A Veteran's Journey

Trivia Questions (Answers @ end)

1. Who said, “Aging is an extraordinary process where you become the person you always should have been.”? 
2. In what movie (and who said it) did we hear, “We seemed to have reached the age where life stops giving us things and starts taking them away.”?
3. Who sang (and what song) the following?
   War means tears to thousands of mother’s eyes
   When their sons go to fight
   And lose their lives

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The 1970s seem so long ago. But in many ways, that decade holds some of the greatest memories for me personally. I graduated from high school (check); tried college (flunked out–uncheck); and joined the Navy (check).

While I left the Navy in 1977 after four great years, the Navy never left me. I’m sure a lot of my non-Navy veteran friends feel the same. Our military service will always be a part of us.

Once Navy, always Navy—unless, of course, you were one of those “duo-lingo” types, like a few of my veteran friends. Several shipmates aboard Kitty Hawk began their military career in the Marine Corps, did a tour or two in Vietnam, then reenlisted into the U.S. Navy.

To me, those guys stood out in V-1 Division and Crash.

CWO2 Bos’n Tyrone Robuck was a short and skinny guy, but hard as nails. He was one of those guys who’d fill his coffee cup with steaming strong black coffee and gulp the whole thing down without taking a breath.

Bos’n Robuck was pretty much a no-BS officer and followed the rule book. But when one of us screwed up, which, believe it or not, we did now and then, he’d first chew us out, then go to bat for us if need be. Today’s corporate world calls this “a teachable moment.” He was a former Marine and joined the Navy after two ‘Nam tours. I believe he was a Cajun from Louisiana.

Then there was Jim Reed, a red-headed fella with a short, well-trimmed beard. He was also a former Marine and as big and as strong as an ox.

Reed was one of those guys who’d wake up in the morning, come out onto the flight deck, crawl his way up about 10 feet on the “Tilly” Crash crane, and commence doing about 50 pullups… all before coffee. He’d share stories of some scary ‘Nam patrols he’d been on. I personally thought he was full of it. But over the years, I’d heard similar stories from some of my other ‘Nam veteran friends.

Both Bos’n Robuck, the Air Bos’n (Crash Officer), and Jim Reed, an E-3 Airman, walked with a slight port list when they wore their ribbons. For civilians, military personnel wear their ribbons above their left breast pocket and if you have enough of them, they could weigh you down, hence leaning to the left or… a port list.

Baby Boomers

I’m a “Baby Boomer.” For those youngsters who don’t know what a Baby Boomer is, we are 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. But 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 kids. My sister, Anne, is 1½ years older than me. She got the beauty and the brains, and I got… well, I’m still trying to figure out what I got. But because the men came home from World War II and started families—a “boom” of youngun’s—hence, the term “Baby Boomers.”

Just because I know you’re curious (and yes, I had to look this up; Dr. Google is full of good info):

• Baby boomers: born between 1946 and 1964. There’s about 71.6 million of us in the U.S.
• Gen X: born between 1965 and 1980. There’s about 65.2 million of ya’ll in the U.S.
• Gen Y (aka, “Millennials”): born between 1981 and 1996. There’s about 72.1 million of you in the U.S., my two kids included.
• Gen Z: born between 1997 and 2015. There’s nearly 68 million of you in the U.S.
• I have no idea what the next generation will be dubbed. Perhaps they may follow the naming convention of this year’s (2020) hurricanes. What happens when you run out of names? BTSOOM!

70s TV Shows

For lots of reasons—perhaps the Vietnam War, perhaps the changes in social climates, perhaps we were simply coming of age—a new generation of television shows focused on the issues of the day such as politics, race, & equality. These were different from the “wholesome programming” we had in the 60s.

We grew up with black & white television shows. Though I remember my dad buying one of the first color TV sets in Gainesville. His excuse? The Florida Gators were playing the Auburn Tigers and he wanted to watch it in color. WTF? I’m sure there were other reasons, but that always cracked me up.

I’m sure we all had our favorites, but here’s my top 5 list of TV shows in the 70s:

• M*A*S*H – by far, my favorite 70s TV show. I don’t know if it was because of the content (Korean and Vietnam War themes) or the characters and their humor during the time of war. I’ve probably watched every episode at one time or another.
• Bonanza & Gunsmoke – two of my favorite westerns. I actually had the opportunity to visit the Ponderosa (Bonanza) during a business trip to Reno, NV (yes, it was for business). Having seen many of the episodes, it was awesome walking in the steps of Ben, Hoss, Little Joe, Adam, & Hop Sing.
• Charlie’s Angels – Three beautiful women working for a private investigator. Kate Jackson, Jaclyn Smith and… Farah Fawcett-Majors. Need I say more? Who was your favorite Angel?
• Happy Days – who didn’t love Happy Days, showcasing life in the mid-50s and 60s America? I had forgotten, but this TV series came out after the movie, American Graffiti (see below).  And that tune… “Sunday, Monday, Happy Days. Tuesday, Wednesday, Happy Days. Thursday, Friday, Happy Days. Saturday… what a day… rockin’ all week with you.” You’ll thank me later for planting that tune in your mind.
• Hawaii Five-O – set in Hawaii, a police drama with Jack Lord and James MacArthur, the man who will always/only be remembered with the phrase, “Book ‘em Danno.”

70s Movies

Similar to TV shows of the 70s, the styles and storylines—as well as the evolution of new technologies—changed the way Hollywood made movies. Music and specialized sound effects also played a big part of the 70s movies, too, helping to tell the story.  Here are my favorites:

• Star Wars (1977) – still one of my all-time favorite movies, Star Wars came to a theater in San Diego during the summer of 1977, a month before I was discharged. Several of us drove to the local cinema only to find a line of movie goers stretched around the block—almost as long as the chow line aboard Kitty Hawk on a Westpac cruise. I had to wait until I got back to Florida before seeing it… and I was NOT disappointed.
• Jaws (1975) – During Westpac ’75, Jaws came out while we were in PI (Philippines). Several of us went to see it at the base theater. None of us went swimming after that.
• Alien (1979) – I thought this was one of the greatest sci-fi movies ever made. Ridley Scott directed this thriller and took us through a mirage of scenes that would scare the bejesus out of ya. I read a while back where the “birth” of the creature on the dining table had not been rehearsed and none of the actors knew what to expect. Everything you see on the camera was spontaneous reaction. Brilliant!
• National Lampoon’s Animal House (1978) – I don’t know why, but Animal House stands out for me. Perhaps it’s because it reminds me of when I first went to college at Florida State University in 1972, when I was only 17 years old. I barely lasted a year (can we spell, PARTY!), and after FSU asked me to leave (“Dismissed for academic reasons”) with a GPA of 0.7, I joined the Navy.
• American Graffiti (1973) – Another great movie depicting the 50s & 60s with a slew of awesome cars, which in my opinion, were the true stars of the movie. Oh yeah… great music, too. I still listen to the 60s on SiriusXM; it’s #2 after Willie Nelson’s Roadhouse station.

70s Music

Personally, I’ve always liked country music, at least since the day I began working at my Uncle Walter’s Amoco service station in Gainesville. Before that, I listened to oldies and pop (that’s 60s pop, mind you). But the mechanic, Chuck Buchanan, probably the best auto mechanic I’ve ever known, listened to country music on the big Panasonic radio at the station. Every time I’d change the channel on the radio to pop music, he’d quickly change it back, “this is my radio and we’ll listen to what I want.” Good ol’, Chuck, but always with a sly smile.

It grew on me and ever since then, country music—”Classic” country, that is—has been in my veins. Willie Nelson’s Roadhouse on my Chevy truck’s SiriusXM is still my #1 goto station. That is, until my wife rides with me, then I change it to something we both can listen to.

I also play guitar and sing country music. While stationed at NAS Agana, Guam, John Melcher, a fellow Crash & Rescue crewman, gave me my Navy nickname—“Chet Adkins.” It stuck. And in case you haven’t read my previous post, “Good Morning to ya, Kitty Hawk…” I was a DJ on USS Kitty Hawk in the mid-70s.

So my favorite 70s music will be in the country category. Yours may be different, but here’s my top 5, 70s music list:

• Rose Garden (1970) by Lynn Anderson; written by Joe South. I probably listened to this song more than any other during my time in the Navy. Back in the mid-70s aboard Kitty Hawk, we wore headphones when we listened to music in our berthing compartment. Note that “buds” were either your best friend or a brand of beer snuck aboard. Back then, we had real head phones.
• Good Hearted Woman (1971) by Willie Nelson & Waylon Jennings; written by Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson. Two of the greatest “highwaymen” with a slew of great songs between them.
• The Devil Went Down to Georgia (1979) – by Charlie Daniels; written by Charlie Daniels, Tom Crain, “Taz” DiGregorio, Fred Edwards, Charles Hayward, & James W Marshall. One of the best, if not THE best, fiddle players of all time. Charlie certainly gave Johnny Gimble a run for his money.
• Take this Job and Shove It (1977) – by Johnny Paycheck; written by David Allan Coe. What a great song & a great voice. Back in the 90s, I actually had this as a ringtone on my first cell phone—it was my boss’ number.
• The Gambler (1978) – by Kenny Rogers; written by Don Schlitz. “You’ve got to know when to hold ‘em / Know when to fold ‘em / Know when to walk away / And know when to run.” Yep, the words to that song may be the reason why I’ve “enjoyed” several great careers during my journey.

The 70s Were the Foundation for My Journey

I truly believe the greatest direction I received during the 70s was my 4-year stint in the Navy.

Since I didn’t have a clue as to what I wanted to do with my life, I not only “matured” with many challenges both in Guam and aboard Kitty Hawk, but it built the confidence for me as a US Navy veteran to begin my new journey—my new career. I learned how to meet challenges head on, make a decision (hopefully, mostly the “right decision”), and how to survive in an ever-changing world.

Yeah, the 70s were 50ish years ago, but oh… what a great decade. And that, my friends and fellow shipmates, was what I came away with from “That 70s Thing We Did.”

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:

• #4 – From Civilian to US Navy
• #17 – From Sailor to Civilian
• #29 – May 8, 1945: “Ours is a Quiet Celebration”
• #39 – Good Mornin’ to ya, Kitty Hawk 

Answers

1. David Bowie.
2. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008), Dean Charles Stanforth (Jim Broadbent).
3. War (1970), Edwin Starr; written by written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong.