A Veteran's Journey

Trivia Questions (Answers @ end)

1. Who said, “All dreams are within reach. All you have to do is keep moving towards them.”?
2. In what movie (and who said it), did we hear: “Every man dies, but not every man really lives.”?
3. In what song (and who sang it), did we hear the following?
   If you wake up and don’t want to smile
   If it takes just a little while
   Open your eyes and look at the day
   You’ll see things in a different way

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June 1977
Somewhere off the Coast of Southern California

Dear Mom & Dad:

Can you believe it? I’ll be home for good in less than a month. It seems like only yesterday that I joined the Navy, but my four years of enlistment will soon be over.

I’m a “short timer” now. There are lots of jokes that float around …

• I’m too short for long conversations.
• I have to jump up to look down.
• I could jump off the edge of a quarter and scream, “AAAHHH” all the way down.
• I have to use a ladder to scratch a snake’s belly.

You asked me in an earlier letter if I was happy that I’d joined the Navy.

That’s not an easy question to answer. Most days, I am. But there were some days that I’d rather forget. And those aren’t necessarily the ones where I witnessed a shipmate die—that was sad enough, knowing his wife and daughter will be without their father.

No, there are days when there’s just too much—pardon my French, mom—bullshit flying about. But that’s just my view. It seems like some of the chiefs just want to find stupid stuff for us to do… makes no sense.

There was that time in the Shipyards where two CPOs got into it about the flooring tiles we laid down in the berthing compartment. We had to do it not once, but twice. What a waste. Of course, we all got paid the same, but it was just pure BS.

I’m a second-class Petty Officer and have been for a year; I made ABH2 in less than 3 years. I know part of that was because I had a year of college before enlisting. Boy, that seems like a lifetime ago. But Florida State University just wasn’t meant to be; at least for a 17-year-old. I just wasn’t ready. I know that now.

But now that I’ve got a couple of electronics courses under my belt, courtesy of Olympic Community College in Bremerton during our year in the Shipyards, I’m better prepared to go back to school.

Oh, by the way. I forgot to tell you.

Our LCPO (Leading Chief Petty Officer) Chief Breig called me into the division office a few weeks ago. I kinda expected it. He asked if I’d thought about reenlisting for another four years. I told him I’d thought about it for two seconds. Before I could give him an answer, he told me that the Navy would give me a $1,200 bonus for reenlisting for six years… six friggin years for a measly $1,200 bucks? Can you believe it?

That was an easy “Thanks, but no thanks.” I’d heard the nukes were getting a $20,000 bonus for reenlisting for four years.

No, I think four years is enough for me.

I’ll have to admit though, it’s been quite an adventure. In fact, that’s one of the Navy’s recruiting posters: “It’s not just a job, it’s an adventure.” Time sure does fly by, though.

After “A” school, I shipped out to NAS Agana, Guam for 15 months. It took a little getting used to, but I slipped right into the routine. I learned to drive all the fire trucks and, after I made third-class, I was a designated crew chief. And best… the clearest water I could ever hope to scuba dive in. Wow!

I also learned to fly airplanes and got my private pilot’s license. Mom, I’ll take you up when I get home; I know you used to fly, too. Pop… I know you wouldn’t go, though I may ask. I know you saw enough over in Europe during WWII.

Guam was a great place, by the way. I think I grew up a bunch over there. I mean, working one day on and one day off wasn’t so bad. And I did take advantage of the USO “boonie stomps.” Those were always fun, especially meeting other guys and girls from other bases on the island.

My best friend, Glenn, & I flew out on the same “Freedom Bird,” when we left Guam to return to the states. I still remember touching down in San Francisco, though, and taking the bus to our hotel. There were a lot of angry Vietnam War protestors.

But after three weeks home on leave, I was ready for my next duty station, an aircraft carrier. I think I’d mentioned earlier that I flew from Florida to San Diego, but I was too early. USS Kitty Hawk was out on a RIMPAC exercise when I arrived. I got assigned to a temporary company while waiting for the ship to return to its home port at North Island. God, that temporary duty was boring as hell. You can only go to the YMCA or SeaWorld so many times.

But then, I finally got aboard the ship, met with my good friends Glenn Law and Gary Borne. They were with me in Guam.

It took a few weeks to get used to being on the flight deck, but since I’d been in Crash on Guam, I was also in Crash on the ship. It’s part of the V-1 Division in the Air Department. We have our own compartment on the island—that’s the superstructure on the starboard side of the ship.

Westpac ’75 was quite an eye-opener for me. We stopped in Hawaii for supplies & fuel, then headed to PI (Philippine Islands), our overseas home port. We were in and out of there seven times, while making our way through the South China Sea for flight operations.

Along the way, we stopped at Hong Kong for six days—that’s where I got my tattoo. We also had a port call in Japan. After that, we circumnavigated the island, heading back to PI. Of course, wouldn’t you know we’d catch the tail end of a typhoon. That was fun. All the aircraft on the flight deck were chained down with 15 tie-down chains. We were told to stay off the flight deck unless absolutely necessary. And even then, we’d venture out in pairs with a lifeline between us. Thank God, we didn’t need to go out.

We had Russian Bears, Russian Panthers (both aircraft), and Russian trawlers tracking us—all usual and SOP. It was fun, though, when the Air Boss called over the 5MC, “Launch the Alert 5!” Talk about a bunch of sailors hopping to. But we were prepared, and we made it happen.

It was hard to leave PI, but we knew it was time to come home. After six months on a Westpac cruise, a lot of the guys had wives back home and some of them had new babies waiting for them when we arrived in San Diego in mid-December 1975—the day before my birthday.

And to think that I’d been in the Navy for 2½ years; I’d been drinking like a sailor for most of that time. Yet, when we got back to San Diego, I was still only 20 years old and (legally) couldn’t go to a bar.

Sigh–I took someone’s duty so he could get off the ship to his awaiting family.

I will admit, though, when those new dads got off the ship and ran to their wives’ arms, holding their new baby boy or girl, it was quite a sight—I shed a few tears… tears of pure joy & happiness.

Even the Bremerton Shipyards was an awakening experience. I know some guys cross-decked to the Constellation to go on the next Westpac in 1976, but I decided I’d venture to the Pacific Northwest. And was I rewarded—I got to play in the snow for the first time in my life.

The Shipyards weren’t the best, but they weren’t the worst. I found things to keep me busy, including finding a great place to hang out: Bill’s Inn, great country music bands and a big dance floor. In fact, I don’t know if I told you or not, but I met one of my “idols” there: Nokie Edwards, the lead guitar player for the group, The Ventures. I learned to play the guitar by listening to their album. That was cool.

Then, after the Shipyards, we headed back to San Diego. I convinced the Division Officer, Lt. Lockram, to transfer me from Crash to Fly 3. I knew I wouldn’t have much time on the deck, what with only a few months left, but I was bound and determined to be a Yellow Shirt Director.

My good friend from Texarkana, Smitty, took care of me, making sure I didn’t make too many mistakes, and, after a few weeks, I took over on the angle to direct aircraft out of the recovery area after they landed. That was probably the most fun, the most challenging, and the closest I’d come to meeting “Davy Jones.” Talk about being between a rock and a hard place. But that’s another story for another time.

So, to answer your question… yeah, I’m definitely happy I joined the Navy. I had two great tours (three if you count the Shipyards), but that’s enough for me. I have several friends who reenlisted, and we certainly celebrated.

I think I’ll miss two things the most. The shipmates I’ve grown close to: Glenn, Buddy, Gary, Dennis, Jack, Ed, Tony, Smitty, and Mac. And who can forget good ol’ Charlie Brown?

More, though, I think I’ll miss the excitement of the flight deck. Those 14-to-16-hour days were long, but they went by quick. Once you’ve been at sea for extended periods of time, it kinda stays with you, even on dry land. When I feel a slight gust of wind, I sometimes close my eyes and imagine I’m on the bow of Kitty Hawk, leaning over and looking 60 feet down at the ocean. I don’t think that will ever go away.

I’m not sure what I’m going to do when I get home, but after four years in the Navy, I know I won’t stay still very long.

I love you both dearly and can’t wait to see you.

Your son,
Andy

PS. Would I do it again? Ask me again in 47 years.

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Previous Blogs mentioned in the Post:

• #52—30 Days and a Wake up!
• #36—Gone in an Instant
• #99—Dismissed for Academic Reasons…
• #53—You Always Remember Your First…
• #25—“Livin’ the Dream:” Life Aboard an Aircraft Carrier
• #37—Hawaii, One Word: Beautiful!
• #20—Port Call: Philippines
• #43—Port Call: Hong Kong
• #23—Rough Seas—Sea of Japan
• #33—Launch the Alert 5!
• #30—USS Kitty Hawk @ Bremerton Shipyards, Part 1
• #3—Between and Rock and a Hard Place

Answers

1. Viola Davis
2. Braveheart (1995), William Wallace (Mel Gibson).
3. Don’t Stop (1977), Fleetwood Mac; written by Christine McVie.