{"id":6399,"date":"2022-12-06T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-12-06T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/azadkinsiii.com\/blog\/?p=6399"},"modified":"2022-12-05T11:57:25","modified_gmt":"2022-12-05T16:57:25","slug":"132-the-navy-that-stayed-with-me-though-the-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/azadkinsiii.com\/blog\/132-the-navy-that-stayed-with-me-though-the-years\/","title":{"rendered":"#132\u2014The Navy That Stayed with Me Through the Years"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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

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  1. Who said, \u201cThe best teachers are those who show you where to look, but don’t tell you what to see.\u201d<\/em>?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. In what movie did we hear, \u201cNo Matter Where You Go, There You Are.\u201d<\/em>?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. In what song (and who sang it), did we hear:
    Well, the south side of Chicago
    Is the baddest part of town
    And if you go down there
    You better just beware
    Of a man name of\u2026<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
    \n\n\n\n

    My Navy \u201ccareer\u201d was a short four years. Actually, it was 3 Years, 11 Months, & 29 Days, But Who\u2019s Counting?<\/a><\/em><\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    It may have been short, but during those formidable years, 1973-77, I learned a lot about myself. As my mom told me when I returned home for good, \u201cYou\u2019ve matured.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    From an 18-year-old college drop-out to a second-class petty officer (ABH2<\/strong> \u2013 Aviation Boatswain\u2019s Mate-Handler<\/strong>), the Navy set me on a path that I\u2019ve never regretted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I know from previous emails, comments, and Facebook posts I\u2019ve received from shipmates and other military veterans over the past few years of writing this weekly blog, I\u2019m not the only one. The Navy taught me many things about my job as an aircraft firefighter, both shore and ship. And\u2026 I picked up a few other pieces of wisdom along the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    One \u201cOh Crap\u201d Moment Flushes 25 Atta-boys<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    When you do a good job in the Navy and<\/em> you have a strong leader, periodically you may <\/em>receive an \u201catta-boy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cWell done, Chet. Next time, see if you can do it better<\/em>.\u201d Or one of my favorites, \u201cWhen I want your opinion, Chet, I\u2019ll give it to you.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    After a while, these \u201catta-boys\u201d tend to add up. I didn\u2019t keep a journal of all the atta-boys I received in the Navy. Because if I did, I might only have had enough to write on the side of a red solo cup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I can honestly tell you that when I trained as a Yellow Shirt<\/a> <\/strong>director aboard USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63)<\/em><\/strong> after coming out of the Bremerton Shipyards<\/a><\/strong>, I was stoked. I\u2019d been in V-1 Division\/Crash<\/strong> since reporting aboard in March 1975 and loved it. I\u2019ve written many blog posts about those times, especially during Westpac \u201975<\/a><\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n

    \n
    \"My<\/a>
    My flight deck Yellow Shirt (1977) still fits.
    (Click to enlarge)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

    But a Yellow Shirt director was something completely different. Here I was in Fly 3<\/strong> (Flight Deck Director #36\u2013I still have my jersey), directing F-14 Tomcats<\/strong>, A-6 Intruders<\/strong>, and A-7 Corsairs<\/strong><\/a> that were parked way back on the fantail in Fly 3\u2014all multi-million-dollar aircraft, mind you\u2014many of which were parked only a few inches apart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    That\u2019s quite a responsibility. When you\u2019re new and in training, everyone<\/em> on the flight deck knows and keeps an eye out for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cNice job, Chet. Smitty musta parked that Turkey tight back there last night after flight ops<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Yeah, the accolades kept coming. \u201cAtta-boy\u201d after \u201catta-boy.\u201d As a new Yellow Shirt director, I was eating it up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Then, something happened. Not that I was being careless, nor was I trying too hard, but there was one time when I was directing an F-14\u2014the pilot was in the cockpit on the controls, following my signals\u2014when I turned him toward Cat #4, the launch catapult on the far port side of the flight deck. I guess he read my hand signals to \u201churry up,\u201d so the pilot gave his F-14 a little too much juice, swinging the tail a little too quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n

    \n
    \"F14<\/a>
    F-14 Tomcat aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71),
    during flight operations in the Persian Gulf on Jan. 12, 2006.
    Official US Navy photo.
    (Click to enlarge) <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

    No, it wasn\u2019t a \u201ccrunch\u201d\u2014that\u2019s when one aircraft scrapes another, grounding both aircraft until checked out. My good friend and fellow Fly 3 Yellow Shirt, ABH1 McKay<\/strong>, who also happened to be the Fly 3 LPO (Leading Petty Officer), was also directing another F-14. My Tomcat\u2019s jet exhaust blew Mac down and swept him a few feet down the fight deck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Let me pause here for a quick moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    They say working on the flight deck of an aircraft carrier is the most dangerous job in the world. I\u2019ve been there and done that and, in a sense, tend to agree. I\u2019ve also been a local city firefighter<\/a>. But on the other hand, I\u2019ve not<\/em> served in a forward combat unit; I\u2019ve never<\/em> been shot at, nor have I been under an artillery barrage like many of my Vietnam veteran friends. So, I don\u2019t know if it really is the most dangerous job. But there is danger lurking, especially if you don\u2019t watch what you\u2019re doing or where you\u2019re going. You have to constantly keep your head on a swivel, aware of everything going on around you. I still do that today. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I would venture to say, however, that most<\/em> airdales (those men & women who work on the flight deck) have been blown down by a jet\u2019s exhaust at least one time in their careers. It happened to me many times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Needless to say, ABH1 McKay, having been blown down by his now ex-buddy \u201cyou know who<\/em>,\u201d rolled to one side as we\u2019d all been taught, immediately popped up, and walked back to his position directing his<\/em> aircraft. Without even a slight glance my way, we all heard on our flight deck radio headsets, \u201cAnother 25 atta-boys just got flushed, Chet.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Just Call Me, \u201cClipboard\u201d<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    My dad was a lawyer here in Gainesville, Florida. Back then, in the 60s & early 70s, there were no required<\/em> specialties, such as Criminal Law, Family Law, or Personal Injury, like there are now. Some lawyers had their own niche, but many solo practitioners, like my dad, practiced what he often called \u201cdoor law.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cAnyone walking in the front door of my office is a potential client<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Back then, there were also private investigators. My dad, who handled a plethora of Criminal and Family Law (sometimes it was the same<\/em> client), worked with a great PI, Wynn Phillips<\/strong>. Mr. Phillips, as I called him during my junior high school years, was former Navy. When I told him I joined the Navy, Wynn, as I called him after graduating high school, gave me some unsolicited advice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cWhen you\u2019re on the ship, carry a clipboard with you. The Chief will think you\u2019re busy and won\u2019t bother you.\u201d<\/em> I kinda looked at him like, \u201cHave you lost your marbles?\u201d<\/em> What kind of advice is that?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I didn\u2019t have too many problems keeping busy while stationed at NAS Agana, Guam<\/strong>. I was in Crash & Rescue<\/strong> and we worked 24 hours on and 24 hours off for my entire 15 months. While on duty, we were all stationed at the Crash Barn, about 25 of us. We didn\u2019t wander about.<\/p>\n\n\n

    \n
    \"NAS<\/a>
    Welcome to NAS Agana, Guam (1973).
    (Click to enlarge)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

    But when I reported aboard Kitty Hawk<\/em>, that all changed. The aircraft carrier was a floating city with a ship\u2019s crew of about 3,600 men (women weren\u2019t on board at that time) and another 2,500 squadron personnel when at sea. When you\u2019re a new boot on board, you\u2019re subject to \u201cselection\u201d for all kinds of work parties and work duties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cChet, I need someone to help unload the ship\u2019s store goods. Thanks for being the first to volunteer.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cChet, since you’re the new kid aboard, thanks for volunteering\u2026<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    And so on and so forth\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    After a few months of \u201cvolunteering,\u201d I remembered what Wynn Phillips told me. I found a clipboard, slipped in a few pages of official Navy-looking paper, and carried it around with me. Periodically, I\u2019d walk into an office or a berthing compartment, look at the clipboard, turn the light switch on and off, then mark something on a page of official Navy-looking paper, and mutter, \u201call good to go. Have a fine Navy day.\u201d Then I\u2019d disappear. Worked like a charm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The \u201c3 Navy Questions\u201d<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    I reported to Orlando RTC<\/a><\/strong> for boot camp, beginning July 1973. I was in Company #163<\/strong> with Company Commander, ADJ1 Wright<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I believe we were one of the first classes to complete boot camp in six weeks. I don\u2019t know why the rush, but I\u2019d heard they were trying to run us through as fast as possible, even though the Vietnam War was winding down. Maybe we needed to restock the fleet\u2026 who knows?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Regardless, while marching as a company from the barracks to the mess hall or the tarmac for PT, we\u2019d inevitably pass another company. Invariably, we\u2019d hear or shout out, \u201cAnyone from Texas?\u201d \u201cAnyone from Alabama?\u201d \u201cAnyone from North Carolina?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The response would be obviously someone from that state, but before you could turn your head to look, the other company had already marched by and you had no clue who was from where.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Now that I\u2019m retired, living in Florida, when I see another Navy veteran, either wearing a Navy ball cap or shirt, I\u2019ll ask them similar questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    When were you in? What was your rate? What ship\/duty station? Now and then, I\u2019ll spot someone wearing a Navy aircraft carrier ball cap and make my way over. I\u2019ve only met a couple of guys who were on Kitty Hawk <\/em>at the same time as me and we spend a little time reminiscing. I\u2019ve learned that no matter what years, no matter what ship or duty station, and no matter what rate or rank, we\u2019re all brothers from a different mother.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I\u2019ve heard that same statement from all <\/em>branches of service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The 3 Irish Questions<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    Funny I should mention this in this particular blog, but while I\u2019m on the subject of the \u201c3 Questions\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    My wife & I traveled to Ireland this past May\u2014our first trip to the Emerald Isle. We were on a small group tour. Nine of us, plus the driver\/tour guide, traveled around the island having a grand time. We met as strangers, but parted as family\u2014very similar to shipmates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    One thing Denise, our Irish tour guide, mentioned. \u201cWhoever you meet, they\u2019ll always ask you three questions. First, what\u2019s your name?<\/em> Second, where ya\u2019 from?<\/em> And third, what do you think of our weather?<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I can unequivocally say that she was 100% right. No matter where we were, whether it was a big town or a small village, the locals all asked the same questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    In a future blog, I may talk about sampling <\/em>various Irish whiskeys, both local and international. But that\u2019s for later. <wide grin><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

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

      \n
    1. Alexandra K. Trenfor.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    2. The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension<\/em><\/strong> (1984).<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    3. Bad, Bad Leroy Brown <\/em><\/strong>(1973) – Jim Croce; written by Jim Croce.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

      Previous Posts Mentioned in this Blog:<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n