{"id":6304,"date":"2022-10-25T07:17:50","date_gmt":"2022-10-25T11:17:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/azadkinsiii.com\/blog\/?p=6304"},"modified":"2022-10-25T07:17:54","modified_gmt":"2022-10-25T11:17:54","slug":"129-i-may-have-left-the-navy-but","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/azadkinsiii.com\/blog\/129-i-may-have-left-the-navy-but\/","title":{"rendered":"#129\u2014I May Have Left the Navy But\u2026"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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

  1. Who said, \u201cIt\u2019s not what you look at that matters. It\u2019s what you see.\u201d<\/em>?<\/li>
  2. In what movie did we hear, \u201cNormal is a setting on the dryer.”<\/em>?<\/li>
  3. In what song did we hear?
    The full moon is calling, the fever is high<\/em>
    And the wicked wind whispers and moans<\/em>
    You got your demons and you got desires<\/em>
    Well, I got a few of my own<\/em><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
    \n\n\n
    <\/div>
    Blog #129 (Audio)<\/div><\/div>
    <\/div>

    #129 – I May Have Left the Navy… but the Navy Never Left Me<\/p>\n<\/div>

    Published: <\/span>October 24, 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

    As I was contemplating (over strong Navy coffee, mind you) this week\u2019s blog title AND after my last \u201cmission\u201d down south to help with the aftermath of Hurricane Ian<\/a> in Fort Myers, Florida, I realized just how much the Navy has remained a part of me over the past 45 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    And that\u2019s what this week\u2019s title is\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u2026 The Navy Never Left Me.<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    I\u2019m sure it may resonate with several of my veteran friends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Language \/ Phrases \/ Terminology \/ Attitude<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n
    \n
    \"US<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

    I know a plethora of veterans. Not just Navy veterans, but also Army, Marine, Air Force, and a few Coast Guard veterans. Many of us still carry the traditional languages and phrases. That\u2019s usually a sure giveaway when you overhear us talk, especially when we talk with other veterans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The Navy, like all other military branches, has their own vocabulary, terms, and phrases. In fact, a few years ago, I put together a Glossary of Navy terms<\/a>. And, while I was at it, I also included a couple of other Glossaries for my fellow veterans.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I\u2019ve written about some of these \u201cspecial\u201d phrases<\/a> before and while my own children heard many of these during their grown-up years, I\u2019m not quite sure my grandchildren are old enough\u2026 give me a few more years, though.<\/p>\n\n\n

    \n
    \"Bravo<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

    Terms like, \u201cskivvies, non-skid, SOS, scuttlebutt, and Bravo Zulu,\u201d and phrases like, \u201cWhen I want your opinion, I\u2019ll give it to you,\u201d or \u201cNever Again Volunteer Yourself,\u201d or \u201cLivin\u2019 the Dream!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    All these terms and phrases are sure giveaways that I\u2019m a veteran.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Many veterans also joke about the other branches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Oftentimes, I \u201cborrow\u201d my \u201cNavy Friday Funny<\/strong>\u201d posts from another branch and just change the branch, or I\u2019ll \u201cChief it up,\u201d if it\u2019s a civilian joke. Regardless of the constant bantering among us, we are all brothers of a different mother. I mentioned before, I\u2019ve got a lot of veteran friends from all walks of life, and I respect all of you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Even my two Marine friends\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Comradery<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    As I\u2019ve grown older (\u201cseasoned\u201d is a term I often use), I\u2019ve settled into a more relaxed lifestyle. Oh, I still get outdoors (I\u2019m a nature lover & a photographer) and try to take long walks & bike rides. I get a lot of inspirational ideas (I\u2019m also an author) for my books during these journeys.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    After I left the Navy (in July 1977), I found there were still a lot of feelings toward the Vietnam War and everyone and everything associated with it. I was NOT in Vietnam, though during Westpac \u201975,<\/strong> USS Kitty Hawk<\/em><\/strong> (CV-63) cruised around in the South China Sea a few times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    But there was still that stigma of being a Vietnam-era veteran<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I simply got busy with life. You know, education, family, career\u2026 all those things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    But somewhere down the line, I began having those fleeting moments, those flashbacks, those triggers, many veterans have. It could have been a song, a smell, a sound, whatever\u2026 but it instantly took me back to NAS Agana, Guam,<\/strong> or the aircraft carrier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"USS
    USS Kitty Hawk CV-63 underway Western Pacific 29 November 1970<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    The more this occurred, the more I wanted to write down some of my own memories. My kids were old enough to have heard a few stories (and yes, a few \u201cchoice\u201d terms), but I thought it important to pass that legacy along to them and to other family members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    After all, in 2005, I\u2019d written & published my dad\u2019s experiences, \u201cYou Can\u2019t Get Much Closer Than This: Combat with the 80th \u2018Blue Ridge\u2019 Division in World War II Europe<\/a><\/strong>.\u201d Why not write a book about my <\/em>Navy experiences?<\/p>\n\n\n

    \n
    \"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

    Then I had this idea\u2026 would the Navy allow me to spend a few days aboard an active aircraft carrier? Would they fly me out? Would they let me spend a few days in boot camp? I wrote about those experiences in an earlier blog, \u201cAfter 30+ Years, I\u2019m Back on the Flight Deck<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    My wife will be the first to tell you that after I spent a few days aboard USS Ronald Reagan<\/em><\/strong> (CV-76) in 2009, I reached a goal\u2026 a personal \u201cbucket list\u201d item, if you must.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    And \u201cThree Years, Eleven Months, & 29 Days\u2013But Who\u2019s Counting<\/a><\/strong>,\u201d became my published memoir<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Veterans\u2019 Brotherhood<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    There\u2019s a bond veterans have, not with just those they served with, but with almost all veterans of all branches. When I see someone with a military ball cap, I try to acknowledge them; I see someone with a Navy ballcap, I want to know more. I don\u2019t always strike up a conversation, but sometimes it\u2019s interesting to know that others have been in many of the same places I experienced, both on the flight deck and overseas in PI.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Remember, back in boot camp (for me, Orlando RTC<\/strong><\/a>; July \u2013 August 1973), when we\u2019d march in company formation and pass another company along the way?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cAnyone from Florida? Anyone from Texas? Anyone from Iowa?\u201d Yeah\u2026 you remember those times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Now, instead of \u201cWhere are you from?\u201d the questions are, \u201cWhen did you serve? What branch? Where were you stationed? How many years?\u201d And then, if time permits, \u201cDo you remember the ‘Country Caravan Club’ or \u2018Marilyn\u2019s Inn\u2019 (or pick your own favorite club) in PI?\u201d and the no-shit stories begin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Over the past few years, I\u2019ve reconnected with old shipmates, as well as meeting new friends, either at reunions or even on Facebook. Despite all the FB BS, like ads, negativity, and their ridiculous programming algorithms, I still enjoy reading about other Navy veterans\u2019 stories, adventures, and seeing the photos of yesteryear. Many times, they bring back great memories for me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    First Responders<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    After I left the Navy, I joined the local City of Gainesville (Florida) Fire Department<\/strong>. It made sense\u2014I\u2019d spent four years as a Crash & Salvage <\/strong>firefighter. Why not continue that line of work? And\u2026 since I\u2019d \u201cgrown up\u201d and matured a bit, I could work full time at the fire department and return to college full time to continue working on my degree.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    One day on, two days off\u2026 not bad for $9,600 a year back in 1977. With the GI Bill, my tuition at the local community college was taken care of, plus when I transferred to the University of Florida.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Life was good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Firefighters, like police, EMTs, paramedics, RNs, and a whole slew of others, are called \u201cfirst responders.\u201d Back then, I often working alongside other first responders\u2026 all of us just doing our jobs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    In fact, my wife is an RN. She\u2019s retired now, like me, but we met in the late 70s while I was a city firefighter, and she was a cardiac ICU nurse at the local university teaching hospital. It was happenstance and a great story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Normally, I\u2019d start off with a \u201cno-shitter.\u201d Something like, \u201cWe met while fighting a house fire\u2014me inside the house, and she taking care of a burn victim.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    But that wasn\u2019t the case. However, that<\/em> exact scenario played out a few months later<\/a>, before we married.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    We actually met at a karate class (Cuong-Nhu) here in Gainesville. \u201cShe threw me, and I fell for her\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I can hear the groans <wide grin here>, but the story never gets old for us. Coming up on 41 years together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    A Veteran\u2019s Respect<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    My father-in-law, Dr. Rufus K. Broadaway<\/strong>, served with the 82nd Airborne<\/strong> during WWII. He dropped in on D-Day during the Normandy invasion. I\u2019ve written about him several times<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n

    \n
    \"Lt.
    Lt. Rufus K. Broadaway
    82nd Airborne
    World War II<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

    After the war, he put himself through college and Harvard Medical School, moved down to Miami and helped start the University of Miami School of Medicine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Rufus left us several years ago at the age of 96. He and Marion, his wife since 1942, lived in a Gainesville retirement community, just 20 minutes away from us. When he passed away and the funeral director wheeled him out of the room, I stood at full attention and saluted him. I don\u2019t know why, but at the time, it seemed like the thing to do. I did the same after speaking at his memorial service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Fast forward a few years and I\u2019m writing my book, NEVER FORGET<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    They say you should write what you know. There\u2019s a scene in my book after the main character\u2019s father (Ed, WWII vet) passes away in his retirement home. The main character (Tom, Vietnam vet; Chris is his teenage son) stands outside his father’s room, waiting. Charles (also a Vietnam vet) is his father\u2019s aide\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n\n\n\n

    Tom and Chris sat in silence in the small waiting room. Charles poked his head in and told Tom they were ready. They walked down the hall to Ed\u2019s room, stood outside his door, wondering what the next few minutes would bring.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Charles slowly opened the door to his father\u2019s room. The transporter wheeled his father out. He was in a black body bag, similar to the ones Tom was all too familiar with from Vietnam. But this time, it was much different. This time he knew this was the right time and the right place and all was right in the world. His father had finally found peace.  <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Tom stood straight as an arrow at full attention and did something he hadn\u2019t done since leaving Vietnam twenty-five years earlier. He saluted his father\u2014his hero\u2014for the final goodbye. Chris saw that and, like his dad, stood at attention and saluted his grandfather.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n\n\n\n

    As an author, oftentimes there are some scenes that you need to capture, and for me, this was definitely one of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Veterans Day<\/strong> is right around the corner. My final word for this week’s post is simple: when you see a veteran, thank him or her for their service. Every veteran has a story, and many sacrificed more than you may ever realize.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

    Andy Adkins is a US Navy veteran, retired technology consultant, professional speaker, and published author. He’s written several books, many are free<\/strong> to download. For more information, visit his website: www.azadkinsiii.com. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

    1. Henry David Thoreau.<\/li>
    2. Harley Quinn<\/em><\/strong> (2019), Harley Quinn (Kaley Cuoco).<\/li>
    3. One of These Nights<\/em><\/strong> (1975), Eagles; written by Don Henley & Glenn Frey.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

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