A Veteran's Journey

Trivia Questions (Answers @ end)

1. Who said, “You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.”?
2. In what movie (and who said it) did we hear: “We’re not hosting an intergalactic kegger down here.”?
3. In what song (and who sang it) did we hear the following?
   When you’re down and troubled
   And you need some lovin’ care
   And nothin’, nothin’ is goin’ right
   Close your eyes and think of me

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Thanks to those who commented on my previous blog, #83—Flight Deck “Skittles.” Several comments were spot on and reminded me of things I’d forgotten. Here’s a few more shared “memories:”

• “Being of the same ‘vintage,’ I had never heard the term ‘Skittles,’ till now, but I can sure see how it came about.”
• “1956: We had the shirts, skull caps with ear flaps (No ear protection, No float coat) just your jeans if you went overboard.”
• “When I was in 1969-1975 we were called Roof Rats.”
• “I was a brown shirt with VF-114. Wow, does everybody get cammies these days? Grease, dirt and grime wrecked my dungarees and khakis.”
• “The most exciting times for me! Deck apes rock!”
• “Aviation Ordnance ‘Red Shirts Forever.’ IYAOYAS!”

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Several weeks ago, I wrote about getting New Orders. But what happens during those first few weeks after you arrive at your new duty station?

I enlisted in the Navy for a 4-year commitment (’73-77) and was fortunate enough to have two great duty stations. Many of my veteran friends spent their entire career in the service, whether it was Navy, Army, Marine, Air Force, or Coast Guard. And I’m sure most have experienced many ups and downs in their military careers, i.e. “journeys.”

While my experience may not be as vast, I can honestly say that I certainly faced a few challenges during my brief Navy “career.”

And I learned at each new duty station (Boot camp, “A” School, NAS Agana, Guam, & USS Kitty Hawk) those first few weeks usually laid the groundwork for what was to become a grand experience. Though I will say, sometimes the Division Senior Chief laid out a different set of “rules” than the Division Officer.

It also laid the foundation for how I “transitioned” in my other life’s journeys after the Navy: college, marriage, career(s), kids, grandkids, and… death.

Those First Few Weeks—New Duty Station

When I checked onboard Kitty Hawk in March 1975, I was assigned to V-1 Division / Crash & Salvage, which made logical sense. I’d transferred from NAS Agana, Guam, where I worked Crash & Rescue for 15 months—different name, but the same mission & responsibilities: “You light ‘em, we fight ‘em.”

The fundamental difference was that the Naval Air Station in Guam had two, 12,000-foot parallel runways, about 1,700 acres, and six Crash firetrucks. Kitty Hawk had about 4½ acres of flight deck area, about 50-60 aircraft on the flight deck, one Crash truck, and two Crash firefighting tractors.

While Guam Crash & Rescue had two sections (Port & Starboard; I was in the Port section) of about 30 Crash crew each, Kitty Hawk had only a total of 14. I would later find out just how short-handed we were.

Yeah, there were a few differences and a few more challenges between a land-based duty station and a ship.

But after the first few weeks, you quickly adapt to your new surroundings. You don’t have much choice.

The First Few Weeks aboard Kitty Hawk

Kitty Hawk’s home port was North Island Naval Station, just west of San Diego, across the bay. When I first arrived on the pier, I looked up at this magnificent aircraft carrier which was to be my home for the next two-and-a-half years. I wouldn’t say she was beautiful (that would come later), but I would say it felt right.

My good friend from Guam, Glenn Law, was already on board. Even though we’d left Guam on the same Freedom Flight, he didn’t take as much leave as I and arrived a few weeks before me. When I first checked in with the personnel department (commonly called “processing”), he came down to greet me and we shook hands like old friends. It was good to see him. He told me that Gary Borne was already on board and also in the Crash crew. Glenn, on the other hand, was a Fly2 Yellow Shirt director.

While I had already been in the Navy for a year and a half and I had learned some colorful language in boot camp and on Guam, I was about to learn more of this second language aboard Kitty Hawk. As many Navy traditions I experienced in Guam, there would be more aboard Kitty Hawk.

Many of those remain with me, even today.

Living Quarters—Land-based Duty Station

As a Crash firefighter in Guam, I had two homes. One was the “Crash Barn,” as we called the firehouse. That’s where we stayed for our 24-hour shift. Each crew of 4 or 5 firefighters had their own room, similar to a dorm room on your typical college campus. Bunk beds, vinyl tiles, a door, and with one exception to college dorms—we had a Klaxon alarm in every room.

Whenever there was an aircraft emergency or worse, an actual crash on the field, the “phone duty” crew member would hit the alarm, no matter what time of day or night.

Yeah, that alarm would knock you out of your bunk and, with luck, directly into your Crash trousers & boots (those “silver suits”).

And since every room in the Crash Barn had a Klaxon alarm, it got really loud. No one could sleep through it…

…except my friend, Gary Borne—we had to shake him out of his bunk one night. Funny thing was, Gary was one of the Crash truck drivers that night. But I digress…

Our other “home” was the barracks—World War II era barracks that had been refurbished soon after I arrived in November 1973. Again, dorm style rooms—there were four of us in one room, wood-paneled, a window-mounted air conditioner, vinyl floors, and a door. In addition to bunk beds, we had enough room for a couch, a couple of chairs, and an old B&W television that picked up the one TV station in Guam.

It was “home” and it was comfortable.

Ship’s Berthing Compartment

However, the living quarters (also known as the “berthing compartment”) aboard a ship is a little less roomy. Unlike Guam where we had “2 homes,” we only had one aboard Kitty Hawk. That is, unless you call the Crash compartment—located aft in the ship’s island on the flight deck—or the floor bed of the Crash truck—a home.

Make no mistake… when you work a 24- to 36-hour shift, any veteran (Navy, Army, Marine, Air Force, or Coast Guard) will tell you they can sleep anywhere.

Bunks were stacked three high; mine was the middle bunk. There was about 3 feet between our stack of bunks and the stack of 3 across the way. Not a lot of room but… it was home and it was comfortable.

It only took a few weeks to acclimate to my new home. Actually, it was only a few days to get used to living aboard Kitty Hawk; a little longer to get accustomed to the flight deck routines.

After the Navy—Those First Few Weeks

I’ve often heard it said that, “All I really need to know about life, I learned in the Navy.”

Don’t quote me on that… but maybe I should write a blog with that title. Just sayin’.

The Navy prepared me for most things; you know those ever-important, life-requirement traits: Teamwork, Resilience, Adaptability, Confidence, Trust.

That’s the confidence of being a veteran, of having that worldly experience that follows you throughout your entire life. Me? I am a Navy veteran, but I have a plethora of veteran friends from all walks of the military. Most of them are, IMHO, confident.

I wrote an earlier blog called “From Sailor to Civilian.” I thought it was an interesting read, but then… a little biased. But I do remember coming home—a much different home than when I had left five years earlier (I spend a year in college before joining the Navy).

It was… in a word… a “transition.” And I had to keep reminding myself (and still do to this day), that I wasn’t the same boy/man that left home at 17 years old.

Flash Forward to Today

Now that I’m retired (I’m still trying to figure out what that means), you’d think I had a lot of spare time. But I will tell you I’m not bored and don’t believe I’ve ever been. Yes, there were those days when time seemed to slow down a tad, but for the most part, I don’t have a problem keeping busy.

My current “journey” is writing. Most of you know I’ve written several books, three that are about the military.

Just in case you’re looking for something to do over the Memorial Day weekend, here’s a list of my military books with links. All books are available on Amazon. Note that my latest novel, NEVER FORGET, is a free download for veterans and their families.

• You Can’t Get Much Closer Than This: Combat with the 80th ‘Blue Ridge’ Infantry Division World War II Europe (2005, Casemate Publishers). This is my father’s story of combat during World War II.
• Three Years, Eleven Months, & 29 Days: But Who’s Counting (2014, self-published). A young man (“me”) grows up in the Navy.
• NEVER FORGET, A Novel: A Veteran’s Journey for Redemption and Forgiveness (2021, self-published).

Until we meet again,
Andy

Previous posts mentioned in this blog

• #83—Flight Deck “Skittles”
• #80—New Orders! That’s NOT What I Asked For, But…
• #10—You Light ‘em, We Fight ‘em
• #23—Rough Seas: Sea of Japan
• #17—From Sailor to Civilian

Answers

1. Mae West.
2. Men in Black (1997), Zed (Rip Torn).
3. You’ve Got a Friend (1971), Carole King; written by Carole King.