{"id":7031,"date":"2024-01-18T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-01-18T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/azadkinsiii.com\/blog\/?p=7031"},"modified":"2024-01-18T14:30:46","modified_gmt":"2024-01-18T19:30:46","slug":"161-the-pucker-factor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/azadkinsiii.com\/blog\/161-the-pucker-factor\/","title":{"rendered":"#161\u2014The \u201cPucker Factor\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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

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  1. <\/em>Who said, \u201cThe greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.\u201d<\/em>?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. <\/em>In what movie (and who said it) did we hear, \u201cYippee-ki-yay, Mother\u2026\u201d<\/em>?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. In what song (and who sang it) did we hear the following?
    The sound of your footsteps<\/em>
    Tell me that you’re near<\/em>
    Your soft gentle motion, babe<\/em>
    Brings out a need in me that nobody hears<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
    \n\n\n
    <\/div>
    Blog #161 (audio)<\/div><\/div>
    <\/div>
    <\/div>
    Published: <\/span>January 18, 2024<\/span><\/div>
    <\/div>Audio by Andy Adkins<\/a><\/div><\/form><\/span>4<\/span> Downloads<\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div>
    <\/div>\n\n\n
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    According to Professor Google, the term, \u201cPucker Factor,\u201d originated somewhere, sometime in the 60s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I never knew the term during my early elementary and junior high school years, though there were times when it would have certainly been appropriate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I enlisted in the US Navy<\/strong> in July 1973\u2014I was 18 years old… old enough to sign legal documents. My parents didn\u2019t know I\u2019d joined the Navy until a few days later when they called me about my grades from Florida State University<\/strong>\u2026 a dismal 0.7 GPA with an accompanying note: \u201cDismissed for academic reasons.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Dad: \u201cSon. We just received your report card in the mail and wanted to talk with you about your grades.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Me: \u201cYeah. I know. They weren\u2019t what I expected, either.\u201d<\/em> [Unbeknownst to my mom & dad, I actually expected them to be lower]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Mom: \u201cCare to explain?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Me: \u201cI joined the Navy.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Mom: \u201cWhat?!!!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    There was silence\u2014a long, deafening silence. I forgot whatever else was said on that phone call. But I enlisted for four years (1973-77). It was definitely an awakening AND set the cornerstone for my life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I think I first learned the term \u201cPucker Factor,\u201d along with several other unique <\/em>Navy terms<\/a><\/strong>, during my six weeks in boot camp (Orlando RTC<\/a><\/strong>, July-August \u201873; Company #163; CC ADJ1 Louis Wright<\/em>). I believe it was the first week, like many of us new recruits, when I wondered if I\u2019d made the right decision. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    But such is the way of boot camp\u2026 at least, back in the 70s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    ABH \u201cA\u201d School<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    My Navy rating was an Aviation Boatswain\u2019s Mate-Handler<\/strong> (ABH). After boot camp, I traveled to ABH \u201cA\u201d school<\/a><\/strong> in Lakehurst, New Jersey<\/strong> for a six-week training course on how to fight aircraft fires and how to direct aircraft. That\u2019s what ABHs did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Back while attending FSU, I had learned to skydive: one of several “extracurricular activities” my parent didn’t know about. I made two \u201cstatic line\u201d jumps at 3,000 feet. That\u2019s basically when your parachute is attached to a long, 20-foot \u201cstatic line\u201d cord attached to the aircraft that opens your parachute after<\/em> you jump out of a perfectly good aircraft. You’ve seen these before when a squad or platoon of paratroopers line up inside an aircraft, “hook” up their lines, and walk toward the back of the aircraft to jump. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Why, you ask?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I have no idea, but it was exhilarating, to say the least.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    When I arrived at Lakehurst, there was also an active skydiving club, so naturally, I joined. I made two more jumps, including my first \u201cDRCP\u201d (Dummy Rip Cord Pull) jump. Again, the parachute is attached to the aircraft with a long cord, but you pull a \u201cdummy\u201d rip cord handle. The idea is to practice \u201cpulling\u201d the rip cord without twisting your body upside down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Wind resistance and physics can be a tad complicated, but when you\u2019re falling through the air, it takes practice to fall properly<\/em>; and I use that term loosely. Yes, we\u2019ve all seen the free fallers flipping and sliding and doing all kinds of aerial acrobats while skydiving. But when you\u2019re the new kid on the block, it takes practice. If you don\u2019t move your arms in tandem, the wind resistance will twist your body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    For a novice like me, that<\/em> was my<\/em> first introduction to the Pucker Factor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    NAS Agana Guam<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    I spent most of my short, 4-year Navy career in aircraft Crash & Rescue<\/strong>. During ABH \u201cA\u201d School, I filled out the infamous \u201cDream Sheet<\/a>,\u201d requesting West Coast duty. I got my wish, though it was a long<\/em> way from home: NAS Agana, Guam<\/a><\/strong>. I\u2019d been assigned to the Crash & Rescue Division; at that time CWO-2 Bos\u2019n Joye<\/strong> was the division officer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Crash had two sections, Port and Starboard; I was in the Port Section. We worked 24 hours on and 24 hours off for 15 months. I shared my old, renovated WWII barracks \u201chome\u201d with three other guys in Crash. Our other \u201chome\u201d was the Crash Barn, located right off the tarmac between the airport Aircraft Control Tower and one of the aircraft squadrons. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"NAS
    NAS Agana, Guam – Hot Drills (1974)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    While I\u2019d already had six weeks of training at A School, we constantly trained in Guam. We\u2019d usually practice \u201chot drills\u201d several times a month. The training area was located on a hill at the far end of the runways. Various pieces were arranged like an aircraft (fuselage, wings, tail). There was also a 5,000-gallon tanker truck with plenty of fuel to spread around the practice area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    That gave us the opportunity to practice fighting aircraft fires as a team. Back then, we wore silver asbestos suits, allowing us to walk through fire. Practice, practice, and more practice. Not a lot of people can claim they’ve walked through fires like this. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Yet, I never<\/em> experienced the Pucker Factor while fighting fires, either while in the Navy or when I left the Navy in 1977 and joined the local City of Gainesville Fire Department<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Though there was that one time while training for the GFD. We were required to climb a 50-foot ladder, lock in a knee at the top rung, bend back and clap our hands. I should also mention the ladder was vertically straight in the middle of a field, not leaning against a structure. Four guide ropes extended out and held taut by two firefighters each (total of eight), while the base of the ladder on the ground had two more firefighters leaning against it. The idea was to first trust your team and second, determine how high a Pucker Factor you\u2019d experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Funny thing was, I don\u2019t remember any Pucker Factor. It was fun being that high in the air and looking around the area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

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

    There\u2019s a huge difference between a land-based Naval Air Station and an aircraft carrier. It\u2019s not just the size component, though that does contribute. It\u2019s the amount of fast-paced action in a much tighter space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I worked on the flight deck of USS Kitty Hawk<\/em><\/strong> (CV-63), an aircraft carrier (’75-77), assigned to V-1 Division<\/strong> \/ Crash & Salvage<\/strong><\/a> during Westpac \u201975<\/a><\/strong>, then transferred to a Yellow Shirt<\/a><\/strong> aircraft director after the Bremerton Shipyards<\/a><\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Most days, \u201cnormal\u201d flight operations (whatever that was) typically began around 10 a.m., and continued through midnight. V-1 Division personnel had to be on the flight deck an hour before and remain an hour after flight ops. That was, unless we were flying around-the-clock, like we did in the Sea of Japan<\/a><\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I\u2019ve written several blogs about my time aboard Kitty Hawk<\/em>, including those not-so-good events. Even while reacting to a crash or fighting fires, I never<\/em> experienced the Pucker Factor. I don\u2019t know why, other than during those events, your training kicks in and you do what you have to do to protect yourself and your team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The anxieties and \u201cwhat ifs\u201d usually came later. Some of them still<\/em> remain to this day, especially when something (a sound, a smell, a taste, or a sensation) \u201ctriggers<\/a>\u201d my mind back to a time long, long ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Bow Flying<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    Now, downtime on the carrier while at sea was something else. I\u2019d written before about \u201cBow Flying<\/a><\/strong>;\u201d at least, that\u2019s what we called it back in the mid-70s. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The ship’s bow cuts through the water like a sharp knife through butter. But the wind follows the bow up and over onto the flight deck. You can literally stand close to the front of the ship and lean forward at a 45-degree angle or more. We\u2019d open our foul-weather jackets like wings and lean over farther. If you jumped at the right time, you could actually “fly” backwards. It took practice, otherwise, you might land on your ass. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    However, for me\u2026 I just couldn\u2019t bring myself to lean over the bow as much as some of the other airdales. Even though there were wide safety nets surrounding the flight deck where there were no catwalks, that was just a little too gutsy for me. In other words, the Pucker Factor for me peaked out around 8 or 9.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Revisiting the Flight Deck<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    While researching my Navy memoir, \u201cThree Years, Eleven Months, & 29 Days\u2014But Who\u2019s Counting<\/a><\/strong>,\u201d the Navy provided the opportunity for me to spend a few days aboard an active aircraft carrier in 2009. I flew out from North Island in a C-2 Greyhound<\/strong>, landing on the USS Ronald Reagan<\/a><\/em><\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Since I\u2019d been an ABH, of course I wanted to be out <\/em>on the flight deck, but I assumed they\u2019d only let me watch flight ops from the island’s Vulture\u2019s Row. Unbeknownst to me, the Flight Deck Director was an ABH mustang. He welcomed me aboard and after I\u2019d stashed my overnight gear in a guest stateroom, he took me to Crash, gave me a float coat and cranial helmet and said, \u201cFollow me!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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    \"USS
    USS Ronald Reagan, CV-76 F-18 Hornet Flight Deck Personnel Cat 2 (2009)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

    \u201cWow\u201d is all I could say. Back on the flight deck, taking pictures, reminiscing, and swapping stories with the new kids, telling them about the \u201cgood ol\u2019 days\u201d in PI, Hong Kong, and Japan. The Crash crew gave me a red jersey, which I was honored to accept.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"\"
    F18 Hornet trapping on USS Ronald Reagan, CV-76 (2009)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    Yet, out on the flight deck, even after 30+ years, it all came back to me. Just like riding a bike. Some things you never forget<\/em>. Not once during the flight ops\u2014and yes, I was standing next to aircraft launches and recoveries, alongside the foul line<\/a><\/strong>\u2014did I ever experience the Pucker Factor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Heights\u2014”High” Pucker Factor<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    I can\u2019t end this blog without mentioning that one time (keyword: \u201cone time<\/em>\u201d) my wife & I visited the Sears Tower in Chicago. It\u2019s now called the Willis Tower. Located on the 103rd floor is the Skydeck. There are four glass-enclosed skyboxes on the west fa\u00e7ade, where you can\u2026 walk out\u2026 and peer down 103 stories\u2026 beneath you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Talk about a high Pucker Factor!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Of course, there are always those tourists who try to mimic Alan Rickman\u2019s final scene in the movie Die Hard<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I think, for me, once was enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

    Andy Adkins<\/strong> is a US Navy veteran (\u201973-77) and the author of several books, including You Can\u2019t Get Much Closer Than This-Combat with the 80th \u201cBlue Ridge\u201d Division in World War II Europe<\/a><\/em><\/strong>, published by Casemate Publishers (2005) and selected as the Book of the Month for the Military Book Club. Adkins also writes a weekly blog, \u201cA Veteran\u2019s Journey.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

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    1. <\/strong>Nelson Mandela.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    2. Die Hard<\/strong> (1988), John McClane (Bruce Willis).<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    3. Midnight Confessions<\/strong> (1968), The Grass Roots; written by Lou T. Josie.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

      Previous blogs mentioned in this post:<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n