A Veteran's Journey

Trivia Questions (Answers @ end)

1. Who said, “Don’t underestimate me because I’m quiet. I know more than I say, think more than I speak, and observe more than you know.”?
2. In what movie did we hear the following? “Never lie, steal, cheat, or drink. But if you must lie, lie in the arms of the one you love. If you must steal, steal away from bad company. If you must cheat, cheat death. And if you must drink, drink in the moments that take your breath away.”
3. In what song (and who sang it), did we hear the following?
   Drop your silver in my tambourine
   Help a poor man fill his pretty dream
   Give me pennies, I’ll take anything
   Now listen while I play…

---

We all have those “moments” we remember from time to time. It may be a memory from when you were a child, it may be the time your child was born, it may be a special moment with your spouse, or it may be something from your work. It’s also not unusual for one of your senses (you know… the “touch, sight, hearing, smell, and taste” senses) to trigger one of those moments or memories.

In my short four-year Navy career, I spent 2½ of those years (’75-77) aboard USS Kitty Hawk, an aircraft carrier based out of San Diego. I made one Westpac cruise (’75) and spent a year in the Bremerton Shipyards. I wrote about some of those times in earlier blogs (see below).

For me, those years in the Navy were some of the most challenging, demanding, yet memorable of my life. They say that working on the flight deck is the most dangerous job in the world. I’ve been there and done that and… tend to agree.

But I will not argue with my Army and Marine veteran friends who have faced an enemy in combat. Life on the flight deck can be dangerous, but during my time, nobody shot at us.

My hat’s off to them… and, as I think about it, to all veterans.

We in the Navy often joke about other military branches (make sure you also read my weekly, “Navy Friday Funny,”) and they joke about us. But when it comes down to it, I think we all understand that while we joined for various reasons, we’re proud of our accomplishments and we have each other’s back.

I’m at the point in my life (I’m 65 and recently “retired”) where I often remember and blog about my “better times” in the Navy. It wasn’t necessarily all great for my entire four years, but I certainly had more good times than not. I’d like to think that most of us did. These are some more memorable “moments” in my journey on the flight deck.

South China Sea – Rain Shower

During Westpac ’75, most of the time we flew 14 hours a day, which meant that we had to be on the flight deck for 16-18 hours at a stretch. Flight ops were often 10a ‘til midnight, but since I worked in V-1 Division/Crash, we had to be on deck an hour before and stay an hour or so after. It made for a long and sometimes weary day. But like many of my shipmates often state, “I’d do it all over again.”

Kitty Hawk’s overseas home port (forward deployment) was the Philippine Islands (“PI”). Since it was mid-summer and not far from the equator, we’d often encountered rain storms in the South China Sea. Many times during the cruise, the ship observed “water hours,” which usually occurred when the ship was at sea for more than two weeks at a time.

That meant the ship’s engineers turned off the hot water. There were times when we (working on the flight deck) didn’t make it down to the berthing compartment in time to take a hot shower after a long day of flight ops. And, not everyone wanted to shower in ice-cold water. It made for an interesting “aroma” in the berthing compartment.

It was during those times—and I might add, in between flight ops when the ship would be smack dab in the middle of a good rainstorm—we’d strip off our jerseys (Yellow or Red for V-1 Division) and “wash” ourselves right there on the flight deck. No, we didn’t have a bar of soap (though there was that one guy one time…), but in that hot and humid climate, that cool rainwater felt so good.

During the summer here in Florida, I often “remember” those Kitty Hawk rainy days on the flight deck. It usually happens when I walk out of the grocery store with bags of groceries and the “bottom falls out” and my truck is parked the farthest away from the door because I wanted to get a little more exercise that day.

My mom used to call these summertime showers, a “frog strangler” rainstorm. It takes me back to that time on the flight deck.

Sea of Japan – Freezing Cold

On the opposite end of the temperature spectrum, also during Westpac ’75, we cruised through the Sea of Japan (after our port call in Yokosuka, Japan). It was quite different from the South China Sea, weather wise. When I ventured out onto the flight deck, I wore my thermal long johns, red Crash jersey, wool sweater, Navy foul weather jacket, rain gear, and my aviator knit cap. Even with all that warm bundling, I was still freezing cold.

We worked long shifts, often flying around the clock, so that didn’t help. More than once, I’d stumble in from the flight deck to try to warm up with a cup of steaming hot coffee. Back then, we didn’t have a “Mr. Coffee” coffee maker—not for 80 of us in V-1. We made it the old fashion way, too, in a 100-cup coffee urn. Hopefully, the guy who made the coffee used the “fresh water” spigot and not the “salt water.”

And let me tell you, many times I’d come in off the flight deck and have to tilt that coffee urn to get the bottom dregs, complete with burnt coffee grounds. But in that cold weather, even that coffee tasted wonderful.

These days, I make coffee a little differently than I did back then. I’m not a coffee “snob” by any means, but I use a grinder for fresh grounds, and watch as the coffee maker “drips” the hot water over the grounds, wanting it to be done sooner rather than later, but I wait… patiently.

When it’s ready, I pour a cup, taking in the pleasing aroma of freshly brewed Colombian coffee, and then close my eyes to take that first sip and I remember… how god-awful that Navy coffee with spent grounds tasted and thankfully, I don’t have to drink that crap anymore.

Falling Asleep on the Crash Tractor

Crash had two firetrucks on the flight deck and two crash “tractors.” They were the same type as the aircraft tow tractors, but fitted with an open cage compartment in the back to hold the PKP firefighting retardant and a seat for the suited up crash crew member to sit. They were painted white as opposed to Navy traffic yellow. All were mobile units and, during flight ops, always idling and standing by in case… well, you know, a crash or a fire.

During recovery operations, one of the crash tractors would be “stationed” amidships alongside the “foul line.” That’s a straight two-inch wide alternating red & white line that extends from the angle of the ship all the way down to the fantail (the back of the ship). That’s a line that you “DO NOT CROSS” during recovery operations. Doing so would put you in the middle of the landing zone, and that’s a place you do not want to be.

Nighttime operations would be cooler, especially when we were up north in the Sea of Japan. Between the long hours (i.e., not much sleep) and the cold weather, it was not unusual for several V-1 Division guys to stand next to the crash tractor, trying to stay warm. And more than once, I fell asleep leaning over the idling crash tractor—something about staying warm, a little “white noise” hum, and the vibration of the engine… next to a dozen of my closest friends.

Am I the only one who remembers that?

Bow Flying

I’ve written about this before, but it’s one of those “moments” I don’t want to forget. The flight deck is about 60 feet above the water line. The hull of the ship is shaped so it slices through the water like a sharp knife through hot butter. The wind generated by the ocean breeze sliding up the side of the ship’s hull comes across the deck so that it helps to increase the wind velocity for aircraft to take off. At least… that’s how I understand it.

In between flight ops, and sometimes at night, I’d often observe several fellow shipmates on the bow, leaning forward at a 45-degree angle. I say “observed,” because they were right next to me, all of us leaning over the edge, the upper part of our body over the water with outstretched arms.

Yes, there was a safety net in the event someone leaned too far, but I never saw anyone fall into the nets. I know some shipmates climbed into them, and I can imagine at night what that would be like. I’m sure their “pucker factor” was a little high, that is, if they themselves weren’t high.

The wind in your face and the water below made you feel you were really flying. Sort of like the movie, Titanic, when Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet were up front on the bow of the Titanic—you know the scene.

It was almost like that. Except… we didn’t have anyone on board that looked like Kate Winslet, or Leonard DiCaprio for that matter.

Still, when I’m walking outside and a stiff breeze hits me head on, I often close my eyes, tilt my head back, and I remember… those days of bow flying aboard Kitty Hawk.

F-14 Tomcat in Full Afterburner at Night

Working on the flight deck at night is obviously more hazardous than daytime. But once you’ve been out on the deck several times, you get used to the rhythm of the action. It’s still dangerous, but because you do many of the same things day in and day out, you know where to be and when and more importantly, where not to be.

One thing I remember vividly is standing near an aircraft, ready for launch. On Kitty Hawk, there were four catapults, numbered 1 through 4, starting on the starboard (right) bow. Cats #1 and #2 were the “bow” cats; cats #3 and #4 were the “waist” cats.

The waist is amidships and the widest part of the flight deck. I liked that spot the best at night. That way, I could stand about 20 feet away from an F-14 Tomcat (yeah, the same one Tom Cruise “flew” in the movie, Top Gun), and watch as the Yellow Shirt director “handed” the pilot over to the “Shooter,” ready for launch.

It was loud enough to rattle your safety goggles, but would soon get much louder when the Shooter signaled the pilot to go to full afterburner. THAT is quite a sight—that much power, waiting… waiting… waiting until the Shooter signaled for the aircraft to launch.

Then, with the push of a button by the V-2 Division launch operator, the steam catapult launches the Tomcat off the deck, still in full afterburner. We watch as he flies straight for a bit, then suddenly, turns vertical in a steep climb.

All of this excitement happens within a matter of seconds. And then… we get to do it all over again in less than a minute with the next jet taxiing up to the catapult. Wow… just wow!

And to think, I was a part of that awesomeness.

Sunrises & Sunsets

How can I not mention sunrises and sunsets seen from atop the flight deck while out in the open ocean? Breathtaking… spectacular… awesome… Simple words cannot truly describe the feeling one has when experiencing the sun rising, peeking over the horizon with just the right amount of clouds and mesmerizing colors to give it that “somebody bigger than us is responsible for this” feeling.

The scene is so peaceful, it almost feels like you’re completely outside your body as you try to take it all in, even though there’s 200 of your closest friends on the flight deck with you. Some, like me, were “oohing and awing” internally to themselves. Some older salts—who won’t admit it out loud—can attest to those days. And I know… I know when they’re on the beach these days and look out over the horizon to watch the sun rise… Yeah, they remember, too.

These are several of the flight deck “moments” that I often remember. They’re the happier moments I’ve experienced along my journey. Sometimes, though, the triggers I experience are not as happy. But I’ve learned to “turn” those not so good memories to other, happier, memories. Most of the time, it works.

Stay safe, my friends.

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 posts mentioned in this blog:

• #20 – Port Call: Philippines
• #23 – Rough Seas: The Sea of Japan
• #25 – Livin’ the Dream: Life Aboard an Aircraft Carrier
• #30 – USS Kitty Hawk @ Bremerton Shipyards, Part 1

Answers

1. Michaela Chung.
2. Hitch (2005), Hitch (Will Smith).
3. Green Tambourine (1967), The Lemon Pipers; written by Paul Leka, Shelly Pinz.