A Veteran's Journey

Trivia Questions (Answers @ end)

1. Who said, “Never look back unless you are planning to go that way.”?
2. Who said (and in what movie), “Those who are happy are not without pain, they just know how not to be controlled by it.”?
3. In what song (and who sang it) did we hear the following?
   Hey, where did we go?
   Days when the rains came
   Down in the hollow
   Playin’ a new game

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First Encounter—Johnny Seven OMA (One-Man Army)

A Grenade launcher, Anti-tank rocket, Armor-piercing shell/anti-bunker missile, Repeating rifle, Tommy gun, and Automatic pistol. All-in-one, and made of strong, durable plastic. Wow, this was the toy to have back in 1964. And… for only $9.99.

I was nine years old and had been saving up my $.25 a week allowance, and money from washing cars and raking lawns. I finally had enough in my piggy bank and asked my mom if I could buy it. She said, “Yes.” So out the door I went.

I walked about a half-mile to J.M. Fields, a large discount store with a huge toy department and headed straight to the aisle with my soon-to-be Johnny 7 OMA—I’d scouted it out many times over the previous months and knew exactly where to go.

Here I was, a 4’10” 9-year-old toe-head blonde in jeans with the pants legs rolled up, a t-shirt, half of which was tucked in the front, and my new high-top black Keds. I reached up excitedly and carefully pulled the big box down off the shelf and cradled it in my arms. Soon… I’d be playing Army soldier.

I’m a Baby Boomer and my dad fought in Europe during WWII. Back then, playing Army soldier was a thing.

I carried that package like a newborn and pulled a crisp $10 bill out of my pocket and proudly handed it to the cashier.

I Was Devastated…

… when she told me that the total cost was $10.25. I’d forgotten about the state sales tax. My face fell as quickly as my dream.

As I slowly turned around to return the J7-OMA to the shelf, a kind lady in a knee-length gray dress and matching heels behind me must’ve spotted a tear or two rolling down my cheek. I distinctly remember her gentle voice—sweet and caring, like a grandmother—saying, “Here, honey, let me pay the tax.” She pulled a quarter out of her small clutch purse and handed it to the cashier. Looking up at her with grateful puppy dog eyes, I quietly mumbled in a slightly embarrassed squeaky voice, “Thank you.”

I obviously didn’t realize it back then, but here I am today—66 years old—and I look fondly back on that day 56 years ago and that one deed, that random act of kindness, that… “Pay it forward” moment… and it still resonates, making me want to continue that tradition.

Origins

I had to look this up, because I’d never heard the term, “Pay it Forward,” until the movie came out in 2000. You remember that one? Kevin Spacey, Helen Hunt, and Haley Joel Osment.

Anyway, from what Dr. Google reports, the Pay It Forward idea can be traced back to a play first written and performed in ancient Athens in 317 BC. How they know this, I haven’t a clue. But it was a little before my time.

Who’d a thunk?

NAVY—It’s not Just a Job…

Back in the 70s, 1973-77 to be precise, I enlisted in the US Navy for 4 years and served at two duty stations: NAS Agana, Guam and USS Kitty Hawk, CV-63, an aircraft carrier.

My rating (i.e., my “job”) was an Aviation Boatswains Mate Handler; I made second class petty officer (ABH2) a month before my third year. For most of my time, I was an aircraft Crash & Salvage firefighter. And, I made one cruise: Westpac ’75. I’ve written several blogs about both those duty stations.

During Westpac ’75 and while in Hong Kong, the sailors of Kitty Hawk reached into their pockets and raised $2100 to help support three Cambodian children. The three had been marooned in Hong Kong following their country’s civil war; subsequently, they had been adopted by a First Class Petty Officer stationed in Hong Kong. The donation from Kitty Hawk’s crew helped clothe and educate the three children.

PI (the Philippines) was our overseas home port for six months. As part of the crew’s desire to be good guests in PI, several charitable projects had been planned and carried out. Two large working parties headed out to a rural church in the Bataan peninsula to paint and patch it up. Sailors went on their liberty time and contributed materials themselves.

Through this, and other similar projects, including the donation of several hundred school books to the Olongapo school system, the sailors of Kitty Hawk became close friends with their Filipino hosts. During subsequent in-port periods at Subic, the ship was host to the Subic PTA, which held a craft fair on the hangar bay of the carrier, featuring local handicrafts for sale. The profits from this sale went towards the construction of a new school in Olongapo City.

The Navy Taught Me a Lot

I knew about a few of these missions while aboard, but read more about them later while researching for my Navy book—“Three Years, Eleven Months, & 29 Days—But Who’s Counting.”

I don’t know if they still carry on these type programs (someone let me know in the comments), but I’d like to think so. It’s a way of helping establish good relationships between countries, sure. But more importantly, I think it helps us as military veterans better understand other countries and their unique cultures. I know I learned a lot from the three countries I visited while on Westpac ’75 (Philippines, Hong Kong, & Japan). Four if you want to count Hawaii <grin>.

Firefighter

After I left the Navy in 1977, I became a firefighter with the City of Gainesville, making all of $9,600 a year and worked one 24-hour day on, followed by two days off. I loved being a firefighter… at least for the 2½ years I spent with the department. Long story short—I attended college full-time while working at the fire department. There came a time when I needed to focus more on college than work, so I left. That’s another journey in itself that I’ll share at a later time.

One thing I learned first in the Navy that carried over to my firefighting days… everyone is at one time, a “rookie,” or “FNG” as we used to say in the Navy. The older, seasoned firefighters show you the ropes and take you from what you learned in the classroom to how it works in the real world. Then, after a while, you become the seasoned firefighter and you become the trainer.

You learn, just as those before you did, that you train others like your life depended on it. Believe it or not, it does.

Almost every veteran I know… knows that.

Then there are those times outside the normal work hours. Similar to what we did in the Navy with our host countries, firefighters also hosted several community events. Again, these were done off-hours, and I came to enjoy watching the joy we brought to others.

The Easter Egg Hunt

One of the more memorable events I took part in was an annual Easter egg hunt. Let me lay it out for you.

First, the Easter eggs needed to be hard-boiled and dyed—that was the job of the firefighters. It was usually done the day before. Since this was an annual event and firefighters are ingenious for “inventing” mechanisms for their needs, someone had built several 4’ x 4’ square waterproof bins, specific for boiling huge quantities of eggs. Hook a propane tank up to it with a good burner and voila… you’ve got an instant boiling pot.

Those Cajuns in New Orleans boiling crawdads have nothin’ on these ol’ boys in Gainesville.

Then there were four square baskets, each with about a two-foot wire handle, allowing the volunteer to raise and lower the eggs into the boiling water.

Where did the eggs come from? Many firefighters were also full-time farmers and ranchers and donated many of the eggs. Along with that, several grocery stores also made significant donations. All-in-all, I remember we cooked and dyed about 8,000 eggs.

During this social time, we also visited with one another, catching up with other firefighters who worked at other stations or other shifts. We were truly a family, albeit large, but a family, nonetheless. I think there were about two dozen of us and we had four of the 4×4 bins boiling eggs.

It Sounded Like a Good Idea at the Time

Somebody decided it was also a good idea to have a couple of coolers of beer… you know… because it’s hard work boiling and dying eggs and we were all off duty.

Now and then, a firefighter would hoist up a basket full of several dozen eggs and “test” one to see if it was cooked. Most firefighters love hard-boiled eggs. Who wouldn’t?

Let me pause here for a quick moment and let you know what happens when you drink beer and eat hard-boiled eggs…

OK—that’s a long enough pause.

Once the eggs were ready, they’d cool off for a bit, then another group of firefighters—sometimes with their own kids—would lower the same baskets into another pool of dye, thus providing multiple colored eggs for the hunt.

If memory serves, other volunteers would hide the eggs in and around a park or two on the other side of town. Then several hundred kids of all shapes, sizes, color, and ages would descend on the grounds and have the time of their lives. What a joyful memory!

All on our off duty time. It is truly one of those times that we all remember—good times—paying it forward.

Paying it Forward

US Navy Veteran… City Firefighter… Engineer… Consultant… Author… It’s been quite a journey—and more to come.

I’m at that point in my life where I’m making a greater attempt at paying it forward. Especially in these challenging times of COVID.

If you have the opportunity and feel the need, here are a few ways you may want to Pay it Forward:

1. At a drive through, pay the ticket (or part of it) for the meal ordered by the car behind you. Ask the cashier to explain to that car you’re “paying it forward.” S/he will know what to do. I’ve done this a few times at a restaurant, mostly for uniformed military. Someone named “anonymous” once did that for me.
2. Donate a little extra money to your favorite charity. Face it, they’re all in need these days, because… well… there’s more who need. One of my prayers these days is simple: “Lord, help those who need help and help those who help those who need help.”
3. Give a little more of a tip (say 25-30% as opposed to the usual 15-20%). We’ve been doing this since COVID started to the few restaurant take-outs we do. Believe me, it makes a difference.
4. If you’re good at something, help someone who might also be interested in what you do. We used to call this “shadow day” for high schoolers. In the Navy, we’d sometimes refer to this as a “Tiger Cruise:” go to work with daddy to see what he does on the ship.
5. Smile. I know this sounds kinda hokie, but smiles are well worth it. Even if you wear a mask, make the sign by using your index fingers to draw a smile. Everyone appreciates it.

One more…

December 3, 2020—there was a story that broke about a Dairy Queen drive-thru. A simple act of kindness in Brainerd, Minnesota started with one man paying for the car behind him, who appreciated the kind act and that person paid for the car behind them, and… it kept going… going… going for two-and-a-half days. And… GET THIS… over 900 cars. All started by ONE simple act of kindness!
https://www.today.com/food/over-900-cars-paid-each-other-s-meals-dairy-queen-t203616

In these challenging days and times of COVID, these little (did I say, “LITTLE”?) random acts of kindness are truly an inspiration. We need more of these. Need I say more?

Ask yourself one question… “What can I do this week to Pay it forward?”

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:

• #43 – Port Call: Hong Kong
• #20 – Port Call: Philippines
• #23 – Rough Seas-Sea of Japan
• #48 – Not Just Another House Fire

Answers

1. Henry David Thoreau.
2. Love and Other Drugs (2010), Jamie Randall (Jake Gyllenhaal).
3. Brown-eyed Girl (1967), Van Morrison; written by Van Morrison.