Trivia Questions (Answers @ end)
- In what movie did we hear the following quote?
“I will call to the past, far back to the beginning of time, and beg them to come and help me at the judgment. I will reach back and draw them into me, and they must come, for at this moment, I am the whole reason they have existed at all.” - Who said, “Courage is the art of being the only one who knows you’re scared to death.”?
- In what song (and who sang it) do we find the following lyrics?
Sometimes I’m right and I can be wrong
My own beliefs are in my song
The butcher, the banker, the drummer and then
Makes no difference what group I’m in.
Listen to the audio of this blog, read by Andy Adkins. Click the “Audio” button below.
“Survival is one of the most basic instincts of mankind.”
Somebody smart wrote that once. I know it’s true and it was from a long, long time ago because I found it on the Internet. It’s by someone named “Anonymous.”
Well… “Anonymous” was probably a Third Class Petty Officer in the United States Navy. Or, perhaps a Corporal in the US Army or USMC. Or, an airman in the USAF. I can’t remember exactly, but I know s/he had to have served in the military at one point. I mean, what a profound statement, right?
Learning to live on an aircraft carrier with 5,500 of your closest friends… out at sea… on a 6-8 month cruise is… well, a survival technique.
Imagine, if you would…
There were about 80 of us in the V-1 Division aboard USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63). Back in my day (mid-70s), there were no female sailors on board.
We were a mixed bag, too. I mean that in the kindest way. We came from all corners of the country, we were all different sizes and shapes, and we all had different cultural backgrounds. Each of us grew up (“survived”) in different environments and learned to work together as a close-knit team on the flight deck of an aircraft carrier.
We also had to live together.
When Reveille sounded at 0600, we popped out of our racks (beds) and migrated toward the head (bathroom)… all 80 of us; some moved quicker than others. On Kitty Hawk, there were four shower stalls in our berthing compartment.
The 3-minute Navy shower
Let me introduce you to the 3-minute Navy shower – it may help you survive the next time power goes out and there are several of you living under the same roof.
Stay with me here, this is about to get interesting.
Step one: step into the shower stall and pull the plastic curtain for privacy. If you’ve ever been to Italy or Greece and stayed in a “non-luxurious” hotel, well… you know the size of the shower stall I’m talking about.
Step two: turn on the water. Kitty Hawk showers had spring-loaded, automatic off control knobs. They’d automatically shut the off water as soon as you let go of the handle.
Step three (assuming you figured out Step two): the first time you take a 3-minute Navy shower on a ship with these auto-off knobs, you quickly learn that the hot water is REALLY hot and the cold water is REALLY cold.
Step four: you cuss under your breath (see glossary here) and suddenly realize that the Navy figured out a nifty way to save water. And, that’s not a bad thing when you’re at sea for weeks at a time and the “fresh” water is actually made from salt water and… it takes time.
But, I digress…
Water Hours
There were times during the Westpac ’75 cruise, especially when we were out more than a couple of weeks, when there would be NO HOT WATER available and we had to take COLD showers. That is, if the water was still turned on. In all it’s wisdom, the Navy also figured out if the water was really COLD, you probably wouldn’t stay in the shower for long. And… they were right!
Step five: After you get under the shower and get that first drench, you can let go of the control to turn off the water. The next thing you do is to quickly soap up, then quickly rinse off. All the while, trying to keep your hand on the shower control while you rinse those hard to get places.
So, that’s the gist of the 3-minute Navy shower. Quick and simple. And when you’re done, you step out to dry off while the next guy jumps in.
What about… rain?
Picture this…
You’re in the South China Sea… it’s July… you’re only a few miles from the equator. It’s hot and it’s humid, but you’re working on the flight deck of an aircraft carrier. You’re wearing long pants, long sleeves, steel-toed boots, a float coat (inflatable life preserver), and a cranial helmet. And… you’re downwind of a dozen jet engine exhausts.
Sure, there’s a “gentle ocean breeze” flowing over the bow… blowing that hot jet exhaust your way.
You’ve been on the flight deck for hours. You’re dirty, you’re sweaty, you’re greasy, and you have spatters of JP-5 jet fuel all over you. You didn’t get a shower the night before because you got off the flight deck long after water hours closed the showers.
It starts to rain. What do you do?
For those of us on the flight deck, if we were in between flight ops, we’d simply strip off our shirts and let the rain flow, baby! A gift from God for the hot & sweaty.
I still have those fleeting thoughts here in Florida during the hot & humid summer days when it starts raining. My wife & kids have more than once caught me outside, head tilted toward the sky, shirt off, taking in the rain. It’s one of those memories I’ll NEVER FORGET. “Livin’ the dream, baby!”
Lessons Learned
The lessons to learn here are two-fold: #1, be quick and #2, be courteous and respectful.
While #1 no longer applies anymore (at least to showers), I do still try to follow #2 – be courteous. It’s one of those things I learned early in life and was affirmed time and time again while in the Navy—some things just stay with you.
I’m willing to bet that most Navy veterans rarely take a 3-minute Navy shower now. Face it, we’re at home and we have luxury of taking long (LONG) showers if we want to. And why not? We endured years of those short showers, so we deserve our time now.
I say that jokingly, but there are others in the military who were not as fortunate as us sailors. I have a lot of friends who served in the Marines and the Army. While us Navy vets may have “complained” about the 3-minute Navy shower, let me share with you another story.
For my Army & Marine friends
My dad fought in WWII with the 80th Division in Europe. He told me one time that he went 39 days without a bath. Wow! That was on the extreme, I know, but I’d also heard similar stories from other WWII AND Vietnam veterans.
My dad was wounded in October 1944 during an attack at Sivry, France. He was on the second floor of an abandoned house, acting as a forward observer for his mortar platoon when it was hit by German artillery. The roof caved in on him, knocked him out, and pinned his knee, tearing the cartilage.
He ended up going from the battlefield, to battalion aid (about a mile from the front lines), to the collecting company, to the Evacuation Hospital in Nancy, France. He eventually ended up in England for surgery and to recover from his injury, but this story is when he first reached the Evac Hospital in Nancy.
This is an excerpt from my WWII book, “You Can’t Get Much Closer Than This: Combat with the 80th ‘Blue Ridge’ Division in World War II Europe.” These are my dad’s words…
I must have been quite a sight to behold. I hadn’t shaved in several weeks and hadn’t brushed my teeth in quite a while. When I looked at my teeth in a mirror, they were black!
The nurse said I needed to check my valuables, so I emptied all my pockets. I put everything in a pile beside me: my wallet, K-rations, cigarettes, toilet paper, gum, can opener, a leather thong I used to tie up my raincoat, a can of powdered coffee, some dirty oily rags I had been using as handkerchiefs, and a pair of binoculars I still had around my neck.
In my left-hand fatigue jacket pocket I had a .45 Colt pistol that I always carried in case my carbine failed. I had even forgotten about that. In addition, I had a few little souvenirs I had taken from some prisoners we had captured: a piece of silk from a parachute and some emblems and patches ripped off Kraut uniforms.
After the pocket inventory came the process of undressing me. That was rather embarrassing because the last time I had a bath of any nature was out of a helmet thirty-nine days earlier, and except for my socks, had not changed clothes. I hadn’t had a hot bath since I left the States [July ’44]. Naturally, I couldn’t smell myself, but I know the nurse could detect a distinctive barnyard aroma about me.
(Click to enlarge)
Nevertheless, she was an understanding American gal and didn’t make any comments. I was wearing a field jacket, fatigue shirt, fatigue pants, OD (Olive Drab) pants, two OD shirts, two wool undershirts, wool drawers, cotton shorts, and a cotton undershirt. All of them, particularly my underclothes, were black as the night and almost stiff enough to stand up by themselves.
My cotton shorts still had a hole in them where a piece of shrapnel had come through them several weeks earlier. There was still dried blood on them. The nurse helped me down to the last mentioned item and then the ward boy took over.
My body was black with dirt. I was on the way to the most wonderful experience I’d had in quite some time—a hot bath! The ward boy wanted to bathe me in bed, but I said, “Hell, no. You just help me to the shower room and I’ll take over from there.” I bribed him into carrying me to the showers. My leg hurt like hell, but that shower felt mighty good.
I have NOTHING to complain about
After two months, my dad made it back to his unit (317th Infantry) on December 14, 1944—two days before the Battle of the Bulge began. He survived the war (obviously, or you wouldn’t be reading this blog) and made a great life for himself as a husband, father, and lawyer. Unfortunately, we lost my dad to cancer in 1989—three days shy of his 69th birthday.
My mom once told me that when they first met and eventually married, my dad was taking two to three showers every day. I wonder why?
Never again will I complain about the 3-minute Navy shower.
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.
Answers:
- Amistad, Cinque (Djimon Hounsou)
- Harold Wilson, British Prime Minister (1916-1995)
- Everyday People, Sly and the Family Stone (1969); written by Sylvester Stewart
Having served in the army. There were times when a 3 minute shower would have been a welcome treat . I can remember taking a bath in the Injim river in November. Chilly is putting it mildly. My father-in-law served with the 80th division. He and I would have talks about his time Europe. I could understand better than the rest of the family since I had experienced many of the same things he had. But back to the showers. All I can say is you were lucky. 🤣
Yeah, we were fortunate. My dad told me the story of his 39 days without a bath (the 2d half of the post), which is one reason I wanted to write about this comparison. Though, there really is NO comparison. Like I said, I have no complaints. Glad you were able to share some stories with your dad.