Trivia Questions (Answers @ end)
- Who said, “There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind.”?
- In what movie (and who said it) did we hear, “Laugh it up, fuzzball.”?
- Who sang (and what song) did we hear the following?
We’re caught in a trap, I can’t walk out
Because I love you too much, baby
Why can’t you see, What you’re doing to me
When you don’t believe a word I say?
Listen to the audio of this blog, read by Andy Adkins. Click the “Audio” button below.
Thanks to those who commented on my previous blog, “#64—General Quarters, General Quarters…” Several comments were spot on and reminded me of things I’d forgotten. Here are a few more shared “memories:”
- “1965 USS Midway CVA-41 in the Tonkin Gulf, when you heard General Quarters it was NO joke, shit was about to happen…”
- “This is not a drill, this is not a drill, General Quarters, General Quarters, All Hands man your Battle Stations, Set Condition Zebra. Now that made your adrenaline kick in.”
- “Knee knockers get you during GQ 100% of the time.”
- “So true and brings back many memories. Most civilians have no idea of all the things we went through at sea.”
- “Condition Zebra will be set in time +4.”
- “I spent all of my time on the flight deck as an Airdale with VAW-112. I definitely know the wrath of the exhaust! And on the other side, keeping a wandering shipmate out of our safety circle with props spinning.”
- “Went to GQ once and was all the way aft in the battery locker. Had to run all the way forward to the AIMD shop on the 02 level up in the bow! We almost took out the admiral whilst doing the knee knocker jump through Admiral’s Country!”
God, I love the Navy. Well… maybe “love” isn’t the right term—I was only in for 4 years.
Besides the time-honored traditions and the excitement of working on the flight deck, there are so many wondrous terms & phrases in our unique glossary. If you’re interested, I’ve assembled a fairly comprehensive one online: US NAVY Glossary.
I’m sure the Army, Marines, & Air Force have their own military speak. But the Navy… well, let’s just say I’m a bit prejudice. But I also assembled a glossary for other services, too.
Those of us who served in the military always make wise cracks about other branches of service (that may be a future blog, now that I think about it). And even within the Navy, we make jokes about other ratings (i.e., jobs). But when it comes down to it, it’s just part of the culture–we all signed on the dotted line.
Who’d a thunk an Aviation Boatswain’s Mate-Handler (ABH2) would write about something other than “AB” stuff?
Stay with me here. You’ll soon understand.
Boot Camp—First Introductions
IF you served time in the Navy—or any other military branch, for that matter—I’m sure you’ve heard many different terms specific to your service. It’s not just a language… it’s a culture. I don’t know about you, but over the years, I’ve also taught my wife and my kids some of the “finer” Navy phrases and terminology. Either that, or they simply humor me. Am I the only one here?
When I first joined the Navy in July 1973 and went to Boot Camp (Orlando RTC; Company #163), I was 18 years old and thought I was experienced at life (aren’t we all when we first graduate high school?). And I also had a year of college under my belt. Though Florida State University did send me a note with my last report card: “Dismissed for academic reasons.” Not sure why… my GPA was a “solid” 0.7. But I digress…
My eyes and my mind were opened during Boot Camp. I’d always wanted to learn a second language, and here I was right in the middle of it: Navy terminology.
YOU are probably wondering what opened my eyes in Boot Camp.
Well, besides being woken up by a loud & obnoxious company commander kicking an empty 50-gallon trash can “alarm clock” down the middle of the barracks at four friggin’ o’clock in the morning, there was also the introduction of the Navy language. I won’t repeat it here, but the term “drop your xxx and grab your socks” was one of those early terms that I seem to recall.
Yeah, I know—laugh it up fuzzball (one of my all-time favorite lines from Star Wars).
Once I was out of Boot Camp and attending Aviation Boatswains Mate Handler “A” School in Lakehurst, New Jersey, I began to relax a little. No more drilling or marching—at least, not what we experience in boot camp. Instead, we focused on learning the skills necessary to perform our rate. There were two for ABHs: one was aircraft firefighting (Crash & Rescue); the other was aircraft directing (“Yellow Shirt”, on the flight deck).
I loved both my duty stations and have written quite a few blogs about NAS Agana, Guam (’73-75) and USS Kitty Hawk, CV-63 (’75-77). They were totally different duties (one “land-based” and one “sea-based”) though Guam was considered “sea duty” at the time. I only mention that because when I was in, the sea/land rotation for an ABH was 4-2: 4 years at sea, 2 years on land.
But getting back to the point… during my short six weeks in Lakehurst, we filled out what was commonly called a “dream sheet.” That basically gives you an opportunity to tell the Navy where you’d like to go for your next duty assignment. Me? I wanted to head out west to spend some time on the coast.
Well… they sent me out west… a little further than I’d hoped for… the island of Guam.
AIN’T that a bitch?
How could I complain, though? I mean, an island paradise for my first duty station. Yes, I wanted to move out of the house (Florida), but halfway around the world? I guess I could’ve gone to Vietnam, like a lot of folks I know. So… no complaints here. I spent 15 months in Guam, working 24 hours on and 24 hours off. Great duty, though, and because I was into scuba diving, it was truly paradise.
Then came my orders to USS Kitty Hawk. That’s where I’d spend the next 2½ years of my short 4-year Navy career. And I’d also learn a whole ‘nother set of Navy terminology.
ORDNANCE is one of those words I get hung up on, especially in my later career working as a technology consultant for law firms. I mean… coming from the Navy where I worked on the flight deck with aircraft that used Ordnance then spending most of time career working with lawyers who abide by ordinance, well… it was a little confusing at first.
But I learned to hide that “slip of the tongue” by using my southern accent. That worked once or twice, at least.
YOU are probably wondering how I went from the aircraft carrier flight deck to talking about my career as a legal technology consultant? It’s not really any big story—to me, it’s a journey; a journey of life, one step at a time.
And, in my humble opinion, most of my path was initially laid down by my time in the Navy. Lock, stock & barrel, so to speak. I learned how to follow orders, and I learned how to give orders. Both, by the way, helped me better understand how to “listen” to people, which helped me become a better consultant.
I’ve been in tight places before, too–on the flight deck, as a city firefighter, and as a consultant.
There was one time when I met with a group of paralegals and legal assistants in a Florida state government law office to discuss their technology needs. Somewhere along the line, I totally lost control (perhaps I never had it in the first place). But this turned into more than just discussing technology. It was a gripe session.
AIN’T that a bitch?
I actually left the room for a few minutes, then came back in—no one noticed that I’d left. As I look back on that, I think my job was to give the group a platform to gripe. Once that occurred and everyone “got it out of their system,” we were able to direct the discussion toward technology. That was not only an eye-opener for me, but more important, a lesson learned.
I carried that with me for the rest of my consulting career. In fact, I can remember several times during conference presentation–I was the featured speaker–where I’d be about 15 minutes into an hour-long presentation and someone asked a question (I always preferred people to ask questions during the presentation as opposed to holding off until the end).
That question prompted another question, prompted by another question, and I could see that my job was to encourage the audience members to discuss what their particular needs were—not what I was presenting. That, to me, was the most enlightening type presentation.
SHIT – Back to the flight deck and some Navy terminology.
I can’t tell you how many times that word “slipped” out of my mouth when I tripped over an aircraft tie-down chain on the flight deck (I have the shin scars to prove it) or the times I tripped over a knee-knocker on the way to the flight deck, especially during General Quarters. But I’m sure I’m not the only one here.
A side note: when you’re a petty officer in the Navy, they give you what’s commonly called a “crow” pin to attach to the front of your utility cap, identifying you as a petty officer. The problem I had aboard Kitty Hawk was that I’m tall (6’4”) and the hatches (doors) through the passageways are not really built for tall guys.
More than once I “tattooed” that crow to my forehead; there are two pins that hold it in place and after one or two times of banging my forehead into the top of the hatch, well, let’s just say I “lost” my crow until I got topside. And that’s one of those times when I used the “S” word. I’m sure I’m not the only one here.
Finishing Up
Navy terminology, if used properly and in good company, can be quite humorous, especially if you’re “in the know.” That’s one thing I continue to strive for in this blog: memories along my journey.
The title of this blog is IYAOYAS. That’s a term you will probably only know if you’re in the Navy or a Navy veteran. But if you re-read the BOLD words above that start a the paragraph, top to bottom, you’ll now know what that term means.
Need I say more? Before I forget… if I’ve mistakenly misidentified IYAOYAS, then it’s only because I’m an ABH.
And that’s one reason why I love the Navy.
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:
- #64—General Quarters, General Quarters…
- #27—Time-honored Navy Traditions
- #4—From Civilian to US Navy
- #35—US Navy “A” School
- #10—You Light ‘em, We Fight ‘em
Answers
- C.S. Lewis.
- Star Wars: Episode IV—A New Hope (1977), Han Solo (Harrison Ford).
- Suspicious Minds (1969), Elvis Presley; written by Mark James, Francis Zambon.