{"id":5755,"date":"2022-02-15T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-02-15T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/azadkinsiii.com\/blog\/?p=5755"},"modified":"2022-02-14T13:34:28","modified_gmt":"2022-02-14T18:34:28","slug":"111-navy-orienteering","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/azadkinsiii.com\/blog\/111-navy-orienteering\/","title":{"rendered":"#111\u2014Navy \u201cOrienteering\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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

  1. Who said, \u201cThe only person you should try to be better than, is the person you were yesterday.\u201d<\/em>?<\/li>
  2. In what movie (and who said it) did we hear, \u201cNobody is gonna hit as hard as life, but it ain\u2019t how hard you can hit. It\u2019s how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.\u201d<\/em>?<\/li>
  3. Who sang, (and what song) the following:
    Every time I’m down<\/em>
    You’re the one who comes to my mind<\/em>
    Look to deep your love<\/em>
    You’re the one that I dream of<\/em><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
    \n\n\n
    <\/div>
    Blog #111 (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>February 14, 2022<\/span><\/div>
    <\/div>Audio by Andy Adkins<\/a><\/div><\/form><\/span>3<\/span> Downloads<\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div>
    <\/div>\n\n\n
    \n\n\n\n
    \"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    According to the<\/em><\/strong> reliable sources on the Internet, the \u201ctrue\u201d definition of Orienteering is a sport that requires navigational skills using a map and compass to navigate from point to point in diverse and usually unfamiliar terrain whilst moving at speed.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The keywords are: map, compass, and skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Some of us veterans spent time in the scouts as a youngster. One thing the scouts taught me was to use a map and a compass. It\u2019s up to you to acquire the skills <\/em>of actually using a map & compass. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    These days and times, a \u201cmap\u201d is not necessarily a GPS or a non-re-foldable<\/em> piece of paper made by Michelin. And a \u201ccompass\u201d is certainly not a device that always points to the North Pole.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    When you\u2019ve worked on the flight deck of an aircraft carrier, like I did (USS Kitty Hawk<\/em><\/strong>, CV-63, \u201975-77), I didn\u2019t need a map or a compass, since someone else used those<\/em> tools to make sure the ship headed in the right direction. Instead, I had to learn a different <\/em>set of skills, but it didn\u2019t come all at once.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    It took a while to build up to that skill\u2014one that I continued to use throughout my career(s) and even today in retirement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    As Desi Arnaz used to say, \u201cLet me \u2018splain<\/em>.\u201d (Apologies to I Love Lucy<\/em><\/strong> fans)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    My Navy \u201cOrienteering\u201d Journey<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    I want to say it began in boot camp (Orlando RTC<\/strong>, Company #163; July 1973). But it actually started a year earlier in my first year of college. At 17 years old, I couldn\u2019t wait to leave the parental units in Gainesville, Florida. I started my brief<\/em> one-year college career at Florida State University<\/strong> in Tallahassee, Florida. I wrote about that earlier: “From Civilian to US Navy.”<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Long story short: my attention span back then was that of a gnat. So after three quarters (FSU was on the quarter system) of the college basics\u2014reading, writing, & partying\u2014I flunked out. I\u2019d changed my major three times, from Biology to Marine Biology to Physical Education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Even with that last major, FSU sent me (and <\/em>my parents) my report card\u20140.7 GPA\u2014with a \u201cDismissed for Academic Reasons<\/em>\u201d letter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    So, I changed majors one more time and enlisted in the United States Navy<\/strong> for four years. Like many of my fellow \u201cshipmates\u201d\u2014those I served with as well as others I\u2019ve never met\u2014it was the best decision I\u2019d ever made. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    And while I was only <\/em>in for Three Years, Eleven Months, & 29 Days (But Who\u2019s Counting)<\/em><\/strong>, I had a great \u201ccareer.\u201d I actually wrote & published a book<\/a> with that title, in case you\u2019re interested.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Boot Camp<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    I had no earthly clue what I was getting myself into. But the day before I left Tallahassee to head home that final trip (I worked at a scuba dive shop, which was one reason I joined the Navy and not<\/em> follow my dad\u2019s footsteps into the Army), my good friends, Barry Kerley, a US Army veteran, and Tom Kelly, a US Navy veteran, both told me what to expect in Boot Camp.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Basically, their advice was to keep my mouth shut and do what I\u2019m told<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Later, I\u2019d liken that sage advice to being married, but that\u2019s another story <wide grin>. And before you ask, yes, I\u2019m still married to the same sweet girl\u2014we celebrate our 41st wedding anniversary next month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    As an aside, Becky\u2019s mother, Marion, turned 100 years old last February. We celebrated her 100th at the retirement community\u2026 in a tent\u2026 behind a plexiglass barrier because of COVID. But we celebrated!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I wrote an earlier blog about that celebration, \u201c100 Years Ago, Can You Imagine.\u201d<\/em><\/a><\/strong> She\u2019d been married for almost 75 years, but lost her husband, Dr. Rufus K. Broadaway<\/strong>, a few years earlier, at the tender <\/em>age of 95. A reporter from the local newspaper asked her, \u201cWhat was your<\/em> secret to such a long-lasting marriage?\u201d Without hesitation, Marion replied smugly. \u201cI learned to keep my mouth shut<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Sage advice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Unfortunately, Marion passed away a few months in early December. She would\u2019ve been 101 earlier this month. I wrote a short blog about her a few weeks ago, about the same time when Kitty Hawk<\/em> began her <\/em>final journey to Texas: \u201cA New Chapter\u2013Saying Goodbye to a Great Lady<\/a><\/em>.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Okay, Back to Boot Camp<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    I don\u2019t know about you, but when I first arrived at Orlando Recruit Training Center, it was in the middle of July. Hot & humid. Yet the barracks was like a meat locker. After the first few days, you didn’t even notice the temperature swings from being outside to going inside, and vice versa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    It took me a while to figure out that even though I wanted <\/em>to keep my mouth shut, mind my own business, and not<\/em> stand out, the Company Commander (ADJ1 Tom Wright<\/strong>) asked if anyone could type. I stupidly raised my hand, and hence I began my journey as the Recruit Company Yeoman<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    All because I could type. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    It was a job I took seriously, though, especially during \u201cService Week,\u201d where I and the RCPO (Recruit Chief Petty Officer) would put our heads together and assign<\/em> various recruits of our company to the outlying units.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Yeah, I know<\/em> you know what I\u2019m talking about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    How many of you still call out, \u201cMake a Hole,\u201d when you\u2019re in crowds. Throw in \u201cMake a hole, service week,\u201d and most people will look at you like you\u2019re from another planet, but\u2026 they\u2019ll move out of your way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Introduction to Navy \u201cOrienteering\u201d<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    I didn\u2019t know it at the time, but perhaps the most important trait of boot camp is that the RTC company commanders (I believe there are three of them now per company, compared to one back in my day) is to break each recruit down independently and build the entire company back up as a team. Because that\u2019s what it takes in today\u2019s military: team work<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    That’s all <\/em>military branches, mind you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    That is one of the most important traits I learned and continued to carry throughout my career(s).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cA\u201d School<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    Back in the Navy Recruiter\u2019s office in Tallahassee, I\u2019d chosen \u201cAviation Boatswain\u2019s Mate-Handler<\/strong>\u201d as my rating (that is, my \u201cjob\u201d in the Navy). I had no clue what that meant, but I\u2019d soon learn that it was a great decision, working in Crash & Salvage<\/strong>, both in Guam and aboard an aircraft carrier. I mean, \u201c<\/em><\/strong>Livin\u2019 the Dream<\/strong>!<\/em>,\u201d right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    For civilians, Navy \u201cA\u201d School is where you learn your skills for your rating. ABHs \u201chandle\u201d aircraft, both moving them around on the flight deck and an aircraft firefighter. I was fortunate to do both in my brief career. \u201cA\u201d School for me was about six weeks, the same amount of time I spent in Boot Camp.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    It wasn\u2019t as \u201cstrict\u201d as boot camp, and we had an \u201cEM Club\u201d (Enlisted Men\u2019s club) right up the hill from the barracks. But the training\u2014both classroom and hands on\u2014were pretty easy for me. I knew I\u2019d learn more once I arrived at my first<\/em> duty station<\/a>\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u2026 NAS Agana, Guam.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    While in A School, the Navy \u201casks\u201d you where you want to go for your next duty station. It\u2019s commonly called a \u201cDream Sheet<\/strong>,\u201d primarily because while you tell the Navy where you\u2019d<\/em> like to go, most of the time, they send you where they<\/em> want you to go. In my case, I asked for the West Coast, not knowing if I\u2019d be assigned ship or shore duty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    NAS Agana, Guam was my home for 15 months. I\u2019ve written several blog posts about Guam, all with different viewpoints. For me, Guam was great duty, albeit a long way from home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    It was also 1973 and even though the Vietnam War<\/strong> was \u201cwinding down,\u201d there was still a possibility I could\u2019ve been assigned duty there. Fortunately, I was not. Instead, the Navy sent me to a \u201cparadise.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I learned a great deal in Guam. Perhaps the best thing I came away with was a sense of something greater than me. It\u2019s hard to describe\u2014and I\u2019ve heard the same from other military veterans, not just Navy. But you feel you\u2019re a part of something that has a purpose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I also learned to drive all the Crash firetrucks (we had five, plus a 5,000 gallon tanker); I learned how to work with my crew and they, with me. Yeah, it is<\/em> team work\u2014that same theme I\u2019ve carried throughout my careers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I was promoted to Third Class Petty Officer<\/strong> (ABH3) while in Guam. When you first make PO, you also become a \u201csupervisor\u201d of others, so to speak. Even though these are the same guys I\u2019d been working closely with for the past year, I now had a different role. It would change again when I made ABH2 <\/strong>in the Bremerton Shipyards.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    It took a long time for me to get used to being a new Petty Officer. But eventually, with the help of several other POs’ advice, I figured out how to work with my \u201cfriends\u201d and shipmates whilst being their supervisor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I also came away with a great appreciation for my family. This was, by far, the longest I\u2019d ever been away from home. Back then, we didn\u2019t have computers, email, or cell phones. We had to rely on letters<\/a>, which took anywhere from 10 days to 2 weeks. I remember calling home only twice during my 15 months in Guam, just to hear my mom & dad\u2019s voice at Christmas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Now that I have kids of my own (and grandkids), I can certainly appreciate how my<\/em> parents felt when I was miles away. Except today, I can pick up my cell phone, call, text, or video chat with everyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Time and <\/em>technology have certainly changed over the years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    USS Kitty Hawk<\/em><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    Many of those who regularly read my blog know I worked on the flight deck of USS Kitty Hawk<\/em> (CV-63) as a Crash & Salvage<\/strong> aircraft firefighter during Westpac \u201975<\/strong> and later, after the Bremerton Shipyards<\/strong>, a Yellow Shirt<\/strong> Director.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I loved both jobs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I\u2019ve written many blogs about the excitement and challenges on the flight deck. That\u2019s where I learned to always keep my head on a swivel, which I continue today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Always be aware of all your surroundings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    When you work 16-18 hours a day while at sea, you learn to expect the unexpected. It could be walking around the flight deck at night, hardly able to see, because there were no bright lights. Even though you know your way around without getting lost, periodically, especially after a long day, you\u2019d trip over that aircraft tie-down chain, and within a matter of seconds, reveal your entire Navy \u201cfour-letter\u201d vocabulary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I still have the shin scars from those blasted tie-down chains as well as those knee-knockers. Anyone else?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Perhaps the hardest lesson I learned was how to deal with death and losing a shipmate. I wrote about that earlier in a blog titled, \u201cGone in an Instant.\u201d<\/a><\/em><\/strong> To this day, it’s not something you can forget. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    At the time, you react to the emergency, based on your training and <\/em>your team. It\u2019s afterwards where your internal mechanisms seem to go a bit awry. I won\u2019t go into details (I sorta did that in the earlier blog), but you look at life a little differently after witnessing something like that. Unfortunately, that wouldn’t be the last time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I know my Army <\/strong>& Marine <\/strong>veteran friends know exactly <\/em>what I\u2019m talking about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    After the Navy<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    After the Navy, I went back to school\u2014this time, the University of Florida<\/strong>\u2014and earned a BS in Electronics Engineering. It was easier this time around and I know it\u2019s because I \u201cgrew up\u201d in the Navy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Navy \u201cOrienteering.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    After a couple of jobs as an electronics engineer, I turned to consulting with lawyers. I was one of a handful of independent legal technology consultants in the country. Just like during the Navy, I learned to listen<\/em>, ask questions, and hopefully, when I left, the clients were better off than when I first arrived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I established the Legal Technology Institute at the University of Florida Levin College of Law and worked there for 13 years; 8 of which I was also the college\u2019s Director of Information Technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I became the Chief Information Officer for a large West Virginia law firm with offices around the country, helping them grow with technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I also worked with a startup software development company for a couple of years as their CIO.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    No, the above are not <\/em>a resume and I’m not <\/em>looking for a new job: I’m happily retired. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    As I often say, life is a journey, one step at a time<\/em>. Each job, each career takes your previous experience to help make this new opportunity the best.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    It all began with Navy Orienteering<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    And now in \u201cretirement\u201d\u2014I\u2019m still trying to figure out what that means\u2014I\u2019m writing. Not only this weekly blog, \u201cA Veteran\u2019s Journey<\/em><\/strong>,\u201d but I\u2019m also writing books<\/a>, many of which I give away (FREE downloads) . I love the journey this takes me, still learning, still researching, and still sharing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    As I\u2019ve gotten older, I find I don\u2019t need to prove myself to anyone anymore. The only<\/em> competition is to me is\u2026 me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

    Answers<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    1. Matty Mullins.<\/li>
    2. Rocky Balboa<\/em><\/strong> (2006), Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone).<\/li>
    3. Give Me Love (Give Me Peach on Earth)<\/em><\/strong> (2003), George Harrison; written by George Harrison.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

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