da

---

---

Is This Really My 200th Blog Post?

I posted my first “A Veteran’s Journey” blog on Veterans Day, 2010—almost five years ago!

Wow, how time flies, right?

Actually, if you count the number of Navy Friday Funnies I’ve sprinkled in over the years (I’ll admit, some are repeats, but still “oldies but goodies”), then I’ve posted a total of 337 blogs.

And yet, I don’t seem to run out of things to blog about. Some ideas spring up from Facebook group discussions; others may come to me out of the blue. Who knows from where the next one will surface, but I’m still writing, which is one of my happy places.

I was working on one of our many Rebuild projects a week or so ago. I’ve volunteered with this great organization for several years. Many times, we’ll rebuild a porch or deck or perhaps build a handicap access ramp for someone in need. Whatever the case, it’s a great group of volunteers, and we all get along well together.

Sort of like the old Kitty Hawk flight deck crew I worked with. We’re all a bit older now, but a great team!

BTW–my first Rebuild project involved building a handicap access ramp. The homeowner needed one in order to have her Marine son transferred from a San Diego hospital to her home here in North Florida. Turns out, she was a retired 20-year career Radioman. A fellow Navy veteran.

That connection … that project … set me on this particular journey.

Many years ago, when our kids were in elementary school, one of their homework assignments in the early 1990s was to interview me & Becky asking, “Mom … Dad … what types of things are available now that weren’t when you were our age?”

Talk about a time-travel moment. Well, that’s “sort of” the subject of this week’s blog.

Cordless Tools

Speaking of construction projects …

The tools we now have available to work on these projects are a far cry from what we had back in the 70s.

Back then, everything had a cord (drills, saws, etc.). And even then, we needed at least one extension cord, if not more. We didn’t even have surge suppressors or multiple-outlet strips back then.

Now, we don’t need no stinking electrical cords. Everything is cordless.

And my new “best friend?”

An Oscillating Multi-tool. We use this a lot when removing damp drywall from water-damaged homes after a hurricane … another volunteer group: Early Response Teams. I still use a box cutter or drywall saw when appropriate, but for my money, the oscillating multi-tool is well worth it.

Smartphones

I have this love-hate relationship with my Samsung Galaxy smartphone. I love it when it works, which is most of the time. But on those few times (like when I’m inside Lowe’s or Home Depot trying to look up the competitive prices in the other store) when it doesn’t work, it’s a bit frustrating.

And don’t get me started on the SPAM calls or texts. I have so many blocked numbers on my phone, I’m surprised it’s not out of memory.

But if we had these back in the 70s on the flight deck, then we’d be able to record the sights & sounds (but not the smells) of an F-4 Phantom jet in full afterburner launching into the sunset.

Flat screen TVs

When I was stationed at NAS Agana, Guam, we had CRT television sets, both in the Crash Barn and another one we purchased for our barracks (we had 4 men to a barracks room). I believe the TV was probably 14-16”. Not very large, but we could get one TV station broadcast. It gave us a break from playing poker or hearts.

These days, we have flat-screen TVs. I doubt the V-1 Division berthing compartments on the newer carriers can mount an 85” flat screen 4K Ultra HDTV. But I may be wrong.

Of course, watching an F-18 approach and land through the PLAT (Pilot Landing Aid Television) on an 85″ Ultra HDTV in 4K resolution would be awesome.

The Internet 

Where do I start? Back in the 70s, both in Guam and aboard Kitty Hawk, the only research we could do was in the library. The only mail we’d get would be written letters and postcards received during “Mail Call.”

Several of my shipmates on Westpac ’75 left home for the cruise, knowing their wives would give birth while they were away at sea.

Sure, they may receive a telegram aboard the ship or a phone call while in port, but it took several weeks before they saw photos of their newborn baby. And then, they might pass it around the berthing compartment, many of us with watery eyes, so happy for happiness.

Nowadays, with the Internet and smartphones, the shipmate could probably watch the birth in real-time, though I doubt they’d share those private moments. But the ability to see and hear a newborn baby, cooing next to their mom—the shipmate’s wife—would be the best thing since sliced bread (you can tell I’m “Old school”).

You know what I mean.

Satellite Radio

Back in my day (mid-70s), the newest music technology was a cassette. They were much smaller than the 8-track tapes we had during my high school years. I grew up listening to 33-rpm LPs and 45-rpm records on a stereo system.

Music was and always has been, important to me. After all … my nickname in the Navy was “Chet” Adkins, primarily because I played guitar and sang country music. John Melcher gave me that nickname when I first joined the Crash crew at NAS Agana, Guam, in November 1973.

Even while aboard Kitty Hawk, I was a disc jockey. My “Country Chet Adkins” show spot was 0600-0800 every morning while at sea … and I loved every minute of it.

Kitty Hawk had three radio stations: KROC (Rock), KSOL (Soul), and KRAL (Country). My first opening tune was always Chet Atkins’ “Yakety Axe,” and I’d start off with my daily musical mantra, “Gooooooood mornin’ to ya Kitty Hawk. It’s that time … time again for the country Chet Adkins show.”

I still have several cassette tapes of my shows. The only problem … I can’t find a cassette player.

But now, we’ve got satellite radio. Any genre, any day or night, you can hear your favorite song.

Our playlists back in the 70s were pre-recorded “mix tapes” of our favorite tunes on a single cassette.

Now, you’ve got Pandora, Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, and a host of other streaming platforms.

And if we had satellite radio back in my day … sitting in the Crash truck on the Alert Spot between runways at NAS Agana, Guam … well, we could just jam out to whatever suited the five of us on the Crash crew.

GPS

I bought my first Chevy “Custom Deluxe” truck in 1976 in Gig Harbor, WA. Kitty Hawk was in the Bremerton Shipyards for a year-long overhaul.

Like many other shipmates and their families, I rode the Hawk during the trip north. That was a sight to behold, too. Coming through Puget Sound on a cool morning and seeing, for the first time, Mount Rainier in all her snow-topped glory, with a ring of clouds surrounding her summit.

A year later, Kitty Hawk was done with the overhaul. The skipper gave us the choice of either driving our vehicle onto the ship and parking on the flight deck for the ride back to San Diego, or of taking five days to drive back. Since I had my “Chet mobile,” I chose to drive along the Pacific Coast Highway, camping in the back of my pickup along the way.

That was the trip of a lifetime. I was alone with my thoughts, pondering my future (I was 22 years old and wondering if I should stay in the Navy or take another journey), and enjoyed the beauty on this awesome drive south to San Diego.

Back then, we used paper maps. And yes, I got lost once or twice along the way. But that’s part of the adventure, isn’t it?

Nowadays, we have this fancy-schmancy technology called GPS (Global Positioning System). You can’t really get lost. And if you try, Siri pipes up with an obnoxious, “Return to the route,” or “Rerouting.”

Sometimes I change up my route on purpose to see if she can figure it out … just because I can.

Anyone else?

Facetime or Zoom Video Calls

I’m sure most of us have used FaceTime, Skype, or Zoom over the past years. It’s quite an interesting technology (speaking as an electronics engineer), and the programming algorithms have significantly improved over time.

I love Facetiming with our grandsons, both the older ones and the youngest. To see their expressions in real-time for some of the old “clean” Navy jokes I tell is precious.

I’m not sure we’d have gotten much done in the Yellow Shirt locker if we had access to these technologies, especially because of the amount of signal bandwidth required. The lag time alone would drive me up the wall.

But still … the ability to have a video conversation … out in the middle of the ocean. That would be amazing, especially if you could share some of those special moments we all remember from being at sea: sunsets & sunrises, a gazillion brilliant, twinkling stars, and of course, an aircraft in full afterburner launching off the bow.

Imagine this …

The Shooter … Cat 3 … wearing his usual Yellow “Shooter” Float Coat, his Green Helmet with five vertical orange and white stripes, & his goggles … checking the bow, checking the flight deck, checking the plane, checking the checkers, checking the aircraft … squats down, right knee bent, left leg extended aft …all ready to launch an F/A-18F Hornet.

He’s wearing a pair of new Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses hidden by his dark-lensed goggles, Facetiming with his wife 15 hours behind in San Diego, through his Bluetooth connection (since he’s an officer, he’s got access to the ship’s higher speed bandwidth). She can see everything he sees, and he can watch her reactions.

Just as he touches the flight deck and points toward the bow, signaling for the launch, his wife blows a kiss toward him (or whatever else your imagination could imagine).

Yeah … I know I’ll catch a bunch of “deserved” crap for that scenario. But you must admit, that would be some pretty cool technology.

And yes, I’ve got a similar scene in the novel I’m currently working on.

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:

• #128—Into the Aftermath
• #53—You Always Remember Your First …
• #11—Letters From Home
• #49—Westpac ’75: After Six Months, We’re Coming Home
• #39—Good Morning to ya, Kitty Hawk!
• #30—USS Kitty Hawk @ Bremerton Shipyards, Part 1
• #42—The Shipyards, Part 2
• #68—Flight Ops: Another Fine Day in the Navy!
• #47—Memorable “Moments,” Part 1 – the Flight Deck

Answers

1. Doug Larson.
2. Ted Lasso (2021), Ted Lasso (Jason Sukeikis).
3. Monday, Monday (1966), The Mamas and the Papas; written by John Edmund Andrew Phillips.