A Veteran's Journey

Trivia Questions (Answers @ end)

1. Who said, “Say what you mean. Mean what you say. Don’t lie unless your wife asks a question about her outfit.”?
2. In what movie (and who said it) did we hear, “Reunions are only tough ‘til someone reaches out a hand.”?
3. In what song (and who sang it) did we hear the following?
   A long, long time ago
   I can still remember how that music
   Used to make me smile
   And I knew if I had my chance
   That I could make those people dance
   And maybe they’d be happy for a while

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It’s summertime. I don’t know about you, but down here in Florida, we had a long, dry spell during Spring, and now it’s raining. Regardless, we jump for joy when the temperature falls below 100 degrees, and the humidity falls below 1,000%.

Okay, I may be exaggerating just a bit, but what can I say? I’m a sailor.

It’s also reunion time. This year, I’ve got two reunions in August, and I’m looking forward to them.

80th Division Veterans Association (Chester, VA)

My dad, A. Z. Adkins Jr., served with the 80th Infantry Division during World War II in Europe. I’ve written about some of his experiences in several blog posts. And … I wrote a book based on his diary. You Can’t Get Much Closer Than This: Combat with the 80th “Blue Ridge” Division in World War II Europe was first published in October 2005 by Casemate Publishers. The Military Book Club immediately selected it as the Book of the Month (November 2005). It’s currently in its second printing.

His unit (Company H, 317th Infantry Regiment) came ashore on Utah Beach 82 years ago this week. The 80th Division’s “Baptism of Fire” took place a couple of weeks later in Argentan, France.

The 80th Infantry Division Veterans Association is the second oldest active veterans’ association.

There aren’t many World War II veterans still with us. Yet, we continue to gather in their honor: families, friends, and fellow veterans. There won’t be many of us at this reunion, but for those of us who will be there, we’ll enjoy catching up, just like we do every couple of years.

And we will remember those no longer with us.

I’ll make a couple of presentations—my focus is on World War II (and World War I) research. For the families that attend, my goal is to share with them the resources, knowledge, and any assistance I can to help them on their “journey.”

I remember the first time I saw my own father’s typed name on a Morning Report. It brought tears to my eyes in the early 2000s. And yet, I’m still at it: adding content to my website, www.80thdivision.com, and researching 80th Division soldiers for families. I quit counting after 200,000 documents, images, collections, and reports on the website.

What makes me happy is that now I’m receiving requests from the soldier’s grandchildren.

We do what we can to continue keeping these memories alive, right?

USS Kitty Hawk (Pensacola, FL)

Later this month, the USS Kitty Hawk Veterans Association will meet in the Florida Panhandle.

This will be my generation—those of us who served in the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, and into the 2000s.

Kitty Hawk was decommissioned on January 31, 2009. I was fortunate enough to attend the decommission ceremony. Because of a trial (I was an expert witness), I tried but couldn’t make her last trip from San Diego to Bremerton.

However, as I wrote in an earlier blog post, the decommissioning ceremony was the first time I’d laid eyes on the Hawk since I walked across the Afterbrow on July 10, 1977. And she was just as big and beautiful as I’d first laid eyes on her in March 1975.

But … we’d both aged a bit since then.

The reunion allows us to catch up with friends—both old and new, including a few whom I had the honor to serve alongside.

We often share some of the same stories (again), but like all good sailors, each time we tell them, we embellish them a bit more. We also get to tell some of the same old “no shit” jokes, which always makes me laugh.

The difference here is that the Navy has a different “language” than the Army. Most of us shared the same types of experiences, whether it was shore duty, duty aboard a ship, or liberty. The language is unique enough that I created a “Glossary of Navy Terms” and have it on my website.

I also realize that each year, each meeting, each reunion, we’re all getting a little older. But I tell myself, we’re still upright and moving.

One of my veteran friends is fond of saying, “I’m in a footrace with the Lord.” I understand.

And, like the 80th Division reunion, we will remember and honor those no longer with us.

GHS Class of ‘72 – 2027

I graduated from Gainesville (Florida) High School in 1972. We’ll have our 55th high school reunion next year. I’m part of the planning committee, but I often comment, “I’m just the web guy.” That sometimes keeps me out of trouble.

Like the 80th Division website, I also built and continue to maintain the GHS Class of ’72 website, www.ghsclassof72.com. It’s relatively easy and not as much information to keep up with as the 80th.

What I find hardest, though, is when one of our classmates passes away. I try to update the “Memorial Page” on the site as soon as I’ve learned of their passing. Most of these classmates I knew and was proud to call them friends.

GHS had over 1,000 classmates graduate in 1972; there are still a bunch of us around (many in Gainesville). The website and Facebook group are ways to share our memories and to let others know what’s happening with the reunions.

Years (MANY years) ago, I scanned our high school photos into the computer, and at reunion time, I’ll print out the name badges with the high school photos.

One of the things I ask my wife when comparing someone’s high school photo with a photo on their Facebook page is , “Do I look as old to you as they do to me?”

Becky looks at me and does the right thing … nothing. Just smiles.

And once again, like the 80th Division and the Kitty Hawk reunions, we will remember those no longer with us.

So, yeah … I’ll go to these reunions and will continue to go until I no longer can.

Until we meet again,
Andy

Andy Adkins is a US Navy veteran (’73-77) and the author of several books (www.azadkinsiii.com), many of which are free downloads (PDF, eBook format). He is currently retired and lives in Gainesville, Florida with his wife and life-long soulmate, Becky.

Previous Blogs mentioned in this Post:

• #45—WWII Baptism by Fire, 76 Years Ago
• #31—USS Kitty Hawk, CV-63 Decommission

Answers:

1. Sean Dietrich (“Sean of the South”).
2. The Master (1984), Max Keller (Timothy Van Patten).
3. American Pie (1971), Don McLean; written by Don McLean.