{"id":7086,"date":"2024-02-20T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-02-20T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/azadkinsiii.com\/blog\/?p=7086"},"modified":"2024-02-20T08:33:22","modified_gmt":"2024-02-20T13:33:22","slug":"163-old-habits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/azadkinsiii.com\/blog\/163-old-habits\/","title":{"rendered":"#163\u2014Old Habits Die Hard"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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

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  1. Who said, \u201cNinety-nine percent of the failures come from people who have the habit of making excuses.\u201d<\/em>?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. In what movie (and who said it) did we hear, \u201cYou must unlearn what you have learned.\u201d<\/em>?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. In what song (and who sang it) did we hear the following?
    I kicked the habit of smoking back some time ago<\/em>
    And I tried the hard stuff, but I had to let all that go<\/em>
    But the toughest thing I ever gave up was today<\/em>
    ‘Cause old habits like you are hard to break.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
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    <\/div>
    Blog #163 (audio)<\/div><\/div>
    <\/div>
    <\/div>
    Published: <\/span>February 19, 2024<\/span><\/div>
    <\/div>Audio by Andy Adkins<\/a><\/div><\/form><\/span>1<\/span> Download<\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div>
    <\/div>\n\n\n
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    \u201cOld Habits Die Hard.\u201d From Dr. Google\u2026 \u201cSaid to mean that people are often reluctant to change their way of doing something, especially something which they have been doing for a long time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cOld Habits Die Hard.\u201d Based on America\u2019s Popular Proverbs and Sayings<\/em>, by Gregory Titleman, the saying was first used in 1450. However, the exact reference is yet to be verified.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cOld Habits Die Hard.\u201d The idiom was also first cited in the USA in 1758 by Benjamin Franklin, printed in the London Chronical<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Old habits die hard, old soldiers just fade away.
    Old habits die hard, hard enough to feel the pain.<\/em>
    \u201cOld Habits Die Hard<\/strong>\u201d (2004), written by Mick Jagger, Dave Stewart<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Boot Camp Beginnings<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n
    \n
    \"Boot
    Orlando RTC Boot Camp Locker<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

    Orlando RTC<\/strong> (\u201cBoot camp\u201d)<\/a>. Back in July 1973, it didn\u2019t take me long to learn how to fold and stow my newly issued uniforms the \u201cNavy way.\u201d If I didn\u2019t do it properly, the Company Commander would \u201cinvite\u201d me and 79 of my newest closest friends in our company (Company #163<\/strong>; CC ADJ1 Louis Wright<\/strong>) for what we often called a \u201cDeck Party.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cPush up position. Now, ladies, give me twenty-five of your finest.\u201d These are easy,<\/em> I thought to myself. I was a young, spry, 18 years old. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cOn your backs. Let\u2019s do some \u2018Hello Dollys.\u2019\u201d Oh, shit. I hate these.<\/em> \u201cLift your legs straight up six inches off the floor. Hold it. Lift them another six inches. Hold it… hold it. Lift them another six inches. Now spread them as wide as you can\u2026 Hello Dolly!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    When you\u2019re in the military\u2014it doesn\u2019t matter if you\u2019re Navy, Army, Marine, Air Force, or Coast Guard\u2014you typically have limited space to store your personal belongings. I wrote earlier about the Seabag<\/a>, and just how much I carried from one duty station to another. For me, reporting to a new duty station in the mid 70s with nothing but the clothes I wore, and a Seabag carried over my shoulder, was a new tradition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Still a Habit<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    Even today, when my wife and I travel, we often cram a backpack (for us, Osprey backpacks) with almost everything we\u2019ll need. We\u2019ll carry another, smaller backpack for personal items. When travelling overseas, sometimes a roller suitcase doesn\u2019t bode well with stairs and brick-laid streets. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Funny thing is, even though I left the Navy in July 1977 after a short <\/em>4-year enlistment, I still fold some of my clothes the same way. Fortunately, these days I don\u2019t need to iron as many shirts as I did back then.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    And I still have “fond” memories of making my bed. In boot camp, we had to tuck in the corners with a 45-degree angle with the sheets tucked under tight enough to bounce a quarter off the bed. If it didn\u2019t bounce high enough for the CC\u2026 \u201cDeck Party.\u201d I still make my bed almost every morning and yes, still fold the corners\u2026 maybe not at a 45-degree angle, but for me, close enough for government work. And no, I don’t bother checking to see if I can bounce a quarter off it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

    My rating (i.e., my job) was an Aviation Boatswain\u2019s Mate-Handler<\/strong>. We had two primary duties, both involved working with aircraft. One was a Crash firefighter<\/strong>; the other, a Yellow Shirt Director<\/strong>. I had the privilege of working both jobs and loved them equally. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    After six weeks ABH training in \u201cA School<\/a><\/strong>\u201d in Lakehurst, NJ learning my trade, I transferred to my first duty station, NAS Agana, Guam<\/a><\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"NAS
    Crash Crew, NAS Agana, Guam (1974)
    Glenn Law, John O’Mara, Gary Cuzner (R.I.P.), Andy Adkins<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    Crash & Rescue<\/strong> had two shifts, Port and Starboard (I was Port). We worked 24 hours on and 24 hours off for my entire 15 months on Guam. Only during the last few months, the Division Officer (CWO2 Bos’n Joye) allowed us a “Kelly Day.” Since we \u201chot-racked\u201d with the other shift, we\u2019d change out our own sheets. And while I tried to keep a somewhat neat rack, I finally realized it didn\u2019t matter if my bed-making ability was sloppy or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

    After Guam, I transferred to an aircraft carrier, USS Kitty Hawk<\/em><\/strong>, CV-63 and assigned to V-1 Division<\/strong> \/ Crash & Salvage<\/a>. Instead of a luxurious room with five Crash crew members like we had in Guam, I bunked with 80 other sailors in the V-1 berthing compartment. There were three racks stacked (mine was the middle), spaced about four feet apart between stacks. It was tight, but since we spent most of our time on the flight deck while at sea, that cozy little space was heaven to me, especially after a 16-to-18-hour shift.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    We never had to worry about using too much water while stationed in Guam. However, when you\u2019re aboard an aircraft carrier at sea with 5,500 other sailors, the ship makes its own fresh water from the ocean via desalination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Keep in mind that an aircraft carrier launches aircraft throughout the day and well into the night\u2026 sometimes around-the-clock flight operations. Back then, aircraft were launched using a steam catapult. Most carriers have four cats, though most of the time, we\u2019d launch aircraft using only two at a time. Each catapult launch requires steam from fresh water\u2014the same fresh water source used for drinking water, taking showers, and the most important\u2026 making coffee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"F14
    F-14 Tomcat aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt CVN 71 (January 2006)
    Photo credit: PM3 Eben Boothby.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cThere goes another 200 showers,\u201d we\u2019d often repeat after launching an F-14 Tomcat, or any aircraft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    After a couple of days at sea, we often went on \u201cwater hours.\u201d That basically meant the ship\u2019s engineering turned off the fresh water to the berthing compartments. We tried to conserve water whenever possible but that wasn’t always possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Our head (bathroom) in the V-1 Division berthing compartment had 4 shower stalls. There were 80 of us in V-1. So, I learned quickly how to take a \u201c3-minute Navy shower<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Water on for 60 seconds; soap up for 60 seconds; rinse off for 60 seconds.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Still a Habit<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    These days, I don\u2019t time myself, but since water bills in Florida can get a little high, especially during the summer, I\u2019ll often turn the water off between \u201ccycles\u201d \u2013 rinse, soap, rinse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    And, when a hurricane comes through and we lose power for several days, the \u201c3-minute shower\u201d comes in handy. Our house was re-piped before we bought it. That means the water pipes run through the attic. After a hurricane, the sun is out, warming up the day (and the attic), and that means we have hot water, even though the power is off (we\u2019re on city water).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Yeah, that 3-minute shower routine works just fine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

    I was Navy. I sometimes worked with Marines, though it was usually only when nuclear weapons were nearby.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Never with the Army or Air Force, though my dad and my father-in-law were Army veterans who fought the Germans during World War II.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    There was that one time, though, when a Marine guard didn’t like my response to his request. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    We were on liberty in the Philippines (\u201cPI\u201d – Kitty Hawk\u2019s<\/em> forward deployment base). PI had midnight curfew, meaning you were to be off the streets by midnight, or you could be arrested, or worse\u2026 shot. And, while in PI, I often took advantage of the low-cost food and <\/em>drink.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    One night I\u2019d had a little too much to drink. The Marines guarded the gates of the Navy base and checked everyone\u2019s ID cards as they entered. You can imagine a thunderous herd of hundreds of sailors and Marines crowding through the gates at one time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I held my ID card out for inspection. The Marine guard asked nicely, \u201cSir, could you please flip your ID card?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    My flippant reply was, \u201cWhat\u2026 they don\u2019t teach Marines how to read upside down.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Wrong thing to say to a Marine guard<\/em>. Within two seconds, the Marine corporal on duty stepped over, along with two of the biggest Marines I\u2019d ever encountered, and kindly escorted me over to the guard shack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cHands against the wall. Spread your feet shoulder width apart.\u201d They began a pat down. Of course, they found nothing (I was an \u201cAJ-squared away\u201d sailor\u2026 fortunately, at least that<\/em> night). The Corporal walked me back to the line after his standard Marine-issue lecture about security and that I should follow the rules.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I was never <\/em>a problem after that<\/em> incident.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

    Back during my time (\u201873-77), I\u2019d like to think we all had a mutual respect for each other. I mean, we all served and while some were drafted, many of us enlisted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Now\u201445+ years after I walked off Kitty Hawk\u2019s<\/em> Afterbrow for the last time\u2014we often tease each other. The internet has certainly provided an opportunity for memes, videos, and whatnot as fuel for egging each other\u2019s military branches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    But when it comes down to it, I respect each and every service member, young and <\/em>old. If I see another veteran (usually spotted by a military ball cap), I always try to acknowledge them. If it\u2019s a sailor, I may try to connect with them, especially if they\u2019re wearing a ball cap with a Navy carrier patch. \u201cWhen did you serve? What was your rank?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Like I said, \u201cOld Habits Die Hard.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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

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

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    \n
    \"NEVER<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

    Andy Adkins is a US Navy veteran (\u201973-77) and the author of several books. His newest novel, NEVER FORGET<\/strong>, is the story of A Vietnam Veteran\u2019s Journey for Redemption & Forgiveness<\/em>. NEVER FORGET is FREE (eBook, PDF) for all veterans. Download your FREE copy HERE<\/u><\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

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    1. <\/strong>George Washington Carver.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    2. <\/strong>The Empire Stikes Back<\/strong> (1980), Yoda (voice of Frank Oz).<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    3. <\/strong>Old Habits<\/strong> (1980), Hank Williams, Jr.; written by Hank Williams, Jr.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

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