A Veteran's Journey

Trivia Questions (Answers @ end)

1. Who said, “Don’t be afraid of being different. Be afraid of being the same as everyone else.”?
2. Who said (and what movie), “This rates about a 9.0 on my weird shit-o-meter.”?
3. In what song (and who originally sang it) did we hear the following?
   How can you tell me how much you miss me
   When the last time I saw you, you wouldn’t even kiss me
   That rich guy you’ve been seein’
   Must have put you down
   So welcome back baby

Thanks to those who commented on my previous blog, “#52 – 30 Days and a Wake Up!” Several comments were spot on and reminded me of things I’d forgotten. Here’s a few more shared “memories:”

• “FIGMO” [see Navy Glossary]
• “Short timer’s chains fashioned from the sound-powered phone plug caps.”
• “I’m so short that I can sit on the edge of a pad eye and dangle my feet inside!”
• “I’m so short that when I jump off my rack, I need a parachute!”
• “I reveled in the ability to say, ‘I’m not short… I’m NEXT!’”
• “Freedom Bird!”

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In the Beginning…

Navy Boot Camp for me (July 1973, Orlando RTC) lasted only six weeks. I know many of my shipmates had a longer stay; I doubt anyone’s was shorter. To this day, I’m still not sure why our recruit class was only 6 weeks, but I’d heard the Navy was trying out new techniques to “get ‘em in, train ‘em, get ‘em out.” But that may just have been the weekly scuttlebutt. Who knows? But I’ll be honest… six weeks was fine by me.

After Boot Camp came ABH “A” School in Lakehurst, New Jersey, also six weeks. Similar to Boot Camp, I had to wait (temporary company) until we had enough guys to fill an ABH training class. For Boot Camp, that temp company was only two days; for A School, it took two weeks. A School was much different from Boot Camp—it was focused on specific training for my Navy rate: Aviation Boatswain’s Mate-Handler.

An ABH has two basic duties: move (“handle”) aircraft and serve as an aircraft Crash & rescue firefighter. I was fortunate to experience both.

The “Dream Sheet” – Those First Orders

After 12 weeks of training (Boot Camp & A School), I had all the confidence of a U.S. Navy sailor, albeit a “boot,” but a U.S. Navy sailor, nonetheless. Like most “FNGs,” I didn’t have a clue what the real Navy was like, but I was ready for anything. At 18 years old, I was as cocky as the rest and ready for the test.

When I first got to A School, I filled out paperwork called a “Dream Sheet.” The idea is that you would tell the Navy where you wanted to go for your next assignment, and then they would send you wherever they wanted you to go.

I filled out the West Coast for ship duty and the Philippines for shore duty. Not that I wanted to get that far away from Florida, but I’d heard the west coast had the better cruises. I’m sure those on the east coast may argue, but honestly, that was the scuttlebutt back then.

We all got orders for our next duty station in mid-October 1973. My orders read, “Report to Naval Air Station Agana, Guam.” I guess I couldn’t get too much farther away from home now, could I? I was into scuba diving, so this new duty station would probably be a diver’s dream.

Now if I could just figure out where in the hell Guam was.

Those Long Travel Days

I graduated from ABH A School on Halloween, October 31, 1973, and had a few weeks’ leave before I left for Guam. At the time, I didn’t know how long I’d be stationed on Guam, but I figured it would be at least a year. So those few weeks at home prior to leaving were extra special, spent with family and friends.

Do you have any idea how long it takes to get from Gainesville, Florida to Guam?

Me neither; but near as I could figure, it took me about 35 hours of traveling from Gainesville to Atlanta to San Francisco via commercial airlines. After an overnighter in San Francisco, I transferred over to Travis Air Force Base, where we boarded a chartered commercial airliner that took us to Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii in about three and a half hours.

We could only relax for an hour before boarding another commercial airliner, Pan Am. It took another seven and a half hours to get from Hawaii to Guam. I was dog tired after such a long trip. But fortunately, no security checkpoints like in place today.

It was Monday, November 26, 1973, when I stepped off the plane onto a beautiful island paradise that would be my home for the next fifteen months.

Welcome Aboard

After I checked into the base headquarters with my new orders, “Airman Apprentice Andrew Zenas Adkins, III reporting for duty, Sir!”, the personnel officer escorted me over to my new living quarters, if you could call it that. An older, one story, open barracks with built-in wooden dividers, similar to cubicles you see in today’s modern offices, would be my home for the next few months.

My space was about 12 feet by 14 feet, with three bunks and six lockers. It was hot and humid, and we were right smack dab in the middle of the rainy season. But after spending six weeks in a hell hole called boot camp and another six weeks in A School, life was beginning to look pretty good on this island paradise. I would not be disappointed.

You always remember your first…

As a side note, the 12’ x 14’ living “area” was a mansion compared to my berthing space aboard Kitty Hawk. Though, both were so welcoming after a long work day.

The First Few Months

I had been assigned to the Crash and Rescue Division. I was excited because I loved to fight fires from the training I’d had in A School. We were short-handed, at least that’s what the Bos’n Joye, the Crash Division Officer, told us. So we worked two shifts, Port and Starboard, 24 hours on and 24 hours off. I was assigned to the Port section.

There were six crash trucks at the Crash Barn (fire station) and each one had four- or five-man crews. While we were crammed into the cab of the truck, it really was not that uncomfortable. The driver/crew chief and lead rescue man sat in cushioned seats up front while the rest of us sat in the back on folded down metal seats.

Yep, you always remember your first…

On the Job – The Alert Spot

At a Naval Air Station with an active runway, one crash truck is always stationed out on the field parked strategically midway between the runways, called the “Alert Spot.” This truck would be the first on the scene within a few seconds of an aircraft crash.

We spent two 4-hour shifts out there in the truck. During our 24-hour duty at the Crash barn, if we had the 0800-1200 morning shift, we also had the 2000-2400 shift (8:00 p.m. to midnight).

While it was usually hot, there was always a good breeze blowing across the island, so most of the time it was bearable. We didn’t have to sit in the truck all the time when out on the Alert spot either. We could get out and stretch our legs if we wanted to. Several times, I’d lay out on my asbestos coat and catch a few sun rays.

If we were lucky to be out on the Alert Spot during dawn or dusk, there were some spectacular sunrises and sunsets on Guam.

While I’d been in the Navy for several months and met a lot of other sailors, it wasn’t until Guam where I started making friends… good friends. When you’re stuck in a truck for 4 hours at a time, twice a day, you not only get to know these guys, but you start to become… family. And even though I haven’t seen these guys in decades, they remain part of my Navy past, something that I’ll never forget.

You Always Remember Your First

Those first few months in my first duty station were both memorable and forgettable. I was introduced to many new Navy traditions, my new “job” as a firefighter, and many new friends. Those are the most “memorable” things.

I can draw on my memory (and my letters & my book) to come up with other less memorable events. But I think in the long run, the ones that stick with me the most are the friendships I made and the traditions I encountered.

That’s probably true of all military branches, not just the Navy. We veterans often carry that with us throughout our lives. Certainly, the unique language of both the Navy and military jargon. If you have an interest, I created several military “Glossaries” on my website.

I was stationed at NAS Agana, Guam for 15-months and, with only a few exceptions, worked 24 on and 24 off the entire time. With that type of work schedule, I certainly develop routines, both for the Navy as well as for myself.

Many of those routines developed during my first assignment carried over to my next duty station: USS Kitty Hawk, CV-63, an aircraft carrier. I worked on the flight deck in the V-1 Division / Crash. I’ve written about that a bit on this blog and I will continue. It obviously impacted my life’s “journey.”

One more…

Throughout Boot Camp and A School, you don’t really have time to know the people around you—you’re only there for a few weeks at most. But at your first duty assignment, a couple of things happen. One, you spend so much time with a small group of people and you get to know them… really get to know them. Years later, you can remember a lot of experiences you’ve shared with these guys.

Second, you usually develop a nickname. In the military, it is rare when a service member is called by his/her first name. Usually, it’s your last name or a “special” nickname. John Melcher, another Crash crew member in Guam, gave me mine—“Chet Adkins.” I played guitar and sung country music and… my last name was Adkins. So that was a natural.

“Hey, Chet” or “Hey, Adkins.” No one called me by my first name, “Andy.”

When I arrived home 15 months later, it took me a while to get used to being called “Andy” again. To this day, when I reconnect with old shipmates, either on the phone or Facebook, it’s always “Chet.” Those are times you will never forget.

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:

• #52 – 30 Days and a Wake Up!
• #4 – From Civilian to US Navy
• #35 – US Navy “A” School
• #10 – You Light ‘em, We Fight ‘em
• #26 – That Adrenaline Rush
• #27 – Time-honored Navy Traditions
• #3 – Between a Rock and a Hard Place

Answers

1. Zig Ziglar.
2. Jay (Will Smith), Men in Black (1997).
3. The Poor Side of Town (1966), Johnny Rivers; written by Johnny Rivers, Lou Adler.