A Veteran's Journey

Trivia Questions (Answers @ end)

1. In what movie (and who said it) did we hear, “Pain heals, chicks dig scars, glory lasts forever.”?
2. Who said, “It’s easier to fool people than to convince them they have been fooled.”?
3. What song (and who sang it) contains the following lyrics:
   I see trees of green, red roses too
   I see them bloom for me and you
   And I think to myself what a wonderful world.

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Can you remember way back… back before high school graduation when you experienced an “adrenaline rush?” You know… Cars, competitive sports, hunting, fishing… Or, maybe that’s the “guys” perspective. Stay with me here…

Most of my adrenaline rushes in those early teen years came from driving my mom’s 1966 Oldsmobile Cutlass SS, or my sister’s boyfriend’s ’69 GTO. Not that I drove too fast mind you, though I did manage to rack up four traffic tickets before graduating high school. Of course, none of them were my fault.

I didn’t get too many “rushes” driving my dad’s old 1954 Willys Jeep at a top speed of 45mph. Unless you count the time when it slid down a muddy road and flipped over. Thank God, the Jeep had a hard top. After 13 stitches in my head and a couple of days on crutches, I got smart and installed a roll-bar—or maybe that was my mom’s idea.

Yeah… those were the days. And I couldn’t even spell “adrenaline” back then. But, I digress…

Then Came the Navy…

I was only 17 when I started college at Florida State University in the Fall of ’72. I flunked out after my first year–“dismissed for academic reasons.”

I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do with the rest of my life–you know, those decisions you make when you’re 18 years old. That’s when I joined the Navy. I knew that I’d have a good time, though: “It’s not just a job, it’s an adventure.”

Boot camp (Orlando RTC, Company #163, ’73) was “interesting.” That’s where they break you down as individuals and build you back up into a cohesive team. “A” school was more interesting (Aviation Boatswains Mate-Handler; Lakehurst, NJ, Fall ’73), where I trained for my Navy “job”: aircraft directing and aircraft firefighting.

When I got to my first duty station, NAS Agana, Guam (’73-75) and assigned to Crash & Rescue… well, then it got really interesting. That’s where the “real” Navy began for me.

Crash had to maintain a presence on the airfield whenever aircraft were flying, so we spent two, 4-hour shifts in a 24-hour duty day in what we called the “Hot Spot.” Of course, the adrenaline rush didn’t come from sitting in a Crash truck on the Hot Spot between airport runways watching aircraft take off and land. When you’re a Crash Firefighter, the adrenaline rush comes when something “not-so-good” happens.

I don’t know about you, but continuous training was a big part of my Navy career (all four-years-minus-one-day). Training for those things, you know… things that you hoped/prayed wouldn’t happen. But that’s why you trained… just in case they did.

Aircraft Emergencies…

At NAS Agana, Guam, whenever we got a call for an aircraft emergency, we never knew if it was an aircraft that had called the control tower with a problem, or if it had already crashed. As soon as the Crash alarm went off and we climbed onto the fire trucks, we could usually tell—if there was smoke, there was usually fire. If no smoke, then it was a different kind of emergency, like a fuel spill, a blown tire, or an aircraft coming in with an engine shut down.

Did you know that the old Boeing 707 aircraft had four engines and that it could fly on just one engine? Yeah, me neither. But fortunately for them (and for us), one like that landed in Guam with minimal fanfare—other than five Crash firetrucks chasing it down the runway after it landed until it reached the civilian airport terminal on the other side of the field.

But that, for me, was an adrenaline rush.

An “Oh Crap!” Moment…

Another one – at NAS Agana, Guam, we got an emergency call for a commercial 747 jet liner coming in, fully loaded with more than 400 passengers. It was a dark & stormy night (no kidding, it was about 9pm, and it was raining cats & dogs). We weren’t quite sure what the emergency was at the time.

We were all lined up on the taxiways (NAS Agana, Guam shared the same parallel runways with the Guam civilian airport). Each Crash truck was assigned to wait on a specific taxiway for the flight to land. When it touched down, the first truck would take off, chasing the aircraft down the runway, then the next truck would follow after the aircraft passed its taxiway, and so on.

Normally, we could tell how far out the aircraft was by their landing lights. However, because it was raining so hard, we couldn’t see this aircraft approach until it was right over the end of the runway. We immediately noticed it was way too far to the starboard (right) side of the runway—that’s the side where we were parked & anxiously waiting. The Crash trucks were literally parked about 30 feet away from the runway. When that 747 landed, it’s starboard landing gear touched down on the lights that lined the runway. Its starboard wing would pass inches away from the top of our Crash truck roof.

Like a synchronized swim team, every Crash truck driver (including me) slammed their trucks into reverse and put the pedal to the metal, all quickly backing up. The fire chief was in a pickup truck and I saw his tires smoking, he’d hit the gas full throttle.

Fortunately for the flight, and for us, the aircraft landed safely, though it took out about half the runway lights. That was what I would call an adrenaline rush.

The Flight Deck: Adrenaline “Levels”

Working on the flight deck of an aircraft carrier (USS Kitty Hawk; ’75-77) was one of the most exciting times in my life. I’ve written about many different events and times aboard a Navy ship.

I’ve sometimes describe the flight deck as a constant source of adrenaline, some events raising the “levels” of adrenaline.

Aircraft launches and recoveries were always exciting and were what I’d call a “Level 1” adrenaline rush – just being there. An ABH has two main jobs: Crash & Salvage and aircraft director Yellow Shirt. Both were equally exciting to me.

Level 3 Adrenaline Rush

During the Westpac ’75 cruise, an A-7 Corsair launched off the bow catapult, but it left a 700-pound bomb behind on the flight deck. I’d call that a “Level 3” adrenaline rush.

As a firefighter, you wait to “go to work” when something bad happens. This was “bad.” In this case, we were parked mid-ships and we all saw the bomb slide to a halt. I was driving the Crash truck that day–truly an “oh crap” moment.

Thank God, the bomb did not explode. Long story short, the EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) team came onto the flight deck and gave it a look-see and let everyone know it wasn’t armed. That dropped the adrenaline level down a notch.

Level 4

There was that time when I was on the “angle” as a Yellow Shirt director when an A-7 Corsair grabbed the arresting cable (normal recovery). Not realizing he had, the pilot applied full power to take off again. He was about ten feet in the air when suddenly the A-7 slammed back onto the flight deck. Thank God the arresting gear cable didn’t snap. The aircraft was fine, but I think the pilot went in for a “skivvy check”. That was what I would call an adrenaline “Level 4.”

I’ve also seen an F-4 Phantom launch and for some reason its elevator froze and the aircraft went vertical, about 100 feet off the water. Even with full afterburners applied, it wasn’t going anywhere. You could tell the pilot was struggling to maintain control, but he simply couldn’t. I watched the pilot and the RIO (Rear Intercept Officer) punch out (eject) and land safely in the water to be picked up by the rescue helo.

Level 5

What’s an adrenaline “level 5” (the top level)? I’ve never experienced that. I’ve seen plenty of training videos, but I never (knock on wood) actually experienced an aircraft crash upon landing. And, I’m not sure I’d want to, though I know my training would kick in if it happened.

Note/disclaimer/don’t sue me: These Adrenaline “Levels” mentioned in this post are my own definitions. They’re not scientific by any means and are my weak attempt to share with you the various levels of adrenaline I’ve experienced in my careers. I’m quite certain you’ve got your own stories; feel free to share them with us.

Your Training Kicks In…

In the Navy (and later in my time as a Gainesville City Firefighter), we constantly trained in order to be best prepared for any event/emergency that happened. There’s no way that you can train for any and all possible events. But with enough training and with a good crew and a dynamic leader, your training automatically kicks in when needed to handle almost any situation. I truly believe that confidence stays with you throughout the rest of your life. “One step followed by another…”

One thing I remember about all that training is the amount of awareness you naturally develop over time. I’m not just talking about awareness for your job; I’m talking about your constant overall awareness of your surroundings. On the flight deck, it was imperative that you “keep your head on a swivel.” That awareness seems to have stuck with me through the years. How about you?

Today, I find myself being even more “aware” of things today I didn’t really worry about before a few months ago. This COVID-19 crisis has changed everything and I’m learning to adapt to the “new normal.” Grudgingly… but I’m adapting.

When we go outside for a walk or a bike ride…. Sunglasses-check; USS Kitty Hawk ball cap-check; face mask & bandanna (in case I need it)-check; hand sanitizer (in case I need it)-check.

I’m also more aware of people around me. When we pass someone on the sidewalk or standing in line at the grocery store, my head is constantly on a swivel, just like on the flight deck. And that constant reminder, “Use the hand sanitizer after grocery shopping but before opening the door to your car.” The new list can become endless.

The “New Normal” of Awareness…

This is a strange “new normal” we’re in these days. With my Navy training and my confidence, I sometimes feel my awareness is in overdrive. Good thing we’re homebodies. It comes in handy.

And, oh yeah… before I forget… one more.

I remember there were times aboard Kitty Hawk where the head was low on non-skid. I quickly learned to keep an extra roll in my locker… you know… just in case. Who would think that 45 years later, I would become aware of how many rolls of toilet paper we use in a week… then calculate how many weeks we had left before running out? Am I the only one who does does that?

Yep, all those years of training & awareness still come in handy.

Stay safe, my friends. We will get through these times.

Until we meet again,
Andy

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. Download your FREE copy HERE.

Previous blogs mentioned in this post:

• #4 – From Civilian to US Navy
• #10 – You Light ’em, We Fight ’em
• #3 – Between a Rock and a Hard Place

Answers:

1. The Replacements (2000), Shane Falco (Keanu Reeves).
2. Mark Twain.
3. What a Wonderful World (1967); Louis Armstrong. written by Robert Thiele, George Douglas, George David Weiss.