{"id":7750,"date":"2025-06-14T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-06-14T19:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/azadkinsiii.com\/blog\/?p=7750"},"modified":"2025-06-14T12:21:52","modified_gmt":"2025-06-14T16:21:52","slug":"194-taking-leave","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/azadkinsiii.com\/blog\/194-taking-leave\/","title":{"rendered":"#194\u2014Taking \u201cLeave\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Image credit: A Navy F\/A-18E Super Hornet takes off from the flight deck of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower<\/em> in the Atlantic Ocean. Credit: Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Cameron Pinske.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

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  1. Who said, \u201cHope is like the sun, which, as we journey toward it, casts the shadow of our burden behind us.\u201d<\/em>?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. In what movie (and who said it) did we hear: \u201cI love waking up in the morning not knowing what\u2019s gonna happen or who I\u2019m gonna meet, where I\u2019m gonna wind up.\u201d?<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. In what song (and who sang it) did we hear:
    Just a small-town girl<\/em>
    Livin\u2019 in a lonely world<\/em>
    She took the midnight train going anywhere<\/em>
    Just a city boy<\/em>
    Born and raised in South Detroit<\/em>
    He took the midnight train going anywhere<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
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    Like many of my veteran friends. I\u2019m \u201cretired.\u201d For me, life is good. It\u2019s almost like we\u2019re always on vacation or on a staycation. No alarm to set and no need to go to work (unless I\u2019m volunteering). I seem to have no problem finding things to do to keep busy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Looking through my earlier blog posts & notes, I started down that memory lane again \u2026 you know, the good stuff and, now and then, the not-so-good<\/em> stuff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I began to focus on my various duty stations and where it all started, Orlando RTC<\/a><\/strong> (Recruit Training Command), in July 1973.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I\u2019ve written before about the \u201cwhy\u201d I joined the Navy<\/a>. But every time \u2026 EVERY TIME between<\/em> duty stations (and I loosely define boot camp & \u201cA\u201d School as duty stations), I took leave to spend a little time at home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    And each time I returned home, I was a little \u201cdifferent.\u201d And I\u2019ll be honest: every time I came home, I looked forward to my next duty station \u2026 my Navy \u201cjourney,\u201d so to speak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Between Boot Camp and A School<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    You may or may not remember your time in boot camp. For me, that six weeks in July 1973 was a blur. Especially after that first 0400 rude awakening when the CC opened the door, kicked the 50-gallon galvanized steel \u201calarm clock\u201d down the middle of the barracks, and yelled at the top of his voice, \u201cDrop your c*@!s and grab your socks<\/em>.\u201d Eighty of us in that company had no clue what lay ahead. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    But I made it through boot camp. I was an E-2 when I graduated (I had a year of college under my belt, though I\u2019d flunked out of college). I didn\u2019t realize it at the time\u2014I was just one more boot in a Navy of recruits\u2014but that would help me make E-5 in less than 3 years. That\u2019s another story, though.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    While at home, I found I\u2019d lost a few pounds in boot camp (who didn\u2019t?). So, my mom, a wonderful southern cook, made sure I stocked up on her delicious home-cooked meals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Like other recruits in my company (Company #163, CC ADJ1 Louis Wright<\/strong>), I could take up to 14 days leave before reporting to my next \u201cduty station:\u201d Naval Air Station Lakehurst, NJ<\/strong> for ABH \u201cA\u201d School<\/a>. I was stoked, ready to learn how to be an Aviation Boatswains Mate-Handler<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I had no clue what that meant or would entail, but at 18 years old, I was ready. In fact, I was so ready that I only took a week\u2019s leave before heading out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"Andy
    Andy Adkins @ Orlando RTC, August 1973.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    Between \u201cA\u201d School and NAS Agana, Guam<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    When I first arrived in Lakehurst, we didn\u2019t have enough ABHs to start a class. For two weeks, command assigned me to help rebuild some of the old WWII barracks. Being 6\u20194\u201d, the Chief decided my job was to hang ceilings\u2014the drop-down type. I didn\u2019t mind \u2026 it kept me busy and I learned a new “skill” that I’d never use again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I\u2019ve written about my \u201cA\u201d school experience before, so no need to repeat it. However, there was that time mid-way through the training course when we filled out our \u201cDream Sheet<\/a><\/strong>.\u201d That\u2019s your<\/em> way of letting the Navy know where you\u2019d like to be stationed. It\u2019s their<\/em> way of filling billets wherever they want you to go. Hence the term, \u201cDream Sheet.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    My orders read, \u201cReport to NAS Agana, Guam<\/em>.\u201d Sweet! Now if I could just figure out where in the world was Guam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    This time<\/em> between duty stations, I took a few weeks\u2019 leave. I knew it would be awhile before I\u2019d come back home. And besides, the time at Boot Camp and in A School helped me reflect on how much I truly missed home, my mom & dad, and my sister, Anne.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I remember, though, during those few weeks at home, I had that<\/em> itch \u2026 that feeling that something grand was about to happen. A new journey for me, a new adventure, and the first time I\u2019d be outside the continental US, even though Guam was a US territory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Once again, I was ready, willing, and able.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Between Guam and USS Kitty Hawk<\/em><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    I spent 15 months on the island paradise of Guam. One day on (24 hours) and one day off. While on duty, we slept at the Crash Barn<\/strong>. Toward the end of my tour, we had enough guys in both sections (Port & Starboard) to have one guy take a Kelly Day<\/em>; that meant he\u2019d have three days off in a row.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I didn\u2019t take any leave during my time in Guam. Several guys did and traveled to Hong Kong & the Philippines; a few others got TDY (Temporary Duty) to Diego Garcia<\/strong>, which was an island in the Indian Ocean a world away. Those who went enjoyed the duty and a few guys came back with loads of seashells and other souvenirs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    No, I decided I\u2019d spend my time on Guam doing what I loved: scuba diving and learning to fly an airplane. I went on several USO Boonie Stomps<\/strong>, which was always a treat. We got to mingle with the other military branches (Air Force personnel from Anderson AFB; Navy radiomen\/women from NCTS; Navy men\/women from the main Naval Base).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    And of course, I hit that 2-month mark when I became a \u201cshort-timer.\u201d I didn\u2019t make a short-timer chain nor color in a pinup chart, counting the days until I left. However, I quite often used the term, \u201c30 days and a wake up<\/a>\u201d (or whatever time left).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    During my time in Guam, I grew a lot, both physically and mentally. I celebrated two birthdays and was now 20 years old. Since Guam was my first \u201creal\u201d duty station<\/a>, I\u2019d become an aircraft firefighter (Crash & Rescue<\/strong>), learned to drive all the fire trucks, and was promoted to an ABH3, a third-class petty officer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    My next duty station would be aboard an aircraft carrier: USS Kitty Hawk<\/em><\/strong> (CV-63), based out of San Diego.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I was <\/em>ready to go home, spend time with my parents, my sister, and my friends, and eat some much-missed home-cooked meals. I\u2019d have up to four weeks\u2019 leave before reporting aboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

    While home on leave, I got that itch <\/em>again \u2026 ready for my next adventure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Instead of taking a full month\u2019s leave, I left home after three weeks. I knew two of my buddies from Guam, Glenn Law<\/strong> and Gary Borne<\/strong>, were already aboard.<\/p>\n\n\n

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    \"Glenn
    Glenn Law, Gary Borne (R.I.P.); NAS Agana, Guam. 1974.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

    When I first arrived in San Diego, I learned Kitty Hawk<\/em> was out on a RIMPAC<\/strong> (Rim of the Pacific) exercise and wouldn\u2019t return for three weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Shit. Another <\/em>temporary duty assignment at the main Naval Base. But the only thing the three of us in that TDY “company” had to do was to clean the barracks after breakfast. After that, we were on our own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Boring!!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Finally, I reported to Kitty Hawk<\/em> at NAS North Island<\/strong>. Boy, she was huge. I remember the taxi driving up to her next to the pier. I\u2019d never been aboard a ship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    That was in March 1975; a few months later, Kitty Hawk<\/em> set sail on Westpac \u201975<\/a><\/strong>, a 6-month cruise, visiting three countries (Philippines, Hong Kong, & Japan)\u2014more adventures. We got back to the states on December 15, 1973 \u2026 the day before <\/em>my 21st birthday (no drinking for me!).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    But I did travel home for a few weeks, spending Christmas with the family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    However, instead of flying back to San Diego, three of us drove from Florida back to San Diego. Brack Barker<\/strong>, John Sideris<\/strong> (both in the Air Department), and I drove John\u2019s Gran Torino from his hometown of Pensacola. It wasn\u2019t an uneventful trip. We had a radiator blow somewhere in nowhere, Texas. After getting that repaired, we headed west again. Kitty Hawk<\/em> was still in port, but her next \u201ctour\u201d would be to the Bremerton Shipyards<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The Shipyards<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    In the past, I\u2019ve written several posts about the shipyards<\/a>, so there is no need to repeat here. I will say, however, that it didn\u2019t take long for the 8-hour workdays to become boring. I made the best of it, though.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I took leave to fly home once <\/em>during that year-long \u201ctour.\u201d And yes, once again, after a couple of weeks, I was ready to return to the ship. We\u2019d be heading back to San Diego in April 1977, and I\u2019d move from Crash to the flight deck as a Yellow Shirt Director<\/strong>.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    That was something I looked forward to. I knew this would be my last \u201cstint\u201d aboard Kitty Hawk<\/em>, but I wanted to make the most of it. Flight Deck Director #36 in Fly 3. That also meant I\u2019d be one of the Yellow Shirts up at the angle during recovery, directing landing aircraft out of the recovery area to Fly 1.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"My
    My Yellow Shirt, Director #36 (Fly 3). It still fits!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    That was probably the most exciting job I had while aboard Kitty Hawk<\/em> \u2026 well, during my entire 3 years, eleven months, and 29 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    My Navy \u201cjourney\u201d came to an end. But my life\u2019s journey would continue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    After I write a blog post and reread it, I sometimes wonder what my point was (I\u2019m sure I\u2019m not the only one).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    My point is this. Even though my Navy years were long ago (\u201973-\u201977), they were a cornerstone of my life. I left the Navy with a sense of purpose, a high-level of confidence that would continue to build, and great memories that I\u2019d write about years later. A \u201ccontinuing\u201d journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    And that, my friends, has not changed. At 70 years old and retired, I\u2019m still looking for those next challenges, albeit a little <\/em>slower these days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

    Andy Adkins is a US Navy veteran<\/strong> (\u201973-77) and the author of several books (www.azadkinsiii.com<\/a>), many of which are free downloads (PDF, eBook format). He is currently retired and lives in Gainesville, Florida with his wife and life-long soulmate, Becky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Previous Blogs mentioned in this Post:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n