{"id":5029,"date":"2021-09-14T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-09-14T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/azadkinsiii.com\/blog\/?p=5029"},"modified":"2021-10-04T11:06:47","modified_gmt":"2021-10-04T15:06:47","slug":"100-milestones","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/azadkinsiii.com\/blog\/100-milestones\/","title":{"rendered":"#100\u2014Milestones"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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

  1. Who said, \u201cIt is foolish and wrong to mourn men who have died. Rather, we should thank God such men lived.\u201d<\/em><\/li>
  2. From what movie is this tagline? \u201cLife is like a box of chocolates\u2026 you never know what you\u2019re gonna get.<\/em>\u201d<\/li>
  3. In what song (and who sang it) did we hear the following?
    Crawlin’ through the trees <\/em>
    Stuck in mud up to the knees<\/em>
    Fightin’ this damn war <\/em>
    Wonderin’ if the Lord knows what it’s for<\/em>
    Six long years stretch <\/em>
    And we boys was in a hell of a mess<\/em>
    I gotta keep my mind; take it slow <\/em>
    Fightin’ hard for what I don’t know<\/em><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n
    <\/div>
    Blog #100 (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 3, 2021<\/span><\/div>
    <\/div>Audio by Andy<\/a><\/div><\/form><\/span>0<\/span> Downloads<\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div>
    <\/div>\n\n\n
    \n\n\n\n
    \"A.Z.<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    This week, I\u2019m posting Blog #100<\/strong>\u2026 triple digits\u2026 WOW!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    It\u2019s hard to believe I\u2019ve been writing this weekly blog for almost two years (Blog #1<\/a> posted on Veteran\u2019s Day 2019). I actually started writing this blog as a way to continue writing (I need a lot<\/em> of practice); that was BEFORE the pandemic. It helps to keep me sane.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    It\u2019s been a blast and as I continuously tell my wife\u2026 \u201cit keeps me off the streets<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Blog #100 is a milestone, at least for me. I know other bloggers who post daily. I don\u2019t think I could do that because after a while, I\u2019d be spitting out\u2014as my darling daughter often says\u2014\u201cthought vomit.\u201d That, I want to avoid, and I assume if you\u2019re reading this, you would wholeheartedly agree.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    But this\u2014my 100th\u2014got me to thinking about personal major<\/em> milestones I\u2019ve experienced in my life\u2019s journeys. You know, things like marriage, children, and for my wife and I, grandkids. Those are all<\/em> memorable milestones and thank the good Lord for photos, images, and (I hate to say it) social media, where we can continue to celebrate those milestones and memories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Otherwise, at my<\/em> age, some of those things may tend to \u201cslip away.\u201d I love looking at old photos and if I see one of a much younger \u201cme,\u201d I may ask out loud, \u201cwho is this strange guy?<\/em>\u201d and my wife doesn’t know if I\u2019m kidding or serious\u2026 until I wink at her. It helps keep her <\/em>on her toes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Navy Milestones<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    Even during my short 4-year Navy “career,” I experienced several milestones. I don\u2019t think I\u2019m much different from other Navy veterans\u2014heck, as I think about it, almost any<\/em> military veteran.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Remember way back when\u2026 when you first enlisted? Or perhaps you were drafted<\/em> in the late 60s. After you signed on the dotted line (\u201cpress hard, the third copy\u2019s yours<\/em>\u201d), you swore an oath for your service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    In a few seconds, I went from being a standard issue civilian to a member of Uncle Sam\u2019s Sailing Club, a United States Navy<\/strong> sailor. It\u2019s hard to remember the specific details of that particular milestone because I was only 18 years old and it was all a blur to me back in July 1973. I wrote about that “experience” in a post titled, “From Civilian to US Navy<\/a><\/em>.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Then came boot camp. For me, Orlando Recruit Training Command<\/strong>, Company #163 (ADJ1 Louis Wright<\/strong> was our company commander), from mid-July through the end of August (our class only had 6 weeks of basic training). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    From there, to ABH \u201cA\u201d School<\/a><\/strong> in Lakehurst, NJ. Again, another 6-week course that taught me how to be an aircraft director (Yellow shirt<\/strong> on the flight deck) and an aircraft crash firefighter<\/em> (Red shirt). That was one of my favorite posts titled, “You Light ’em, We Fight ’em.<\/a><\/em>“<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Both \u201cclasses\u201d quickly flew by and I think the main reason was that we all knew it was initial <\/em>training and while I learned the basics, I knew I\u2019d learn what the real<\/em> Navy did on my duty assignments. From what several of my close Navy veteran friends have said and also shared with me, I\u2019m not far off\u2014many had similar experiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    My First Duty Station<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    My first duty station was NAS Agana, Guam, <\/strong>assigned to Crash & Rescue. <\/strong>We worked 24-hour shifts every other day. We called them \u201cPort\u201d and \u201cStarboard\u201d Sections (I was Port) and we worked those shifts for 15 months straight while I was there (\u201973-75). I wrote about that earlier in a blog called, \u201cYou Always Remember Your First\u2026<\/a><\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    My First \u201cCrow\u201d<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    While in Guam, I made Airman<\/strong> (E-3) in March 1974. All that really meant was that my monthly pay went from $363 to $377. I\u2019d taken the exam while in \u201cA\u201d School and this would be an automatic promotion. That also meant I was eligible to take the E-4 exam (Third Class Petty Officer) in August ’74, which I did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    It took a few months, but I learned I\u2019d passed and would become an ABH-3 mid-November 1974. My good buddies, Gary Borne<\/strong> and Glenn Law,<\/strong> also passed. All three of us headed to the base PX and bought standard Navy issue ABH-3 patches for both our utilities and whites, ready to sew on at midnight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    And if you didn\u2019t think three close friends could stitch on a crow after drinking most of the night, you\u2019d be wrong. Somehow, we did without screwing up. And we were three new<\/em> proud Navy petty officers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Of course, the next day we had duty and<\/em> a hangover. But that wasn\u2019t the first time\u2026 and it certainly wouldn\u2019t be the last.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    There were rumors about what some senior sailors did to newly minted<\/em> petty officers and I\u2019d even took part in several of these. You know, \u201cwelcome to the club!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    My arm still hurts when I think about all the \u201cpunches\u201d I received when other fellow petty officers \u201cnailed\u201d the crow on my arm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    That<\/em> was a major Navy milestone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    My second \u201ccrow,\u201d or promotion to ABH-2\u2014second class petty officer\u2014would happen in June 1976, one month shy of my three years in the Navy. I\u2019d taken the E-5 exam on Westpac \u201875<\/strong>. Apparently, my one year in college\u2014even though I had flunked out\u2014counted toward my time in service. I didn\u2019t mind, though. We were in the Bremerton Shipyards<\/a><\/strong> and had plenty of time to party.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    My First Ship<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    USS Kitty Hawk<\/em><\/strong> (CV-63), was my first and only<\/em> ship. I reported aboard in March 1975, right after she returned from RIMPAC, a one-month naval training exercise in the Pacific that prepared the ship for overseas deployment. I spent 2\u00bd years aboard Kitty Hawk<\/em>, including the Westpac \u201975<\/a><\/strong> six-month cruise and a year in the Bremerton Shipyards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Sometimes, I think that<\/em> year in the shipyards was another \u201ctour,\u201d but I know others will argue that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Since I\u2019d spent 15 months in Crash & Rescue<\/strong> on Guam, it was logical that I\u2019d be assigned to Crash & Salvage<\/strong> in the V-1 Division<\/strong>. That was fine by me. It was my comfort zone. However, driving the Crash trucks around the flight deck with 50+ aircraft was a little<\/em> more challenging than on the NAS Agana, Guam airfield, but like most veterans, I learned to adapt.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Later, after<\/em> the shipyards, I would, however, venture out onto the flight deck as a Yellow shirt director. I wrote about that too: one of my favorites, “Flight Ops: Another Fine Day in the Navy!<\/a><\/em>” Another fine Navy milestone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Honorable Discharge<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    And then, three years, eleven months, and 29 days later<\/a>\u2026 just like that, it was over. After signing all the paperwork, I grabbed my seabag, my Greco 11-string guitar, and walked off the after brow one last time, even saluting the flag and \u201crequesting permission to go ashore, Sir.\u201d Check out my earlier post, “From Sailor to Civilian.<\/a><\/em>“<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    That was it. I\u2019d served my four years, and in my personal professional opinion, I made the most of it. I was ready to move on\u2026 on to my next journey in life, though back then I didn\u2019t call it that. The term \u201cjourney\u201d came later with age\u2026 and wisdom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I was 22 years old and had goals: return to college, get a degree in Electronics Engineering, find a job, and along the way\u2014get married. And\u2026 not<\/em> necessarily in that order.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Winding Down<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    As I look back on these personal <\/em>milestones, I don\u2019t think they\u2019re much different from most veterans. Sure, there are varieties of duty stations and some are better than others, but they are all \u201cbuilding blocks\u201d toward a career, whether in the Navy or in civilian life, or a combination of both.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I now call them \u201cjourneys.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I\u2019ve got a long way to go, but I also know I\u2019ve come a long way. If I could go back in time and talk to that 18-year-old Andy Adkins, fresh from flunking out of college and wondering what to do with the rest of his life, do you know what I\u2019d tell him?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cFollow your heart, Andy. Sure, you\u2019ll make a few mistakes along the way, but follow what you feel is right. There will be people that will try to tell you different, but look at it from their perspective\u2014they\u2019re not you. Stay the course and life will treat you as well as you treat it. And yes\u2026 join the Navy and see the world. That\u2019s the right decision for you now.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The \u201cDash\u201d<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    If you\u2019ve followed my blog, you\u2019ll notice most of the above is a rehash of experiences I\u2019ve touched on before in previous posts, though sometimes I\u2019ve been known to elaborate\/exaggerate a bit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Now here\u2019s the important point of this blog\u2026 Blog #100<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I know most everyone has visited a cemetery at one time or another. I honestly don\u2019t spend a lot of time there, though there have been some interesting \u201chistorical\u201d cemeteries we\u2019ve visited over years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    This is not an original thought, but over the years, it\u2019s stood out to me more than once.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I\u2019ve read in the past that while headstones and grave markers usually have the date of birth and the date of death engraved, a \u201cdash\u201d may<\/em> separate the two dates. The birth & death are\u2014yeah\u2014milestones, but there\u2019s much more to a life than birth or death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    And that\u2019s \u201cThe Dash\u201d \u2014 all that stuff in between<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    You know, life\u2019s milestones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I never met my father\u2019s father; he died a couple of years before I was born. But his gravestone reads: \u201cHe went about doing good.<\/em>\u201d I think that\u2019s a good ending milestone, don\u2019t you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

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