{"id":7442,"date":"2024-09-17T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-09-17T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/azadkinsiii.com\/blog\/?p=7442"},"modified":"2024-09-17T08:59:28","modified_gmt":"2024-09-17T12:59:28","slug":"175-night-shift","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/azadkinsiii.com\/blog\/175-night-shift\/","title":{"rendered":"#175\u2014Night Shift"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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

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  1. Who said, \u201cWe often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude.\u201d<\/em>?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. In what movie (and who said it) did we hear, \u201cTosh! Name a shrub after me. Something prickly and hard to eradicate.\u201d<\/em>?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Which song (and who sang it) contains the following lyrics?
    Well all day long while I’m working in town<\/em>
    Time slows down to a crawl<\/em>
    When I’m not thinking about you<\/em>
    I’m checking the clock on the wall<\/em>
    Then it’s goodbye factory and hello loving<\/em>
    There’s a smile across my face<\/em>
    ‘Cause I’m back in the arms of your sweet love<\/em>
    Where my thoughts have been all day<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Photo: PACIFIC OCEAN (April 11, 2008) Sailors assigned to the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) enjoy a clear night from the bow of the ship during a pause in flight operations. Lincoln and embarked Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 2 are on a scheduled seven-month deployment to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class James R. Evans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    <\/div>
    Blog #175 (audio)<\/div><\/div>
    <\/div>
    <\/div>
    Published: <\/span>September 16, 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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    I was never<\/em> a fan of working nights, especially when at sea aboard USS Kitty Hawk<\/em><\/strong>, CV-63. I preferred the daily challenges and action on the flight deck during flight operations<\/a><\/strong>. I served aboard Kitty Hawk<\/em> from March \u201975 through the end of my short 4-year enlistment in July \u201977.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Prior to reporting aboard Kitty Hawk<\/em>, I spent 15 months at NAS Agana, Guam<\/a><\/strong>, working with Crash & Rescue<\/strong>. We worked 24 hours on and 24 hours off (Port & Starboard sections). Toward the end of my tour on Guam, we had enough crew members to provide an extra day off, about every 8 weeks. We called those \u201cKelly <\/em>days.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Why \u201cKelly<\/em> days\u201d? I don\u2019t know. Unfortunately, Professor Google was of no use this time, trying to find the origin of the term.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    When you work a 24-hour shift, you\u2019re expected to work nights \u2026 part of the job. I really didn\u2019t mind. At the tender age of 18, I enjoyed my time on the Crash trucks. After a few months, I began learning how to drive them. I\u2019d eventually drive all the Crash trucks: Oshkosh MB-1s (Units #1 & #6), Oshkosh MB-5s (Units #2 & #4), the American LaFrance, and the tanker truck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Loved driving them all, but my favorite was Unit #5, since it was a stick shift. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"Andy
    Andy Adkins, NAS Agana, Guam.
    Unit #5 on the Alert Spot – 1974.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    The Hot Spot\u2014Guam<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    During our 24 hours of duty, our \u201chome\u201d was the \u201cCrash Barn<\/strong>.\u201d Even though we were on duty, we had crew rooms of bunk beds (one room per crew), where we\u2019d sleep at night if we weren\u2019t out on the Alert Spot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"\"
    Crash Barn (center), NAS Agana, Guam. 1974
    Photo by Andy Adkins.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    The Alert Spot<\/strong>, often called \u201cthe hot spot,\u201d was located out on the airfield between the two parallel runways, about halfway down. We\u2019d rotate crews, 4-hours on, 8-hours off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    So, if you had the 1200-1600 (noon to 4pm) shift on the Alert Spot, you\u2019d also have the 0000-0400 (midnight to 4am) shift. NAS Agana, Guam shared the same runways as the civilian airport, located across the field. That basically meant if there was an emergency on a civilian airliner, we\u2019d be the first to respond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I thank the good Lord that during my 15 months in Guam, we never<\/em> had a crash, Navy or civilian. But I\u2019d heard stories before and after my time there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Guam is close to the equator, so, yeah, it was hot, especially when out on the Alert Spot. However, Guam is also a tropical island, so there was almost always a steady breeze, which made it bearable. Keep in mind, I grew up in North Central Florida, so I was used to heat and humidity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Nighttime out on the runways was totally different, for lots of reasons. For one, it was more boring than during the day. Fortunately, the guys in Tower Control would let us stand down, return to the Crash Barn in-between flights. And you can imagine, if you\u2019ve got the \u201cdog watch\u201d (0000-0400), there\u2019s not a lot of air traffic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Besides housing the Crash trucks and crew berthing compartments, the Crash Barn also had a pool table, a ping-pong table, and a couple of dart boards. We\u2019d also spend our time playing various card games, including poker, though I was never any good at that\u2014lost too much money too many times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    So, we\u2019d find things to keep ourselves busy during those in-between times on the night shift.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    City Firefighter<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    When I left the Navy, I joined the City of Gainesville<\/a><\/strong> (Florida) fire department. But instead of one day on, one day off, we had three shifts, \u201cA\u201d, \u201cB\u201d, and \u201cC\u201d\u2014I worked the \u201cC\u201d shift. One day on, two days off. Again, we\u2019d \u201clive\u201d at the fire station, taking calls during all hours of the day. Back then, in the late 70s, we had six fire stations covering the city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"Gainesville<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    Similar to my 24-hour shift on Guam, our \u201cnormal\u201d work day was from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. After that, we\u2019d be on \u201choliday routine,\u201d meaning we could do whatever we wanted as long as we stayed at the station.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I was in college full time, so I studied most of the time while the rest of the firefighters read, watched TV, worked out, or just took it easy. Many were married, so their wives (we only had men firefighters back then) and\/or girlfriends would stop by for a visit; they had to leave by 10p.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    But we were on call and being in a college town (University of Florida<\/strong> \u2026 Go Gators!), it would be rare to get a full night\u2019s sleep without getting a call.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

    As I mentioned when I began this blog, I didn\u2019t really like working night shifts on the carrier. I was a Crash firefighter and later, a Yellow Shirt Director<\/a><\/strong>. All the flight deck action typically happens during the day, during flight ops.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    That\u2019s where I wanted to be. That\u2019s where I belonged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    We had about 80 sailors in V-1 Division<\/strong>. Normally, we\u2019d muster at 0730, making sure everyone was aboard and ready to work. We\u2019d do this whether we were at sea or in port. When in port, we didn\u2019t need a night shift, though we did have roving \u201cfire watches\u201d in the berthing compartments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    But at sea, the night shift (at least for Crash) would report to the flight deck an hour before flight ops ended and remain until muster the following morning. After that, the night crew could head down to the berthing compartment and sleep all day, if they wanted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I may be exaggerating a tad, but that\u2019s how I remember it.<\/p>\n\n\n

    \n
    \"Glenn
    NAS Agana, Guam. 1974.
    Glenn Law, Gary Borne in Crash truck out on Alert Spot. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

    My good friend, Gary Borne<\/strong> (R.I.P.), whom I\u2019d also served with in Guam (he taught me to drive all the Crash trucks), loved working the night shift. And since we were the only two third-class petty officers in Crash during the Westpac, he gladly took the night shift.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The few times I worked nights were, in a word, boring as hell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Kitty Hawk<\/em> had one TV station and three radio stations<\/a>: KROC, KSOL, and KRAL (Rock, Soul, & Country, respectively). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I\u2019ll mention that I was also a radio DJ while at sea: \u201cCountry Chet Adkins,\u201d and my radio spot was 0600-0800 on the country station, KRAL. That was always fun, spinning tunes for the crew.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

    Night Shift at Sea<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    The TV station mostly showed B-movies and while they helped pass the time, it was hard for me to sit still. I read, I wrote letters to my folks (I still have all those letters, too, as well as the letters my dad wrote home to his parents during WWII), and I\u2019d play my guitar (hence my nickname, \u201cChet\u201d Adkins).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The reason we needed to have a night shift at sea was simply because there was always activity on the flight deck, even when there was no aircraft flying. The squadron personnel would work maintenance both on the flight deck and the hangar deck, and there were always fuel leaks here & there. Nothing major, but if something did<\/em> happen, then we\u2019d be up & ready to tackle any emergency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I will tell you this, though. When you\u2019re at sea in the middle of the night, and you happen to take time to go outside and look up, there is such an awesome wonder as to just how many stars are in the sky. With no ambient light to disturb the darkness, and if the water is calm enough, you can\u2019t tell where the sky ends, and the ocean begins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    If there\u2019s a moon out and hanging near the water, it\u2019s almost like a lighted path, guiding you to wherever you want to go. It\u2019s truly amazing and breathtaking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"C-2
    C-2 Greyhound on flight deck of USS Enterprise (CVN 65) at night. Gulf of Aden (Oct 8, 2012).
    Photo credit: MC2 Brooks B. Patton, Jr.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    I still get chills when I\u2019m at sea (on a cruise) or on a dark beach or if I\u2019m driving across an area with a lot of visible sky. Those are some of the more memorable \u201cmoments\u201d<\/a> I have at sea. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The USO \u201cMiss America\u201d Show<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    Maybe one reason I disliked working the night shift was I missed out watching a Miss America show.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"Miss
    USS Kitty Hawk, Westpac ’75.
    Miss America group deplaning from C-2.
    Photo credit; Andy Adkins.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    Sometime during Westpac \u201975, the USO flew several Miss America out to the Hawk on a Greyhound C-2. I was working the night shift, so while I was able to get a photo of them deplaning (I was on top of the Crash truck), I missed their show. From what I heard, it was great, but the only photos I have are from the Westpac \u201975 cruise book.<\/p>\n\n\n

    \n
    \"Miss
    USS Kitty Hawk, Westpac ’75. Miss America show.
    “Lucky grape!”
    Photos from Westpac ’75 cruise book. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
    \"Miss<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    Bummer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Civilian Night Shift<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    My wife, Becky, is a retired nurse and worked in ICU for many<\/em> years. I don\u2019t think she minded working the night shift \u2026 \u201cless administrative crap.\u201d But she also got to focus on her one or two patients and not have to deal with constant interruptions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    We met in a karate class. \u201cShe threw me, and I fell for her<\/em> \u2026\u201d is our standard line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    But there were times when she worked the night shift, and I\u2019d just come off a 24-hour shift and we\u2019d meet with several from her night crew for pancakes and beer. Yeah, I know what that sounds like, but after putting in long shifts, well, it was one of those things to do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    There\u2019s really no<\/em> comparison between what a nurse does and what a firefighter does, other than we respond when needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Nurses are constantly busy, monitoring patients, taking vitals, assisting with numerous tasks, not to mention dealing with doctors who know it all and patient families who don\u2019t know enough and count on you (the nurse) to help them through a difficult time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Firefighters basically sit around waiting for something bad to happen, partially hoping it\u2019ll be a boring night. But when the fire alarm goes off, the adrenaline rush kicks in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Back when I was with the fire department (\u201977-\u201880), I was 22 years old, making about $9,600 a year and living high on the hog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    But hopping into my boots, pulling up my trousers (with red suspenders, of course), donning my jacket and helmet, then jumping on the tailgate (that\u2019s where I rode on the truck), hauling butt out of the fire station, sirens blaring, and watching cars move out of the way \u2026 yeah, I can still feel it. And \u2026 when you get close enough, you can smell the smoke. You pray that everyone got out okay, but you never know. Then you get to the house, jump off the back of the truck, grab the hoses, and charge in to put out the fire, working with a close-knit team of other firefighters whom you\u2019ve learned to trust with your life \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u2026 yeah, some of those days I miss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I\u2019m approaching 70 years on this earth; my mind is still young enough to remember. The body \u2026 not so much.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

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    Andy Adkins<\/strong> is a US Navy veteran (’73-77) and author of several books. He is currently enjoying his latest “gig” … retirement, and lives with his wife in Gainesville, Florida. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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