{"id":3414,"date":"2021-02-16T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-02-16T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/azadkinsiii.com\/blog\/?p=3414"},"modified":"2021-10-05T11:07:40","modified_gmt":"2021-10-05T15:07:40","slug":"70-chit-bird-farm-scuttlebutt-what","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/azadkinsiii.com\/blog\/70-chit-bird-farm-scuttlebutt-what\/","title":{"rendered":"#70\u2014\u201cChit,\u201d Bird Farm,\u201d \u201cScuttlebutt\u201d\u2026 What!?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Trivia Questions (Answers @ end)<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. Who said, \u201cIf you live a life of make-believe, your life isn’t worth anything until you do something that does challenge your reality. And to me, sailing the open ocean is a real challenge, because it’s life or death.\u201d<\/em>?<\/li>
  2. In what movie (and who said it) did we hear, \u201cI hate this detail. I hate this #*!& chicken$%!@ detail!\u201d<\/em>?<\/li>
  3. In what song (and who sang it) did we hear the following:
    In the cool of the evenin’ when everything is gettin’ kind of groovy<\/em>
    I call you up and ask you if you’d like to go with me and see a movie<\/em>
    First you say, no, you’ve got some plans for the night<\/em>
    And then you stop and say, “Alright”<\/em><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    I was only 17 years old when I first left home to \u201crun away to college.\u201d I say that jokingly, but after high school, I wanted<\/s> needed to move out on my own.<\/p>\n\n\n

    <\/div>
    Blog #70 (Audio)<\/div><\/div>
    <\/div>

    Listen to the audio of this blog, read by Andy Adkins. Click the \u201cAudio<\/strong><\/em>\u201d button below.<\/p>\n<\/div>

    Published: <\/span>October 5, 2021<\/span><\/div>
    <\/div>Audio by Andy Adkins<\/a><\/div><\/form><\/span>1<\/span> Download<\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div>
    <\/div>\n\n\n
    \n\n\n\n

    Anyone else feel that way?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    So I traveled all the way<\/em> up to the northern part of Florida and began my somewhat brief college career at Florida State University<\/strong> (\u201cdrive north \u2018til you smell it; turn left and drive \u2018til you step in it\u201d<\/em>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Forgive me. That\u2019s an old joke between my father (a University of Florida law school graduate) and my mother (an FSU graduate). Yeah\u2026 that one football game<\/em> around Thanksgiving (Gators v. Seminoles) was always interesting at the Adkins\u2019 homestead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    But I digress\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I didn’t last long at FSU\u2014they asked me to leave (\u201cdismissed for academic reasons\u201d) after my first year; I don\u2019t know why, I had a whopping 0.7 GPA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Next Journey\u2026 the Navy<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
    \"Orlando<\/a>
    “Rudder,” Orlando RTC
    Company #163 (August 1973)
    (Click to enlarge)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    So\u2026 I joined the Navy. I was 18 years old and could legally sign documents on my own. \u201cPress hard, the third copy is yours<\/em>.\u201d I didn\u2019t tell my parents until\u2014that<\/em> phone call. I was still in Tallahassee, working at a local scuba dive shop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Dad<\/strong>: \u201cSon. We got your report card in the mail today. We need to talk.\u201d
    Mom<\/strong>: \u201cI\u2019m sure there\u2019s a good reason for your grades.\u201d
    Me<\/strong>: \u201cMom, Dad\u2026 I joined the Navy.\u201d
    Mom\/Dad<\/strong> (collectively): \u201cWhat!!!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I forget whatever else was said on that phone call, but I know that was one of the best decisions I ever made.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Within a couple of months, I was off to boot camp (Orlando RTC<\/strong>, Company #163, July 1973). I\u2019ve written about that “transition” in the past<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    A \u201cNew\u201d Language<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
    \"\"<\/a>
    My old Bluejacket’s Manual
    circa, 1973
    (Click to enlarge)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    One thing I always wanted to do was to learn another language. Those six weeks of high school French and Spanish were only a slight taste of what was to come: \u201cOui<\/em>, Senora.\u201d Or \u201cGracias<\/em>, Mademoiselle.\u201d I get those mixed up ALL.THE.TIME.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I’m sure other veterans will correct me if I\u2019m wrong, but in Boot Camp, I learned a whole \u2018nother language. I\u2019m sure all military services have their own unique lingo, but the Navy\u2026 well, let’s just say, I\u2019m just a little biased.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The Navy even issued us “the bible:” The Bluejacket’s Manual<\/em><\/strong>. Hmm…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    So here goes some of my favorite Navy terms & phrases and their origins. BTW, if you\u2019d like a \u201cfull-blown\u201d Navy Glossary<\/strong>, I\u2019ve put one together and it\u2019s available to download<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Chit<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    One tradition carried on in the Navy throughout the years is the use of the \u201cchit.\u201d It is a carry-over from the days when Hindu traders used slips of paper called, \u201ccitthi\u201d for money, so they wouldn\u2019t have to carry heavy bags of gold and silver.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    British sailors shortened the word to \u201cchit\u201d and applied it to their mess vouchers. Its most outstanding use in the Navy today is for drawing pay and an official form used for requesting leave and liberty. But the term currently applies to almost any <\/em>piece of paper from a pass to an official letter requesting some privilege.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Here’s a few of my favorite “offshoots” for chit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Drop a Chit:<\/strong> The act of filling out a chit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Chit Chipper:<\/strong> Another term for a paper shredder. So named because you can’t do anything without a chit, especially one that is “lost in routing.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    My Wife Chit:<\/strong> A special request that uses the wife as the excuse or justification for needing to be absent. I love the one floating around the Internet from a sailor requesting weekend liberty: \u201cMy wife plans on getting pregnant this weekend and I\u2019d like to be there.\u201d Think about it\u2026 I\u2019ll wait.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"Navy<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    I know what some of you are thinking, especially if you hadn\u2019t served and just read that I started college at FSU. \u201cHe spelled the word, ‘Chit’ wrong. Shouldn’t it start with an \u2018S\u2019?\u201d I\u2019ve got news for you. My nickname in the Navy was \u201cChet Adkins\u201d and I can\u2019t tell you how many times I\u2019ve heard the phrase, \u201cChit, Chet\u201d or \u201cChet Chit\u201d or\u2026 the other. So no, I didn\u2019t spell it wrong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Smoking Lamp<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    Sea dogs of long ago who sailed the wooden ships endured hardships that sailors today never suffer. Cramped quarters, poor, unpalatable food, bad lighting, and boredom were hard facts of sea life. Yes, I know some of you still had those same complaints, but… spare me. Perhaps a more frustrating problem was getting fire to kindle a cigar or pipe tobacco after a long, hard day\u2019s work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Matches were scarce and unreliable in those days, yet smoking contributed positively to the morale of the crew, so oil lamps were hung in the fo’c’s’le and used as matches. Smoking was restricted to certain times of the day by the bosuns. When allowed, the \u201csmoking lamps\u201d were \u201clighted\u201d and the men relaxed with their tobacco.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Fire was and still is, the greatest enemy of ships at sea. The smoking lamp was centrally located for the convenience of all and was the only authorized light aboard. It was a practical way of keeping open flames away from the magazines, gunpowder, and other storage areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    In today\u2019s Navy, the smoking lamps have disappeared, but the words, \u201cthe smoking lamp is lit in all authorized spaces,\u201d remain a carryover from our traditional past.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    There were lots of guys aboard Kitty Hawk<\/em> and in the V-1 Division\/Crash <\/strong>that smoked. I remember my good friend Gary Borne<\/strong>, who seemed to chain smoke when he could. \u201cCan\u2019t beat $10 for a carton of smokes.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I first met Gary Borne at my first duty station, NAS Agana, Guam.<\/strong> He was the driver\/operator of the Oshkosh Crash firefighting trucks and taught me how to drive. We’d serve together again aboard Kitty Hawk <\/em>in Crash & Salvage<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I never got started smoking, though I\u2019ll admit I tried a few times when I was a teenager–one of those \u201crebellious\u201d things you do when you\u2019re that young. Both my parents smoked\u2026 and both\u2026 died from smoking-related cancers. So I feel fortunate to have not picked up the habit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Scuttlebutt<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    The origin of the word, \u201cscuttlebutt,\u201d which is nautical “parlance” for a rumor, comes from a combination of \u201cscuttle,\u201d to make a hole in the ship\u2019s side causing her to sink, and \u201cbutt,\u201d a cask or hogshead used in the days of wooden ships to hold drinking water. Thus the term scuttlebutt means a cask with a hole in it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cScuttle\u201d describes most rumors aboard a ship. \u201cButt\u201d describes the water cask where men naturally congregated, and that\u2019s where most rumors get started. The terms \u201cgalley yarn\u201d and \u201cmess deck intelligence\u201d also mean the spreading of rumors and many, of course, start on the mess deck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    It took me a while to realize that the term \u201cscuttlebutt\u201d could mean two different things. First, a water fountain: \u201cAnyone seen Adkins?\u201d \u201cYep. He\u2019s over at the scuttlebutt getting a drink.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The other was simply the rumor mill. \u201cToday\u2019s scuttlebutt says we\u2019re heading to Christchurch, New Zealand. We\u2019ll cross the equator and you know what that means: your chance to become a Shellback (from a Polywog).\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    One more… remember when you were a kid in elementary school? Yeah, I know it’s a stretch, but stay with me here. Remember the “Telephone game,” where the kids formed a circle, and the teacher whispered something in one kid’s ear? Then s\/he’d turned to the next kid to repeat it, then that kid turned to the next one, and so on. Then, when the last kid whispered what s\/he’d heard back to the teacher, the result was not even close to the original “scuttlebutt.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Chewing the Fat<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cGod made the vittles, but the devil made the cook,\u201d was a popular saying used by seafaring men in the last century when salted beef was a staple diet aboard ship. I\u2019m sure there\u2019s still some of that verbiage used in today\u2019s modern Navy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    This tough cured beef, suitable only for the long voyages when nothing else was as cheap or would keep as well, required prolonged chewing to make it edible. Men often chewed on chunk for hours just as if it were chewing gum and referring to this practice as \u201cchewing the fat.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Why does this remind me of beef jerky?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Bird Farm<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
    \"USS<\/a>
    USS Kitty Hawk, CV-63 underway in Western Pacific, Nov 29, 1970
    (Click to enlarge)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    USS Kitty Hawk<\/strong><\/em> (CV 63) was a \u201cbird farm.\u201d As was USS Constellation<\/em> (CV 64), Kitty Hawk\u2019s<\/em> sister ship, as was USS Enterprise<\/em> (CV 65), the Navy\u2019s first nuclear aircraft carrier. As were dozens of other carriers who have been mothballed and almost a dozen still in active service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    In the Navy, a \u201cbird farm\u201d is simply another term for an aircraft carrier. I\u2019ve written many blogs about Kitty Hawk<\/em>, working on the flight deck, and many of the challenges and dangers we encountered on a daily basis. The aircraft that we launch and recover are commonly called, \u201cbirds.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    And they call the carrier their home when at sea. Hence, the “bird farm.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    It really is that simple.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Polish a turd<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
    \"\"<\/a>
    BJM Glossary – Circa 1973
    (Click to enlarge)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cMaking lemonade out of lemons.\u201d \u201cTrying to make the most out of nothing.\u201d \u201cWhen one door shuts open another.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    All of these idioms are similar, but to me, \u201cPolish a turd,\u201d is the best example of trying to make the most out of a bad situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    And\u2026 I still use that term to describe a lot of things, especially during these challenging COVID times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    And now\u2026 you have a few more words and phrases to add to your own lingo. BTW – you won’t find any of these terms & phrases in the U.S. Navy Bluejacket’s Manual; at least, not my edition from 1973. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    You can thank me later. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Stay safe, my friends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Until we meet again,<\/em>
    Andy<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"NEVER<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    Andy Adkins is a US Navy veteran (\u201973-77) and the author of several books. His newest novel, NEVER FORGET, is the story of A Vietnam Veteran\u2019s Journey for Redemption & Forgiveness. NEVER FORGET is FREE (eBook, PDF) for all veterans. Download your FREE <\/strong>copy HERE<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Previous posts mentioned in this blog:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n